Gen Z is carrying around ‘anxiety bags’ packed with tools to calm their nerves

Hannah Fowles was spiraling. 

It had been a grueling day at work, and by the time the 22-year-old from Provo, Utah, got home, panic was bubbling in her chest as her thoughts raced and her cheeks flushed red.

“I was starting to get super overheated and I couldn’t calm myself down,” Fowles told The Post. “Nothing that I normally do, like breathing exercises or lying down in a dark room, was working.”

Then she saw the bag.

Just weeks earlier, Fowles and her therapist had put together a small, grab-and-go kit filled with items to help calm her mind when anxiety strikes — an idea she’d first come across while scrolling on TikTok.

She now reached for it, swallowing her anxiety medication and pressing a cold pack to the back of her neck. She flicked on a small portable fan, letting the cool air wash over her face, while in her other hand, she gripped a spiky fidget toy, feeling its prongs dig into her palm as the panic began to ebb. 

“Within 10 minutes, I was able to calm down and go to sleep. It normally doesn’t happen that quickly,” Fowles said. “I never would have thought to have these things until I made the bag. It’s been a game-changer — I use it all the time.”

Others her age are finding relief in the same way.

Packing for panic

Call them anxiety bags, panic pouches, calm-down kits — whatever the name, these DIY creations are rapidly gaining popularity online, especially among Gen Z women.

It’s easy to see why. In a survey of nearly 1,000 Americans aged 18 to 26, 61% reported having a diagnosed anxiety condition, and 43% said they experience a panic attack at least once a month.

And while many turn to talk therapy and medication to cope, those tools don’t always work in the heat of the moment.

“Stuff like mindfulness and body scans are great, but you have to remember to do them,” said Dr. Kyra Bobinet, a physician and behavioral neuroscientist. “When you’re in an environment like ours, this storm of hyper-stimulating triggers, you won’t necessarily have the ability to remember to do those things anymore.”

That’s where anxiety bags come in. Keeping self-regulation tools within reach during moments of high stress and sensory overload is, in Bobinet’s words, “genius.”

“It’s a way of distracting and soothing,” she explained. “It creates other sensations to focus on so that you don’t feel completely taken over by the rapid firing of your anxious or depressed mind.”

Sense-ational coping tools

Known as the “anxious generation,” Gen Z is experiencing record levels of mental stress. A 2023 Gallup survey found that nearly half of those ages 12 to 26 say they often or always feel anxious.

Stefany Staples, a 24-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia, began experiencing anxiety in 2024, with physical symptoms including heart palpitations landing her in the hospital more than once.

“I thought anxiety was more like overthinking and being super overwhelmed,” Staples said. “But it’s so much more than that.”

Symptoms of anxiety disorders can vary widely, often including excessive, uncontrollable worry; restlessness; a rapid heartbeat; sweating; trembling; dizziness and shortness of breath.

When medication offered little help, Staples turned to the internet for advice — and was inspired to create her own anxiety bag.

She packed her small pouch with items to help her cope, including lavender essential oil to soothe her nerves and sour candy, its sharp flavor pulling her attention away from anxious thoughts.

“It helps me ground myself,” Staples said. “It definitely takes me out of the anxious cycle that’s going on in my head.”

Rapid sensory interventions like holding an ice pack, sucking on a Warhead or even sniffing an alcohol wipe can interrupt escalating arousal in the nervous system, explained Dr. Jenny Martin, clinical psychologist and founder of Gemstone Wellness in Chicago.

“In general, anxiety bag items work by shifting attention away from anticipatory thought loops back into the present — back into the body,” said Martin, who’s put the kits together with her own patients. “None of these tools resolve underlying anxiety, but they can be surprisingly effective in acute moments, especially when paired with broader skills like cognitive reframing or exposure work.”

Tailoring the toolkit — what’s right for you?

Not every tool works for everyone.

“Knowing what is causing the anxious feelings helps identify what may help calm your ‘worry center,’” said Dr. MaryEllen Eller, a board-certified psychiatrist and Southeast regional medical director at Radial.

For those triggered by overstimulation, she said, tools that limit input can help, like wearing noise-canceling headphones and listening to soothing music.

If anxiety is driven by racing “what if” thoughts, grounding techniques can be more effective.

“This may involve a strong sensory experience like chewing mint gum or ginger candy while intentionally tuning in to the taste, smell and texture,” Eller said. “Fidgets and textured objects can provide a strong sensory ‘touch’ experience.”

She recommends experimenting with different techniques in a calm environment to figure out what works best. When you find ones that work, use them often.

“The more your brain learns to associate the items in your ‘anxiety bag’ with calm thoughts, feelings of safety and confidence — the better they will work when you need them the most,” she explained.

For Carrie Berk, a 23-year-old New Yorker, a notebook and pen for jotting down thoughts keeps her grounded — a practice that “saved her life” when she began experiencing anxiety and OCD symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her kit includes other common staples like sour candy, a fidget ring and aromatherapy tools, as well as flash cards with guided breathing exercises.

“An anxiety bag is like your very own superhero toolbox,” she said. “It’s all about using your five senses to bring you back to the present, versus just living inside your head.”

Before putting the kit together, Berk’s self-regulation tools were scattered.

“I think having it all in one place can be helpful and more actionable,” Berk said. “Keeping it organized so you can open your bag and reach for what you need makes you feel in control in a moment that otherwise feels out of control.”

Learning — and letting go

“The anxiety bag is a great idea to help patients with anxiety and panic attacks,” said Dr. Vinay Saranga, a psychiatrist and founder of the North Carolina Institute of Advanced NeuroHealth.

“In time, however, the goal with recovery is to gradually reduce the number of items you carry — maybe down to one or two that fit in your purse or pocket — or even learn to go without the bag so you don’t become completely reliant on it.”

While Cassie Rodgers, 27, of Hillsboro, Oregon, has a larger anxiety bag, she’s pared her everyday essentials down to just two items.

The first: an aromatherapy pen in lavender and peppermint that “calms me down if I’m already in a panicked state,” she said.

For moments before anxiety hits, she keeps something on hand to engage her taste buds and redirect her focus, like gum, Life Savers or Icebreaker Sours.

“Recently, I was in the middle of a store and could feel it coming on,” she said. “I immediately popped a couple mints in my mouth and was able to get through my shopping and back to my car before it escalated. I was able to talk myself down because of these tools.”

Just having the items on hand gives Rodgers peace of mind.

“It makes me feel like I’m capable of handling whatever may come at me,” she said.

Her advice to others is simple: You’re not alone, and there’s no shame in needing a little help.

“Taking a step back to grab your kit is not a failure,” Rodgers said. “You’re using these tools to keep pushing through what we can’t control.”