Coping with Anxiety: Practical Tools That Work

My Panic Attack in a U-Haul: A Wake-Up Call

It was supposed to be exciting.
My wife and I were packing up our lives in Colorado, bound for Virginia Beach so she could start PA school. Boxes were stacked, the U-Haul was almost full, and on paper everything was fine.

But my brain had other plans.

At the time, I was working with the Western Division sales team as a pre-sales solution consultant. The move meant I’d technically be “out of region” — and even though my manager was fine with it, I became convinced I was going to get fired. Not because of my work performance. Not because of anything real. Just because of my location.

The thoughts wouldn’t stop. My chest tightened, my heart raced, my breath got shallow. And then — boom — full-blown panic attack. I genuinely thought I was dying. I told my wife as much.

She sat with me, calm and compassionate, until it passed.
Nothing happened. I kept my job. Eventually, I even transitioned to supporting the East team.

But in that moment, I felt trapped inside my own head.

That was one of my wake-up calls: anxiety wasn’t just “nerves.” It was physical. Consuming. And I needed better ways to handle it.

---

What Anxiety Is (And Why It Feels So Overwhelming)

Anxiety isn’t just “worrying too much.” It’s your body’s natural alarm system — designed to protect you — going into overdrive.

• Thoughts: “Something bad is going to happen.”
• Emotions: Fear, dread, overwhelm.
• Physical symptoms: Racing heart, shallow breathing, tension, nausea.

According to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), anxiety often runs in a loop:
Thought → Feeling → Behavior → Thought, each reinforcing the next.

The good news? You can interrupt the loop. That’s where coping tools come in. Backed by mindfulness research and my own trial-and-error, here’s my menu of anxiety tools that actually work — so you can experiment and find what works for you.

---

1. Breathing Techniques

When anxiety hits, your breathing is often the first thing to change — and it can quickly make symptoms worse. Intentional breathing slows your heart rate and activates your parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest and digest” mode).

My go-to:

1. Inhale deeply through your nose for 4–5 seconds.
2. Hold for 4–5 seconds.
3. Exhale slowly through your mouth for 6–7 seconds.
4. Repeat 3–5 times.

Other options:

• Box Breathing: Inhale 4 → Hold 4 → Exhale 4 → Hold 4.
• 4-7-8 Breathing: Inhale 4 → Hold 7 → Exhale 8.

When I use it: Sudden panic, physical tension, racing thoughts. Even during runs when I feel my heart pounding harder than it should.

📱 Helpful tools: Meditation apps like Headspace (my personal favorite) or Calm have guided breathing sessions that walk you through this in real time.

---

2. Reframing Negative Thoughts

My second big anxiety flare happened in 2020. My wife and I were out of the country on a President’s Club trip with my coworkers — right as COVID headlines were exploding. We were slightly worried about getting home, but a few hours before our flight, my seat assignment disappeared from the app.

Instant spiral.
I’d been traveling for six weeks straight, was burned out, and this tiny thing tipped me over the edge. Shallow breathing. Tight chest. GI issues that lingered for weeks.

In hindsight? The thought wasn’t true. My seat was fine. The story my brain made up was the problem.

Reframing is a CBT technique where you:

1. Catch the thought (“I’m not going to get home”).
2. Challenge it (“What proof do I have? Is this 100% true?”).
3. Change it (“This could be a glitch. I can check with the airline. I’ve handled travel hiccups before.”).

This doesn’t magically erase worry, but it stops the runaway train of catastrophic thinking.

💻 Helpful tools: If you want to go deeper into CBT strategies, Online-Therapy.com is a structured program that walks you through reframing exercises.

---

3. Grounding Practices

Grounding brings you back into the present when your mind is spinning. My favorite is sensory grounding — something I even use on runs or bike rides.

The 5-4-3-2-1 Method:

• 5 things you can see
• 4 things you can feel
• 3 things you can hear
• 2 things you can smell
• 1 thing you can taste

You can also do movement grounding: walking barefoot on grass, stretching, or even holding something with texture.

When I use it: Racing thoughts, sensory overload, or moments when I feel disconnected from my body.

📓 Helpful tools: Journals like Clever Fox or Reflection can be a written form of grounding — getting racing thoughts out of your head and onto paper.

---

4. Additional Coping Options

These aren’t my primary tools, but they’re worth trying:

• Journaling for mental clarity (especially when thoughts feel too loud).
• Music or ambient sounds to regulate mood.
• Guided meditation to practice staying present.
• Movement — running, walking, yoga — to burn off anxious energy.

---

Building Your Anxiety Toolkit

Anxiety isn’t a one-size-fits-all problem, and there’s no magic “off” switch. But having a menu of tools means you can:

• Try different strategies in different situations.
• Notice which ones work best for you.
• Build confidence that you can ride out anxious moments.

You don’t have to use all of them at once. Start with one. Practice it even when you’re calm, so it’s easier to access when anxiety spikes.

---

You’re Not Alone

Anxiety can make you feel isolated, but trust me — you’re not the only one who’s had a panic attack while packing a moving truck or spiraled over a missing seat assignment.

If you take nothing else from this post, let it be this: You can manage anxiety. You can build skills. And you can feel better.

If you’re ready to start building your own toolkit, try one of the techniques above today. And if you want more mental health strategies like this, join my newsletter by subscribing on this page — I share honest stories, practical tips, and tools that actually work.

---

Disclaimer: I’m not a mental health professional. This post is for educational purposes only and based on my personal experience. If you’re struggling, please reach out to a licensed therapist or counselor. You can find resources here.