Hey, I have anxiety issues too and I'm just going to give you some tips like to try meditation, listen to some calm music (like classical music, for example), drinking juice of passionfruit (not the ones that sells at the supermarket, make it home) and take a deeeeeeeeep breath. You should try to do something relaxing, like painting or cooking. It helps to take your mind to another world. I used to do these things, it helped a lot until my anxiety got worse and now I'm having to take pills (thanks to my college pressure and other things too) :( But if you control yourself, I think you may never have to take pills. Wish you the best, because I now how hard this is.

Have you tried valerian root? Its great to take during anxiety attacks! It calms you down like xanax would (obviously less strongly) but without any negative side effects. If you're having anxiety more than 3 days a week, however, I would suggest trying an exercise regime. It can get your endorphins going and it will make you calmer and happier

prefacing this post by saying I haven't read the thread like at all, so i'm sorry if this repeats.

I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder a couple yrs ago. Genetically I think I'm predisposed but basically several really big life things happening all at the same time caused it and I started to have panic attacks and my hair was getting thinner and falling out everywhere (it's still not exactly the same). The insomnia and elephant-on-the-chest wasn't the most pleasant feeling either (I hold my anxiety in my heart area). I finally got referred to see a psychiatrist and she put me on busiprone which did kind of help, but I had been on klonopin previously and this is what helped the most but I have built up such a tolerance to it that it doesn't do anything for me anymore no matter how much I take. I felt like I was stuck and had no options, and I was at a point where my mind was racing and my thoughts almost reset every 5-10 seconds because of how anxious and generally out of control I felt. Literally for months I had almost no idea what was going on, it was scary. I was kind of done with meds because they were only very average for me and getting in to see my psy was next to impossible because they NEVER EVER answer their phone and won't work with your schedule if you do manage to get them.

Anyways that was about a year ago. I haven't been or taken anything for it since. These are my tips:

1. If it's life stuff happening that's inducing this, work to get to a stable point. It took me about two yrs to do this. Where you live, the money you make, relationships you have. All of this actually was effecting me more than I realized.
2. Breathe 5 seconds in, hold for 5 seconds, exhale for 5 seconds. I know this sounds like voodoo but it legitimately has helped me more than a lot of meds. This helps me focus and reset my mind too
3. I started drinking an array of calming/sleepytime teas, usually aim for a few a day. This REALLY helps.
4. Lavender essential oils. Rub them everywhere and breathe them in
5. I honestly just decided that from this point I'm going to manage what I think makes me feel anxious and become aware if my chest starts to hurt. Even if I don't feel anxious, this is a good indicator of subconscious as well. Realize that you're completely in control of your life and focus on one day at a time. Literally one day. I don't ever plan more than about 3 days - week in advance. If there's something beyond that time frame, it will work itself out and I'm not worrying about it. This was the biggest thing for me.

EDIT: I forgot to add, get that one glass of red wine in ;)

I tried the medicine route too. unfortunately it didn't work out and actually exacerbated my moods, so I'm off anything hormonal, and honestly just trying to live a normal life. Half of it's going well so far, I get up, shower and have a list of things I need to do before a certain time, but with university I have anxiety attacks in lectures, and I perhaps do the thing that most people avoid - dissociation. If it's really bad I zone myself out for a while and try and thing of 'happy places' and stuff. Another technique I learnt from a peer was grounding yourself, to be aware of your surroundings by working your way up to "feeling" yourself (in your mind!). I also work a lot on CBT and mindfullness, I find that colouring helps a lot and I do that, and it has replaced negative habits, which is another plus! If you ever need a talk give me a PM, I hope you find a way to manage and hopefully overcome it x

All of this above. Plus a tactic that was given to me by a friend: A mindfulness method involving the senses, in order to ground yourself during an anxiety episode.

1. Identify five things you can hear. (For example: ticking clock, computer humming, etc.)
2. Identify four things you can see. (For example: the place you're sitting, what you have your device on, something on the screen)
3. Identify three things you can touch. (For example: your pet, the fabric of your clothing, your computer)
4. Identify two things you can smell. (For example: your socks, a perfume)
5. Identify one thing you can taste. (For example: gum if you chew it)

Unfortunately, I feel really dependent on my medication when it comes to physical symptoms. Animal therapy is a way of relaxing or finding things that just make you feel happy and better for doing. I can't have any pets at the moment so I volunteer for a cat shelter when I'm not working because petting / holding cats makes me feel better.

When I was in college, I was constantly dreading things left and right because I felt a need to constantly be working or else, I was slacking. I lost a lot of sleep and time to just wind down, which in turn made my anxiety worsen considerably. When I find the time to just settle, I write about what I'm anxious about and reason with myself as to why I'm feeling anxious. If I don't know what the source is, I still try to reason why everything is okay or going a good direction. Seems like a silly exercise but it helps to organize your thoughts and think clearly.

If I'm going out and I'm afraid I will suddenly have an attack, I bring something that will distract me or keep my mind from wandering like a book or handheld game.

Sorry if my advice is not much help. I'm actually still trying to find ways to help myself as well. I've dealt with social anxiety my whole life and my retail job has pretty much alleviated that. However, it seems I'm still struggling with attacks from no particular trigger either. It's quite difficult to know what to suggest since what works for some doesn't work for others.

i have GAD as well, and because most people have mentioned the usual aids - meditation, yoga, etc - i wanted to mention something else that's helped me, if that's ok.

before i started on medication, i definitely had spikes of anxiety when i piled too much on my plate, such as trying to work at the same time as going to school and then running into the issue of not being able to prioritize. so the BIGGEST thing i can suggest is to minimize the stressors that you know cause your anxiety. i know that's not always possible, but even just recognizing that your schedule is too hectic, or that certain people in your life are making you more anxious than they should - if you can tweak those parts of your life, and look at taking care of yourself before others for example, it will help a lot.

now i also did mention that i'm on medication. and, for me, it HAS helped a whole lot. the thing is that over time, the medication available to treat things like anxiety and depression has changed a lot. there are tons of options out there, and it's possible that you were just given something that really didn't work for you. nowadays, at least where i live, the first thing people are normally prescribed for anxiety is venlafaxine (brand name effexor), and it has minimal side effects. that's the medication i'm on, and i was given a very small dosage to start with, which is used to determine its effectiveness/detriment before a higher dosage is given out. i'm not saying medication is right for you, but if you are finding that the techniques and solutions suggested here aren't working for you completely, i would suggest looking into getting a prescription again.

whatever it is you choose to do though, and whatever ends up working best for you, i hope you start feeling better and getting a handle on your anxiety! i know it can be hell, but hopefully you'll be able to live happily with, or even despite, it. :)