You CAN do this....

Piuma, you asked, "But what do you do when you are feeling overly anxious and you simply cannot calm down?"  The answer is that I practiced all of the things that I mentioned, and added other things as I gained control of the previous techniques. 

I read some of the responses and there are some very practical approaches, and some very personalized ones - you will have to determine what makes sense for you.  But, I began with "Getting Into The Now."  When my therapist told me about this technique, I honestly (seriously) believed that she just wanted me to shut the f*ck up and get OUT of her office.  It sounded so simple that it HAD to be a joke.  So......the next time that I thought about it, I tried it, and it "didn't work!"  LMAO!!!!!!!!!!  Well, yeah............it didn't work because I did it one time and expected to be CURED of my anxiety.  LOLOLOL!!!  After that, I went back to my therapist and ranted that it was bogus.  She just smiled her calm, benevolent smile and suggested that I do it each and every time that I feel afraid or anxious......even if I did it every 3 minutes.  I still thought she was nuts and really hated me, but I was so desperate for relief that I would have drank horse urine if it would have cured my anxiety.  So......I practiced this technique just about every 3 minutes for several days.  Lo, and behold!  I began to feel calmer.  And, during those times when I felt calm, I would practice "getting into the now," as my therapist suggested so that it became second nature for me instead of something that I was groping for during a full-on panic attack.  When I was in the throes of falling down that rabbit hole of anxiety, NOTHING would help until I exhausted myself and fell asleep.  So, learning how to do any techniques when I was calm allowed me to develop a second nature for whatever it was - I wasn't grasping at thin air, but doing the technique, automatically.

Then, I began adding more and more techniques and rituals to help me with the OCD behaviors - this is NOT unusual with anxiety disorders, at all, so be kind to yourself and tell yourself that you're fine - you are okay, and that you will BE okay because you ARE okay......avoid beating yourself up over this, okay?

Choosing what will work for your is a very, very personal matter, and not everyone's suggestions are going to work for everyone else.  Take what works for you, and leave the rest. 

And, we already have everything that we really need to manage these issues.  Anxiety is a physiological reaction.  It's not necessarily an "organic" condition like schizophrenia or true Bipolar Disorder, but it can really generate some severe depression that isn't organic, either. 

Additionally, stress kills.  Literally.  Stress contributes to heart diseases, stroke, high blood pressure, and auto-immune disorders.  If you can identify some of the stressors, then you can begin to manage them, one at a time.

Above all, please, keep in mind that any long-lasting relief will require time, patience, and self-kindness.  There is no such thing as a one-and-done "cure" for anxiety because it is such a primal thing that, once it gets started, it's like trying to stop a freight train with a cardboard wall.  So, be patient and do what makes sense to you.  If someone is suggesting that you need to PAY to relieve your anxiety (outside of counseling therapy), run the other way. 

Again..........my very best wishes to you