I have general anxiety disorder and I've been on medication for it for the last decade.
It's very difficult to deal with free-floating (ambient) anxiety. Medicines help dull the pain but not much. It gets worse when I'm particularly stressful so I keep myself as distracted as possible at such times. Always have some comforting activity you can turn to — one you can pick up and drop at any time you like. I like listening to podcasts whilst knitting. Helps me feel productive and forget my problems. Alcohol unfortunately also helps (just as any other depressants, such as benzodiazepines) but it's one of the unhealthy coping habits that sneak up on you, together with stuff like binge eating. Try to develop habits around healthy things that comfort you instead, such as drinking tea or going on walks.
If I feel an (acute) anxiety attack kicking in, I first take some deep breaths and tell myself I'm in control and I can defuse this. Then I take some propranolol if I have some handy and have a shower if I'm at home. If I'm outside, I try to isolate myself somewhere like a toilet and splash some cool water on my face. I keep doing breathing exercises the whole time. Fresh air also helps. Learn the signs of an incoming attack if you suffer from it often. Some antidepressants (like bupropion) make it easy to determine if you're about to have an attack.