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How Do I Rewire My Anxious Brain?

Today, we're answering a question sent in by one of our viewers, Paul: "How do I rewire my anxious brain?" It's a great question, so thank you, Paul, and please keep your questions coming.

The short answer is neuroplasticity. Here's what that means, how you can use it yourself, and some free resources to help you get started.

What Causes Anxiety in the First Place

Imagine you're walking down a road and you get attacked. Maybe a big dog jumps out at you. When that happens, your brain pushes you into fight or flight by sending electrical signals along neural pathways and firing them into the amygdala. That's perfectly normal. It's a protective system, and it's meant to happen.

But for some people, if they keep reliving that situation or live in a constant state of stress, that anxiety becomes a loop, a mental pattern that keeps firing even when there's no real reason for it to. That's usually when people pick up the phone and start working on their anxiety with us.

A Technique You Can Use: Scan and Act

To work with this in therapy, we use a few simple techniques, and one of our favourites is "scan and act."

Here's how it works. When you wake up in the morning, instead of jumping straight out of bed, lie there for two or three minutes and ask yourself what you're feeling. Scan your system, both mind and body, and find something that's unwanted. This could be a feeling of anxiety, a sensation in the stomach, an intrusive thought, worry, or physical pain.

Once you've found it, question it in detail. Step outside yourself and get curious. Ask things like:

• If it was on a scale of one to ten, how strong would it be?

• Whereabouts do you feel this?

• If it had a colour, what colour would it be?

• If it had a shape, what shape would it be?

You can also notice your posture, your breathing, and your thoughts. Do this for about two minutes. It helps take the fear away.

Stop, Breathe, and Reset

Once you've done that, bring up a big stop sign in your mind. If you want, shout "Stop" out loud, or just say it in your head.

Then move into a relaxation routine. Put your hands on your belly and breathe in through your nose, becoming aware of the breath moving in and out. This regulates your CO2 and oxygen levels and helps calm you down.

Next, count how many seconds you breathe in and how many you breathe out. When we're anxious, we typically breathe in for three or four seconds and out for one or two. We need to flip that around, breathing in for four and out for seven or eight. This stimulates the vagus nerve and the parasympathetic nervous system, calming you right down.

Anchor a Happy Memory

The next step is to think of a time when you were happy. This might take a bit of work, and it's where a therapist can really help by guiding you back to those moments, whether it's a holiday, a Christmas, a wedding, or just a nice day out with the kids.

The idea is to practise this exercise regularly: notice what's going on, interrupt it, relax, and shift yourself into a more positive state.

Build the New Habit

Set a reminder on your phone and run through this routine several times a day, even at work or while driving (with your eyes open when you need them, of course). Over time, this builds awareness of what's going on in your mind and body, while also showing you how to move into a more relaxed, happy, and in-control state.

Repeat this enough, and the brain rewires itself so that this new state becomes your default. That's neuroplasticity in action. You move from a difficult state like anxiety towards what you'd actually like instead, whether that's confidence, being good at what you do, or being a better communicator. People who do this often find they perform better at work, in their businesses, and in their relationships, and feel happier overall.

How Long Does It Take?

Using the techniques above, it'll take some time, but you'll be able to rewire your brain and start feeling better fairly quickly. Working with a therapist tends to be faster. We typically help people resolve anxiety and similar issues within four to six weeks.

Free Resources to Get You Started

To help you put this into practice, grab our free Anxiety Relief Pack, which includes a hypnosis track and practical tools you can start using straight away. For the best results, aim to spend twenty to thirty minutes a day working on your anxiety.

If you'd rather work with one of our team, visit our anxiety page to book an assessment. This gives you twenty to thirty minutes on the phone with one of us, where we'll honestly tell you whether we think we can help and explain how the process works.

That's the basics of neuroplasticity. It sounds complicated, but it's actually quite simple, and once you start working on it, it works really well.

Thanks so much for reading.


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