Reprogramming your brain: neuroplasticity techniques for anxiety

August 28, 2024

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When you think of ways to relieve anxiety, you may imagine deep breathing, meditation or aromatherapy.

Neuroplasticity – your brain’s remarkable ability to reshape itself – offers a fresh approach to treating anxiety. By harnessing neuroplasticity, you can, in effect, teach your brain to calm down. You can help it create new neural pathways that promote calmness and confidence in difficult situations.

Here, we’ll explore how neuroplasticity works and suggest some simple neuroplasticity exercises for anxiety.

Understanding neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to form new neural connections in response to experiences, learning, and environmental changes. This adaptive quality allows us to acquire new skills, recover from injuries, and even alter habitual responses, such as anxiety.

It’s exciting (and reassuring) to know that your brain is always learning and changing in response to experiences. You can intentionally steer this process by engaging in activities that challenge and stimulate your mind and shift your brain’s default reactions to anxiety-inducing situations.

How neuroplasticity can help with anxiety

Neural pathways get stronger the more they’re used until some reactions are practically automatic. Pianists, for example, have practised so much that their fingers seem to move across the piano keys faster than their conscious thoughts.

When you repeatedly respond to a situation in a certain way, the neural pathways associated with that response become stronger, making it more likely that you’ll respond that way again. It’s basically a helpful shortcut that saves you the trouble of deciding how to react.

However, by consciously practising alternative responses that promote calmness, you can create new pathways that eventually become dominant.

What does that look like in practice?

Let’s say, you’re anxious about dogs. You feel like they’re unpredictable, savage creatures that shouldn’t be allowed out on the streets! You avoid walking down your own street because there’s a dog at number 42 that barks when you go past. You’ll cross the road if you see a dog coming and you’ve repeatedly denied your kids’ pleas for a dog.

But dogs seem to be everywhere – even at your favourite coffee shop which now allows people to bring small dogs in and has started selling doggie biscuits.

You want to be able to keep going to your favourite coffee shop but it means you’ll need to learn how to be comfortable around dogs. In other words, you need to retrain your brain to see dogs as less threatening.

Neuroplasticity exercises to reduce anxiety

Changing your thought patterns

Your thoughts have a profound impact on your anxiety levels. In the dog phobia example, the underlying thought is probably that dogs are dangerous and you’re not safe.

You could challenge that thought by deliberately seeing things differently to reframe your thoughts.

For example, maybe the dog at number 42 did bark at you once or twice. But it was behind a big fence, so it couldn’t do anything else. You got home safely.

You could also deliberately notice the many other times when you’ve encountered dogs and nothing bad has happened. Paying more attention to the many times when dogs have been harmless may help change your perception of them.

When you notice you’re feeling anxious, ask yourself, ‘How could I look at this situation differently?’ You may be surprised by the different approaches you discover.

Exploring new skills and subjects

Your brain thrives on a fresh challenge so learn something new, whether it’s chess or Chinese.

In fact, you might as well learn about dogs. You could learn about their behaviour and how to tell when they’re anxious, excited or upset. That knowledge may also help ease your fear.

Learning new skills like playing a musical instrument or learning how to knit can help to relieve anxiety by:

Engaging your mind
Distracting you from anxious thoughts
Providing a sense of accomplishment.

Meditation

Meditation is a powerful tool for enhancing neuroplasticity and reducing anxiety. It helps you to regulate your breathing and focus on the present, rather than worrying about the future.

When done regularly, meditation helps to form new pathways in your brain that promote relaxation. Meditation also becomes a tool you can use when you’re in an anxiety-inducing situation and need to engage those ‘calm down’ neural pathways.

Physical exercise

Regular physical activity can significantly influence neuroplasticity. Exercise enhances the brain’s ability to create new connections, while also releasing endorphins that improve mood and reduce anxiety. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise daily to support both your mental and physical health.

The road to anxiety relief

The journey to reducing anxiety through neuroplasticity is a gradual one, requiring consistent effort and practice. Think of it like training a muscle—the more you engage in these exercises, the stronger the new neural pathways become, gradually replacing the old, anxiety-driven ones.

With time and persistence, these practices can lead to lasting changes in how you respond to anxiety triggers, ultimately helping you feel more in control and at ease in your daily life.

How Neurofit Brain Centre can help

If you’re living with a long-term health condition, you’re more likely to experience anxiety. Anxiety is also a common experience for people with autism, ADHD or other neurodiversity.

Please book an assessment with Neurofit to see how we may be able to assist with neuroplasticity exercises.

Disclaimer

All information is general and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Neurofit Brain Centre can consult with you to confirm if a particular treatment approach is right for you.