I’m not looking for medical advise. I have a doctor that I see regularly.
I’ve suffered from depression in the past and I live with a lot of stress in my life. My doctor has put me on medications to help me sleep and for the depression. Based on some of the things I’ve been feeling lately, I’m thinking that I may have generalized anxiety disorder too.
Before asking my doctor for more meds, I’d like to try other things to reduce anxiety.
Can anyone suggesting anything?
Yoga or Tai Chi.
Too simple.
I’ve gone to cognitive therapists several times and it’s always been worthwhile. I’ve never had to take medications. I think you can start with abct.org
Good luck
BTW, Chefguy, I don’t mean yoga or tai chi are “too simple.” I mean your answer. Why not back it up a little?
Drink Goya, or chai tea.
You could try this.
In the bottom of that page is E-couch which might be worth looking at too. Cant vouch for either personally, just aware of them existing.
Dont use it as a replacement, check with your doctor etc etc.
Otara
If you were male, I would say try to increase your testosterone levels. There are nutritional supplements that can help with that and should help you handle anxiety better. For women, I’m not sure if a) that’s even a good idea and b) if it would even work. If you are middle aged and think that you may be starting menopause, you may want to check if that is a symptom some women experience.
There are also supplements and herbal extracts that could help, but you should discuss them with both your doctor AND pharmacist. Magnesium is one of the essential minerals that almost no one gets enough of. It can have a calming and soothing effect. L-Tryptophan is a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin and should also have a calming effect. However some people have a paradoxical response to drugs which increase serotonin, and while this is not a drug, it is a possible though unlikely side effect of which to be aware.
I don’t know if supplements are an option for you so I’ll leave it at that for now.
I’m a co-leader of a local anxiety support group; I had medicated anxiety for about 13 years, and have been off medications for about 5 1/2 years now. One of the first books I read about treating anxiety with something other than medications was From Panic To Power by Lucinda Bassett. It addresses both anxiety and depression, and the way our negative thinking habits create and sustain anxiety and depression. The book I’ve linked and our local group are based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which has been found to be as effective as medication against anxiety.
Some of the first things we suggest for new people in our group are to stop drinking caffeine (it’s amazing how many people suffer from anxiety, and are drinking two pots of coffee a day - once they stop twitching from the caffeine, we see how much anxiety is left 
), get fresh air and exercise every day, and eat properly. I also recommend mindful meditation for people for anxiety reduction and better sleep. Most people don’t take my recommendation. C’est la vie.
progressive muscle relaxation, regular exercise (I’m not sure if strength training or aerobics is best for anxiety though), guided meditation MP3s, supplements.
They might help. Might not. I have been having anxiety issues and these are all hit or miss.
A potential risk of anti-anxiety meds that I have personally faced is they can make your depression worse. Sucks, you amost have to debate which is worse. But I’m trying other methods now.
Oh yeah, progressive relaxation is wonderful, too. Most people, even those who don’t have depression or anxiety, don’t know how to relax properly, and it is a skill that you can learn.
Belly breathing has been helpful to me for episodic anxiety, especially if I can catch it early. I still have to take an occasional Xanax but they are few and far between.
I’m not trying to argue with anyone, but I periodically have intense anxiety attacks so bad that words can’t even begin to do them justice. The idea of imminent and violent death would be but a pale shadow of what these things are like.
I can tell you without any doubt or reservation, that nothing short of a powerful anti-psychotic is effective in treating these. They laugh at tranquilizers like lorazepam and klonazepam - in any dose short of one causing coma. I’ve actually been so sedated from the tranks that I’ve passed out while still under the thrall of one of these demons.
I do believe that in the vast majority of cases there are effective methods of dealing with garden variety anxiety. I would even accept the possibility that severe cases may respond to non-chemical types of intervention. I just want to point out that what we inartfully call “anxiety” covers a range of symptoms and causes. So if things get to the point of being unmanageable don’t be reluctant to get help. If you really don’t like relying upon drugs, you can always try other methods and if they work, gradually stop the meds.
Exercise (running for me) and time spent in the outdoors (usually hiking or walking pretty trails) has made a world of positive difference in my life, and kept depression at bay.
Exercise to the point of exhaustion?
Create something. Book, art, crafts, something. Knit. Weave. Garden.
I second the suggestion for cognitive therapy, and throw in “mindfulness” as well. 
I recently saw a counselor who explained a lot about how the brain develops and how it’s supposed to process things like anxiety with all its different parts, and how events can affect its development and ability to do so. Fortunately, the brain can develop further even late in life, so that’s good news. “Mindfulness” and CBT types of exercises can apparently help with that brain rejuvenation process.
Obviously consult your doctor before starting to take any supplements, just in case there’s a medical reason for you not to, but I’ve heard good things about B vitamins, especially B6 and B12, and soothing herbal things like lemon balm and kava kava. Not sure how well they work on me, sometimes the effects of things like vitamin supplements on mood are only really noticeable when you stop taking them, heh.
I found this page which looks like it might have some good nutritional advice for reducing and dealing with anxiety.
http://www.anxietysecrets.com/nutrition-3.htm
Also very much agree with those who suggested exercise.
Singing and talking to yourself.
I don’t have an anxiety disorder, but occassionally I’ll get moderate inner restlessness (look up “akathisia”). Can’t sit still, can’t stand still, can’t stop doing bizarre things with my hands or ticcing, can’t concentrate on one thing…or I’ll hyperfocus because I’m unable to multi-task. My shrink orignally thought it was pure anxiety, but now we realize it’s a movement disorder that can worsen under emotional stress. There’s something going on with my basal ganglion. I take clonazepam and it helps, but it just tampers things down.
When I get like this, I sing along with my favorite songs and intentionally speak my thoughts out loud. I also try to remember to do “four-square” breathing (google it). That helps too. I might still feel restless after or while doing these things, but it’s not as distracting. And it helps that I can pretty much do whatever I want to do because I live alone and there’s no one to say, “Can you please shut the hell up?”
Change your Brain, Change Your Life is a very informative read on how your brain works that is written for real people to read.
I liked it alot and have loaned out my copy many a time to very good reviews.
YMMV.
Good on you for taking charge of your anxiety and working on getting control over it. Don’t let it ruin your life. I’ve watched my mother (84) destroy her life with anxiety and depression and she cannot function without the misery and worry. Take it away from her with counselling and meds and she knows something is horribly wrong or will happen. What a waste of life of a talented and beautiful person.
Maybe keep a journal to track what works and doesn’t work for you and, in a few years when this is all behind you, you can go back and read it and say, “Maaaan, I’ve come really far since then. Holy Shit, I’m awesome!”
Good Luck!
I found that exercise helped quite a bit and I learned how to juggle. It was a great way to deal with the twitchy energy and is disciplined enough to feel like repetitive exercise but without needing to go to the gym.