Taking control of your anxiety
Published by Maz in Anxiety and excessive thinking · 28 May 2024
Hi, welcome to my blog 'Taking control of your anxiety'. Anxiety and fear affect many of us and is often the discussion in therapy, so I was keen to understand more about the idea that the brain can be rewired to reduce anxiety. I had the opportunity to hear a speaker, Catherine Pittman at an on-line International Rewiring the Brain Summit which took place this month. Inspired by what I learnt I decided to push aside what I had planned this week to share what I have learned with you.
NOTE: If you are currently living with the threat of physical or emotional abuse from a partner or other significant person in your life then I urge you to speak out, contact professional help and support, see our 'finding support page' for contact details. https://www.u-okinspireothers.co.uk/finding-support--.html
Catherine Pittman is a practising psychologist who writes books and teaches; her main work is speaking and working with people who struggle with anxiety, over thinking and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
What I like is that Catherine uses everyday language, and makes it simple - gets rid of complicated jargon and relates to everyday people with everyday issues. I have used some of her work within this blog. 
FIRST: You are capable of mastering your anxiety
For many years we have known that children's brains can be rewired. That is why it is such an important learning time and children are so influenced by their environment.
But now we know that even though change slows down as we age it is possible to rewire our brain right up until we die. So, we are not 'hard wired' as previously thought and change is possible. 
Rewiring our brain ...
It’s not difficult: You don't need to be academic, brainy, deeply insightful, clever, rich or any of the things you may discount yourself for not being, in order to rewire your brain.
HOWEVER!
It's not easy: To master your anxiety takes time and commitment preferable with a daily practice and routine.
We live in a world of quick fixes and easy answers so we often avoid anything which takes time and regular commitment.
When we have been thinking (or reacting) in a certain way for a long time it's hard to think it could ever change, which can put us off even trying.
Anxiety and Fear is not all in your head. It's real and has a bodily physical reaction.
There is theory to get your head around, but it is very manageable so stay with me.
Our brains are amazing and sophisticated, with many different working parts.
Even the most intelligent neuro scientists are still figuring it out.
But we only need to understand one small part to get to grips with our anxiety.
A small part of the brain which helps us with our emotions, and informs us when we may be in danger.
The amygdala is needed to keep us safe.
From caveman days we had to have an alert system to inform us of any danger, this is based at the amygdala. The more we can understand how the amygdala works, and become aware of how our amygdala is responding the more we can learn to master it.
Ten important points about your amygdala:
1) Your amygdala will respond to threats of both physical and emotional danger.
This is really important and very relevant to many of your anxious states.
The amygdala responds to keep you emotionally safe as well as physically safe.
2) Your amygdala takes in information from all our senses.
This means that it will respond to information coming from your sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste.
3) Your amygdala then activates physical symptoms in your body as warning bells of danger.
These could include fast heartbeat, muscle tension, trouble breathing, overwhelming thoughts, chest pains.
4) Your amygdala is your first response, before you are conscious of what is happening.
5) Your amygdala learns from your past experience and acts accordingly.
This is often held over from childhood experiences.
6) Your amygdala does not do detail.
So the alert is only a perceived danger, not taking in all current information.
7) Your amygdala makes associations to help it decide if there is a threat to your safety (physical or emotional).
These associations, like a smell, a certain facial expression, a similar environment, a comment can all trigger your amygdala to a past time when you felt threatened and unsafe.
8) Your amygdala is fed by the information you give it.
It can be fed by your own anxious thoughts.
It can be fed by the messages you tell yourself.
It can be fed by the anxious thoughts or vibes from those around you.
It can be fed by what you watch on TV or what you read.
It can be fed by messages you take in for example on social media.
So, either:You can feed it adding to the outdated information which your amygdala uses to warn you of danger.
OR
9) Your amygdala can be challenged.
You don't have to believe your amygdala; it is likely to be out of date.
10) Your amygdala can be updated with new relevant information.
You often find the thought of something is much worse than the actual event, as your amygdala is working on past experience. When you are in the situation, realise you are safe with detailed up to date information it takes the energy out of your amygdala.
As an example, this is Susie's experience.
Susie had poor eyesight as a child, it was not picked up until she was 14 years old.
She could not see the whiteboard, she missed information and often made mistakes when she spoke out.
The children teased her, her teacher said she was lazy and her parents were annoyed at her school report.
Susie's school experience told her she was not clever, if she contributed she would get it wrong and be humiliated and she felt that she was not good enough. This was the information stored in Susie's amygdala.
Susie's mum was often worried about how she would do at school, and often expressed this, feeding Susie's amygdala data.
Susie got an eye sight test when she was 13 and needed glasses.
She completed school and went to college, but did not rewire the information stored in her amygdala. Instead, she fed it with her thoughts, her imagination of scenes where she would fail and her mothers comments.
In her job now Susie gets very anxious when she has to talk in front of others.
She always tells herself she is not as clever as her colleagues and this often stops her from contributing as much as others. This feeds her idea she is not as good as others, her holding herself back has reduced her progression in her company.
But she has to do a presentation and her negative thoughts go round her head, her heart beats fast as she is very tense. She feels sick.
Her amygdala; acting on outdated information is warning her she is in danger of getting humiliated.
With sheer determination she manages to do her talk, and actually it is really good.
However, leading up to it she had a really difficult anxious time, and nearly opted out from speaking.
Mastering your anxiety - notice, be curious, check things out.
1) Control your body symptoms.
i) Explore what helps you feel calm. Practise this so you become very familiar.
(See my blog from 25th March, 'Finding calm in emotional turmoil')
ii) Notice the symptoms of your anxiety so you can recognise them.
iii) When you get anxious, instead of going into rapid thinking learn to redirect your energy into calming your body down as you have practised.
2) Be curious
i) Become aware of what triggers your anxiety.
ii) Consider what this could be associated with. This may be obvious, or may take some reflection.
Working with a therapist, or a close friend or family member who you feel safe with can help.
iii) You may not know what the original threat was that is being triggered. However, experts say that you don't need to identify this in order to rewire your brain. Just to know what the triggers are.
3) Stop feeding your amygdala with information which supports your fears.
i) Once you identify the triggers, you can be curious about what you do that feeds your anxiety.
ii) If you can, stop taking in information which supports your fear.
iii) Recognise your self-talk, and challenge it.
iv) If you are triggered by what someone else says or does then it may be appropriate to check it out with them.
It is likely they remind you of someone from your past, the sound of their voice, or a certain look.
v) Look at the evidence. Has the old threat gone ... are you safe now?
Look at what you have achieved, succeeded at, managed, overcome etc. And take note of this.
4) Start feeding new updated information to your amygdala.
At first new information will sound strange, untrue or unsafe.
This is where you use your head to help; people often say I know I am safe I just don't feel safe.
You can use facts, updated information, reminders that you are now safe.
Realise that the threat to your emotional and /or physical safety has gone, it was in the past.
Find reminders which work for you: This could be written notes, visual images, a relevant item, messages you tell yourself. Use these reminders throughout the day, not just when you are feeling anxious.
Redirecting your energy from the overwhelming head noise to being CALM, CURIOUS, and CONFIRMING new messages will slowly update your amygdala from its old way of thinking into new updated information.
Your amygdala cannot hold contrasting information, so it will discard the old when the new is wired in.
'What gets fired together get wired together' What gets repeated will become the norm. Each of the above steps are skills which you can learn and develop.
When you learn to Calm your symptoms, challenge your anxiety and feed new information to your amygdala it helps you take control of your anxiety, and stop your amygdala sending the old out of date and irrelevant danger alerts. 
I wish you all the best on your journey, and hope you found this information useful.
Your feedback and comments are welcome.
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