Two: Mindful meditation 2-to-3 times a week. this gives the ability to direct my thoughts better. UCLA page has guided meditations on MP3s that are amazing for stress reduction.
Three, I stay active: I am in a masters swimming program (2-to-3 times a week) and I take hour long walks.
Now that you've got a list, try figuring out how you'd learn about those things, and what you'd do differently if you knew. If you wouldn't do anything differently, try being okay with not knowing. If it's straightforward to find out, figure that stuff out.
The overall goal of this is not to fight anxiety, but to use it. You have emotions for important reasons. Trying to fight emotions without addressing the underlying reasons is an unnecessary battle against yourself.
As for what how my doctor and I have "hacked" anxiety, and the last one is most certainly a hack done in desperation:
A long time ago ('80s) I learned Cognitive Therapy, which is now Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with some additional stuff added to cognitive psychology (in simplest terms, you feel bad because you tell yourself bad things, view the world through dark glasses, etc., cognitive distortions of reality). I cannot speak highly enough of this; for example, many many years later I realized that thoroughly applying it to myself pretty much ended the usefulness of talking therapy. Start with this book and see what it and you can do: http://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Good-New-Mood-Therapy/dp/03808... (so good I keep an extra copy or two handy to give to people).
A laser specific SSRI, trade name Lexapro, generic escitalopram. Probably helps, not entirely sure; mixed with this is what my doctors and I suspect is depression of a bipolar nature (not like normal depression, but I only go manic if prescribed the wrong drug, like Paxil; this has been troublesome for a very long time, but not disabling by iself).
Critically, given what could otherwise be life threatening insomnia etc., a low dose of an "atypical" antipsychotic that has a useful sedating side effect (an antihistamine, so also good for your allergies :-), trade name Seroquel, generic quetiapine fumarate.
Seek a registered therapist (in England you can get access via your GP; or you can self refer to your local IAPT talkig therapies; or you can use your company's occupational health services; or you can get a private therapist. BACP are a reliable registration body for psychological therapists).
The Australian website "Mood Gym" provide online CBT. https://moodgym.anu.edu.au/
Sometimes anxiety disorders interfere with day to day life - they can become quite disabling. Early intervention helps and it might be useful To talk to a doctor, and to push the need for treatment.
Treatment [0] - as with any other health problem - and a generally healthy lifestyle.
Last I checked, talking therapies like CBT [1] and ACT [2] yielded favorable results in research [3].
[0]: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/inde...
[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy
[2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acceptance_and_commitment_thera...
Firstly this is NORMAL, accept it. I dont know how long I struggled to accept it. Everyone is anxious, some more than others, because of either human nature or the way they are from the beginning or due to some life changing events.
Secondly I cant stress the importance of breathing exercises enough. Anytime you feel anxiety coming on(and you will eventually start to recognize it with some physical or mental symptoms) do the 4..7..8 breathing exercise
-- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
-- Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
-- Hold your breath for a count of seven.
-- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
--This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths. TRUST ME ON THIS. THIS IS THE HACK YOU ARE LOOKING FOR
Thirdly be mindful of your thoughts, step away every time you are anxious and see it like you were someone else advicing you, what would you say to someone else who was going through this?
Fourth - Be active! Physically. Gym, Run outdoors!
I was slightly iffy on Swimming, because although it helps physically, I always felt slightly more anxious underwater because it left me alone with my thoughts initially. But then eventually once I controlled my anxiety enough, and learned to be more mindfulness I thought it was great too!
This is how I hack anxiety and in my opinion is more than enough.
It knocked out my anxiety and depression so well that, recently I've had a lot of stressful things happen in my life, but I don't feel any anxiety at all.
I've also lost 35 lbs in 2 months.
I used to be more resistant to medicating mental health problems in that way until it worked for me. I went from an almost nonfunctional wreck to a thriving, functional person again. YMMV.
Two things have helped me quite a bit: Exercising and meditating. Exercising helps flush out nervous energy, that knee-tapping, pencil-chewing, frenetic buzzing that tends to keep me up worrying at night. It also helps get me on a regular sleep schedule, and I tend to stay calmer when I'm well rested. Meditating has helped me quiet the noise. When I have a lot going on it can become hard to even decide what to focus on...meditating helps me clear that up and set my mind on single objects/tasks at a time. It also helps me accept the things that I can't change, and learn to acknowledge and move past my own failures (like missing a deadline) without freaking out or panicking.
Hope that helps.
It also works on calming too!