Well, I'm on "numbing" meds (benzos prescribed and closely monitored by pdoc), but I can think of a couple of things that help my bouts of anxiety when I'm med-free:
* Breathing exercises - sounds lame, but sometimes anxiety can be caused by not breathing properly (too much carbon dioxide in the bloodstream). Try to train yourself to breathe from your belly.
* Doodling on a piece of paper - weird, but after a few minutes of this I get so distracted that I forget about my anxiety.
* Meditation
* My least favourite-tried-and-true anxiety reducer: drop caffeine altogether (grumble, I love coffee)
For what it's worth, I actually quite dislike benzos: yes they block the anxiety, but they also shut off all other feelings as well.
My mantra: "I am here now. Thank you." That's during the day, they get more complicated while meditating lol
Hope this helps,
Matt
btw, welcome to SR