Do you remember the animated Disney show Handy Manny? The show, which was on the air from 2006-2013 and was aimed at the preschool set, featured a handyman named Manny and his toolbox full of talking tools. Whenever Manny’s phone would ring, he would answer by saying, “Hola, Handy Manny’s Repair Shop. You break it…” Then the tools would chime in with, “We fix it!”
Manny was, no doubt, a talented repairman. But he would not have gotten very far in his business without his trusty tools. Having the right tools at the right time for the right job can make a big difference when your job is to fix things.
The same is true when it comes to your mental health. A metaphorical toolkit might be exactly what you need to face down a moment of strong anxiety, for example.
In this post, we are going to look at what sorts of strategies and objects you might want to gather together to create your own coping toolkit for those times when anxiety arises. These are some tools that can serve you well again and again.
Tool One: Calming Activities
Often, when anxiety arises, you can do yourself quite a bit of good by taking a moment to complete one or more exercises that have been shown to help restore a feeling of calm.
You might, for example, turn to the technique known as box breathing, which involves four sets of a simple pattern—breathe in for a count of four, hold for four, breathe out for four, and hold for four. This easy exercise can be a great tool for resetting yourself. (You can read more about box breathing in this previous post.)
Another tool for addressing anxiety might be a countdown technique that engages each of your senses and helps ground you in the time and place you find yourself. You start by naming five things you can see in your immediate environment and count down to one, one sense at a time. (You can find the full technique in this previous post.)
Doing some light stretching, taking a walk, and practicing meditation are additional tools in the activities category that might serve you well.
Tool Two: Calming Playlists
We have written elsewhere about the ways in which music can support your mental wellbeing—and a playlist of calming music can be a great tool in your kit for helping you see yourself through moments of anxiety. Making that playlist (or knowing whose work tends to help you calm down) in advance is an excellent strategy so that you don’t flip from tune to tune looking for something soothing.
You might also make a playlist of mindfulness meditation exercises. While you can practice mindfulness and other kinds of meditation on your own, there are many apps that provide guided sessions—often tailored to a specific situation you may be dealing with. Having your favorite exercises at your fingertips can be a great tool for dealing with anxiety. (Here is Wirecutter’s 2025 list of the best meditation apps.)
Tool Three: Affirmations
Sometimes, the most effective tool for dealing with anxiety is some positive self-talk. We took a deep dive into affirmations in this previous post. In that same post, we explored how our inner critic tends to overwhelm our inner cheerleader—unless we are intentional about talking kindly to ourselves.
In a moment of heightened anxiety, it might be hard to call any affirmations to mind. For that reason, we suggest writing a few of your affirmations down and keeping them handy—in your wallet, in a drawer in your office, or anywhere you could retrieve them quickly when needed.
Tool Four: Stress Addressing Objects
Some people find they can navigate stressful situations—situations that are likely to lead to higher levels of anxiety—by manipulating a fidget device of one kind or another (the link takes you to a blog suggesting fidget toys for kids, but many adults find these same sorts of objects helpful), squeezing a stress ball, or even by taking advantage of aromatherapy via essential oils.
Most of these items will fit comfortably in a pocket, purse, or drawer so that you can have them at hand when the need arises.
Make Your Toolkit Your Own
We have suggested several categories of tools that might be useful in your personal toolkit for dealing with anxiety. But you do not have to limit yourself to this list. Think creatively about what sorts of activities, sounds, objects, and more (for example, maybe turning your attention to a piece of chocolate you truly enjoy can arrest anxiety) might help you effectively handle anxious moments.
Handy Manny always had the right tools for the job. We hope our list helps ensure you do, too.
We Have the Tools Necessary to Help You
At Peak View Behavioral Health—located in Colorado Springs, Colorado—we use evidence-based practices supported by our experience, expertise, and empathy to help individuals improve their mental health and maintain those improvements over time.
You don’t have to struggle with a mental health disorder on your own. Just like folks called Handy Manny to benefit from his skills, you can call on us to benefit from our ability to help you make progress.
