Dear Pauline,
I have some experience with anxiety as I was in a bad elevator accident and had anxiety attacks for 2 years after that. That was 10 years ago.
What I do now in an elevator is count my breaths. Counts 1, 2, breathe in. Counts 3, 4, breathe out. Counts 5, 6, breathe in. Counts 7, 8 breathe out.
Since I was enclosed in the elevator for a while I developed anxiety about being under ground such as in a train tunnel and such. But I say to myself before entering the train tunnel I know that by the time I count to 50 slowly, counting my breaths, I will be out. This actually gets my through okay.
Hope this helps some :-) Susan