How to Fix Anxiety Fast: Your Top 21 Anxiety Questions Answered
If you are searching for how to fix anxiety fast, you have probably already tried the usual advice. Breathing apps, a round of talking therapy, a supplement or two, a lot of willpower. And you are still here, still anxious, still wanting it sorted.
In the video above, I answer 21 of the questions people ask us most often at Newcastle Hypnotherapy. This post pulls the key answers together so you can read them in two minutes or work through them one at a time.
The honest headline is this. Anxiety can be resolved, and sooner is better. But the fastest route is not a quick trick. It is working on the problem at every level, which is exactly what we do.
Professional, fast anxiety therapy in Newcastle & online
1. What is the first step to resolving anxiety?
You have two good options. My preferred one (and yes, I am biased) is to book a free assessment call with our team. You explain what is going on, we look at it in detail, and we set out your options, including what it would cost and how long it would take.
The second option is to see your GP. We recommend everyone does this to get a proper diagnosis, because what feels like anxiety can sometimes be something else. Your doctor can also explain the NHS route, which typically takes longer.
Book your free anxiety assessment call here. It is free and there is no obligation.
2. What exactly is anxiety?
Our understanding of anxiety has changed a great deal in the last couple of decades, largely because brain imaging lets neuroscientists see what is happening inside the brain.
Picture walking down the street when a tiger jumps out. Your brain fires electricity and blood into the anxiety centre, and you freeze or run. That is fight-or-flight, and it is perfectly natural.
Now imagine the tiger is long gone, but the next day you walk down the same street. Your brain cannot tell the difference between reality and imagination, so it fires the same pattern again. Repeat it enough and it becomes a hardwired neural pathway, a habit. That is why people feel anxious, or have panic attacks, on a calm day at the beach with no reason in sight. It all happens in the unconscious mind.
The fix is to interrupt that pattern before it completes, then build a new pathway of feeling calm, relaxed and confident. In effect, we help you rewire the brain.
3. Why do we get anxiety disorders?
There is rarely one cause. Common ones include:
Trauma or a nasty event, such as a car crash, a divorce or a break-up.
A negative environment, like living with the wrong people or being deeply unhappy at work.
The gut, where poor food, too much alcohol, drugs or an undiagnosed intolerance can keep anxiety switched on. The link between mind and gut is huge.
Learned patterns. If you grew up around someone who is anxious all the time, it is easy to pick it up.
That is why the mental health side and the physical side both need attention.
4. Is hangxiety real?
Yes. A hangover puts your body into a real state of stress, and that can trigger anxiety. Many of our clients tell us a heavy night of drinking makes things much worse, and so can food that does not suit them or recreational drugs. Cleaning up your diet can make a massive difference. If this sounds familiar, read our full guide to anxiety and alcohol.
5. You have so many success stories. What are you doing differently?
Anxiety is an unconscious process, so it has to be dealt with unconsciously as well as consciously. Plenty of counselling and talking therapies work only at the conscious level, which tends to reduce anxiety without removing it.
We also work in combination. Anxiety usually has several roots, such as emotional trauma, diet and unconscious patterns, so we work on all of them. That is why we use more than hypnotherapy: clinical hypnotherapy, NLP and nutritional coaching together. The goal is to get you sorted, give you the tools to handle future stress, and never see you again.
6. Can you help everyone with an anxiety disorder?
No, and I will not pretend otherwise. We can help most people. But some leave anxiety so long that the pattern becomes deeply ingrained and other problems join in. I saw two clients today who have lived with anxiety for 40 years and they are seeing a real difference, but the earlier you act, the easier it is. We will not take you on unless we genuinely believe we can help, which is what the free assessment call is for.
7. Can you help children with anxiety?
Yes, and we love working with children. They are bright and they learn faster than us old folks. Diet is one of the biggest causes of anxiety in kids, and the constant negative news can affect them even when they are not watching it. We see results with children that are just as good as with adults.
8. Can you help with depression, PTSD, phobias and habits?
Yes. Left too long, anxiety can bring depression, OCD and all sorts of behavioural and habit problems, and we work with these while we resolve the anxiety. We have specialist team members for children and for PTSD, so book a call and we will tell you who is best placed to help.
9. Can you help with intrusive thoughts and constant worry?
Usually, yes. Intrusive thoughts and severe worry are typically signs of severe anxiety. We have noticed that when someone has digestive problems they often become more sensitive to them. Think of your worries sitting far away in the distance. As the gut becomes more sensitive, they move closer. Sorting out diet often helps, and we add mental techniques on top.
10. How much does anxiety treatment cost?
I cannot give you one straight number, and here is why. If your car starts making a knocking noise, the garage will tell you to bring it in so they can assess it. We are the same. Everyone's history, diet and past experiences are different. After a chat on the phone we can set out options A, B and C with prices, and that is the only honest way to do it.
11. Can I get anxiety treatment on the NHS?
Yes. The NHS offers a range of therapies and treatments for anxiety, and it is a free option. The reality is that there are waiting lists, and most of the clients who come to us have already been through a couple of rounds of CBT, counselling or medication and want it properly resolved.
If you do not have a diagnosis, please see your GP first. We cannot diagnose, but a diagnosis helps. If you want to compare routes, a free assessment call will walk you through how each one would work for you.
12. Will clinical hypnotherapy cure my anxiety?
We can say we help, but not that we cure. No treatment, including medication, comes with a guarantee of a cure.
Hypnotherapy alone is usually not enough for anxiety. It may reduce it for a while, but to fix it we need a combination: clinical hypnotherapy, modern psychology, mindfulness, NLP and techniques like emotional freedom technique, whatever it takes to interrupt the old pattern and create the new one. This is why we often meet clients who have seen a hypnotherapist or two and felt it did not quite do the job.
13. Can supplements and natural remedies help?
Some can. We prefer to get nutrients from food, but with busy lives and not enough sunlight, certain vitamins and minerals can be useful. It is not the same for everyone. In our experience many generic vitamins are a waste of money, and some synthetic ones can make anxiety worse. Get proper advice before you start, and check with your GP or pharmacist, particularly if you take any medication.
14. Do certain foods make anxiety worse?
Yes. Processed and junk food, and anything high in salt, sugar and fat, can make things a lot worse. Getting the right food into your system helps enormously. During our programme we assess your diet and give you an app showing the foods that help bring your anxiety down. It often improves other health issues at the same time.
15. How quickly can I resolve my anxiety?
How long is a piece of string? We have seen people do it in two weeks and others take six months. In this video I said most people were sorted in six or seven weeks, and with our current programme we typically see results in four to six weeks.
Would I love for you to fix it in one session? Of course. But anyone who tells you that is possible is telling you fibs. Anxiety usually takes a programme, working the combination lock until everything is in place.
16. Can mindfulness and meditation help?
Both can. Mindfulness helps you reframe how you look at things, and we use positive mental exercises to retrain the brain to focus on the good. Meditation can be useful too, but most people with anxiety struggle to do it. So we usually teach self-hypnosis instead. It is very similar to meditation, but easier, and we get much better results.
17. My anxiety makes relaxation really difficult. Can you still help?
Yes. That is very common. People with severe anxiety often cannot stay still and their foot is tapping constantly. We have a whole toolbox, so if one technique does not work for you we have another. Most people then learn to relax and look after themselves much more easily than they expected.
18. Do I have to come to your clinic, or can we do video sessions?
Either works. Most people prefer to come in face to face at our clinic in Gosforth, Newcastle, but we also work with clients across the North East, the UK and the world over video, and it can be just as effective. Choose whichever suits you best.
19. How do I know if I have an anxiety disorder?
We are not allowed to diagnose. What we do is work with your symptoms and move forward from there. For a diagnosis, see your GP. There are many types of anxiety, so it is worth knowing which you have. You can then decide whether to go private and get it sorted quickly, or follow the NHS route. Our guide to the different types of anxiety disorder is a good place to start.
20. Can anxiety cause other health problems?
Sadly, yes. Long-term anxiety and stress can weaken the immune system and cause digestive problems, and when the digestive system is not working well it feeds back into mental health. It becomes a vicious cycle. Research suggests anxiety puts real strain on the body as well as the mind, so get it sorted as early as you can, before it becomes harder to solve.
21. I have panic attacks. Can you help?
Yes, and we help people with panic attacks regularly. Panic attacks are a sign that your anxiety has reached a high level, so please do not ignore them. For a tool you can use in the moment, search our YouTube channel for our video on how to stop a panic attack in three minutes. Then get the underlying anxiety dealt with.
So, how do you fix anxiety fast?
Act early, get a proper diagnosis, and work on all of it together: the unconscious patterns, the emotions and the physical side, including diet. That is the combination of clinical hypnotherapy, NLP and nutritional coaching we use at Newcastle Hypnotherapy, in person at our Gosforth clinic or online.
If you want to explore your options, book a free assessment call. We will look at exactly what is going on, set out your options, and you can decide where to go from there.
More Anxiety Resources, Videos & Articles
Getting started. Newcastle Hypnotherapy Anxiety Resources.
Mark A Morley: The Anxiety Therapist in Newcastle upon Tyne
How Long Is the NHS Waiting List for Anxiety Treatment? What the Latest Figures Show
