For what it's worth, I can offer something I started doing years ago as a quick means to settle my nerves, especially in anxiety-prone social situations. This has helped lower my anxiety level so I could at least function.
What I do is simply say (usually silently) on an ordinary inbreath, the word Peace. Then on the outer breath I use the word Love. So -- Peace/Love on alternate breaths, and those can be reversed -- the precise sequence doesn't matter, just the calming effect. While I like the brevity of those words, I'm sure others would work -- the main consideration is that they be calming. Nor does this involve particularly deep breathing -- just regular breaths.
As to holding an object, I've done variations of that, especially in therapy. What this consists of is bringing some small item with that I can hold or touch if something unsettles me. This object can be something that has real or symbolic meaning. It might just be a stone or pebble from a special natural area one likes, for instance (I'll sometimes bring a pine cone). There's other possibilities as well -- while my therapist has her own therapy dog, another option could be just holding an animal puppet.
I wish you well with trying to find a means to feel more grounded.
