The Most Neurotic Generation In History, Gen Z, Now Won't Leave Home Without Their "Anxiety Bags," Bags Filled with Self-Soothing Gizmos

"Experts call it genius," the NY Post claims.

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.

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.

Oh young women are adopting this viral trend? I didn't see that coming.

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."

The "body scan" thing that's mentioned works for reducing stress and falling asleep. There's a "guided meditation" here. The basic gist is that you focus on one part of your body at a time (I just do parts of my head) and imagine the nerves and muscles switching off and going slack. I think it's the same principle as counting sheep -- it's not what you're thinking, it's all the stuff you're not thinking about by focusing on this boring, repetitive, non-stressful thing. By making your brain focus on this one boring thing, you keep your brain from buzzing or catastrophizing.

I only tried it because someone said they tell special ops guys to do this. They have limited time to sleep in, and are usually very keyed-up, and this protocol helps them fall asleep in the few hours they're allowed to sleep.* That sounded bad-ass and Not Gay to me, so I tried it, and it does work.

I don't bother to do this any more. Now I just put on episodes of Always Sunny I've seen 50 times before. Same idea again: Your brain is trained on this boring thing (every show is boring after 50 watches) and that's just enough to keep you from thinking about more exciting things.

* I also knew a spec op medic who said he's very loose with ketamine and other tranquilizers to make sure people can sleep even after coming off 10 hours of combat. So I guess there's that, too.

posted by Disinformation Expert Ace at 04:24 PM

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