50 Ways to Rewire Your Anxious Brain: Simple Skills to Soothe Anxiety and Create New Neural Pathways to Calm

by Catherine M. Pittman, Maha Zayed

A take-anywhere toolkit to short-circuit anxiety and rewire your brain for lasting calm. Do you struggle with anxiety? Has it taken over your life or affected your relationships? Do you feel like chronic worry and rumination are holding you back from being your best, achieving your goals, or just enjoying your day-to-day life? Get a crash course in neuroscience with this slimmed down guide—full of the actionable tools you need to face anxiety head on. In this practical yet powerful guide, psychologist and neuroscience expert Catherine Pittman—author of Rewire Your Anxious Brain —introduces 50 new ways to work with your brain’s neural connections to find lasting, effective relief from your worst anxiety symptoms. The chapters of this book can be used in any order, as needed, to give you the information you need to act now , whether you’re at home or on the go. Also included are quick skills to help you soothe an anxious or stressed-out brain through physical movement, identify what you care about, and banish toxic thinking before it leads to rumination. The brain is a powerful tool, and the more you work to change the way you respond to fear, the more resilient you will become. Using the practical and proven-effective techniques in this book, you will literally “rewire” the brain processes at the root of your fears!

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Mental Health, Audiobook, Health, Brain

208 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2023

Reviews

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these types of books because of their neuroscience content. This one is an average read for the genre; however, it has many practical and beneficial tips, so I am rounding it up. 3.5 stars!

[Mauri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected a large textbook of neuroscience. What I got was a small, easy to read and understand book on managing anxiety. It was a very helpful read especially if you practice the skills taught. I recommend also for any therapist working with patients with anxiety.

[BLynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt that this book is a great companion to Rewire the Anxious Brain by the same author. The book reviews how anxiety works in the brain, specifically with the cortex and the amygdala. The book explores skills and techniques to help those with anxiety.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a practical and informative book about anxiety. I like that the advice is backed by science. It does a nice job of explaining how anxiety works…although whether this information will change my life is yet to be seen. This book presents a convincing argument on why physical exercise reduces anxiety. The amygdala, which is responsible for our fight or flight reactions, will calm down after you respond to a threat. “When you exercise you are doing exactly what the amygdala wants you to do. When you engage in some kind of physical activity…you are using the effects of the adrenaline that has been released…just do something that can show the amygdala that you have taken action.” The author compares this experience to the feeling of hunger going away after we eat something. Maybe all of this is obvious to some people, but it was a new perspective to me.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short read, and great tips. Some of it is common tips but still a good reminder.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best mental health books I’ve ever read. Definitely the best on anxiety.

I thought this book did a great job bringing very complex ideas around our brain in an easily digestible way. I feel like I have a mental image of my brain and amygdala and how they react.

There is hardly any fluff in this book (good) and this book was not technical at all (also good)

I like the examples the book gave (mostly) and found the exercises super helpful and different from the same ten things you read online.

Warning: the first two parts are weirdly repetitive but slightly different but it was confusing and strange

I learned a few new things but I’m very impressed with the mental model this book builds to help understand not only how to cope with anxiety but why humans have it and how it used to serve us.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anxiety is such a common physical and emotional experience for humans to experience in today’s society. I hear clients complain about it multiple times a day. The more I grow in age and maturity, I am gaining an understanding of my own relationship with anxiety. I remain open to learning more coping skills for anxiety. Which brings me to this amazing book, 50 Ways to Rewire Your Anxious Brain: Simple Skills to Soothe Anxiety and Create New Neural Pathways to Calm by Catherine M. Pittman and Maha Zayed.

First, I chose to read the audiobook version. The book offers many opportunities for guided journaling through reflection. I listen to audiobooks when I’m on the go or completing household tasks. Not exactly the ideal scenario for stopping the audiobook to journal. I wasn’t interested in pulling over to the side of the road to put pen to paper. Lol I like to journal, but I didn’t feel compelled to journal as offered by the authors. I recommend a physical copy of the book if you want to go through the book slowly, with undivided attention, and opportunities to journal.

I am considering purchasing a physical copy of this book to use as a reference. The authors offer excellent tools that I would love to flip through the book in the future for a refresher. I’m sure I’ll need it! Lol

I appreciate the authors explaining how anxiety works in the brain. They explain, in easy to understand language, how the amygdala works to create anxiety. I like thinking about the amygdala as a part of my brain that is separate from me as a person. This is my personal takeaway from the book based upon how the concept was explained. It gives me the perception that it is something I can combat.

The authors offer so many helpful suggestions. Many I am familiar, such as having good sleep hygiene, mindfulness, replacing anxious thoughts, and evaluating what you have control. What makes their suggestions stand apart from other resources I have utilized is the authors explain how the amygdala works; therefore, how the tool will work on the amygdala. For me, understanding how the brain works makes all the difference in applying their suggestions.

I borrowed the audiobook from my local library with the Libby app. Narration by Erin deWard was just okay; sometimes her voice sounded robotic. Thankfully, it wasn’t so annoying that I couldn’t listen to the book.

March 5, 2024 - UPDATE! I purchased a physical copy of the book! After experiencing a rather stressful and anxiety provoking event, I decided a physical copy of the book would be beneficial to use as a reference and be able to spend more time absorbing the content.

August 29, 2025 - Another Update! My amygdala began behaving in an unruly manner when a couple of stressful events occurred. I was tired of how anxiety consumed me and how quickly it took over. I realized I wasn’t using any of the tools in this book, so I decided to reread my physical copy. While I couldn’t control stressful events, I could control how I responded to them.

I took my time with this reread, which was easier with a physical book than with the audiobook format. Initially, I read one chapter a day, giving myself time to understand and apply the tool. This was a good approach, but I became impatient and wanted to use more than one tool a day, especially when some chapters overlapped. For example, gratitude was mentioned several times with slightly different applications. So, I adjusted my plan to read three chapters a day. I still didn’t use the journaling prompts, but I made time to sit in contemplation.

Speaking of gratitude, I’m grateful for rereading this book. It helped me reestablish a more grounded mind and understand my responses to anxiety-provoking situations. It also reminded me how ornery and helpful the amygdala can be. I had three opportunities to respond calmly and thoughtfully when I encountered wild animals on my hiking trail. During three separate hikes, I met an opossum, two raccoons, and a snake. Normally, my trail is quiet, and I’m lucky to encounter deer, which is more to my liking. The tools I learned in the book not only helped me interact with these creatures, but they also helped me get back on the trail the next day, where I could enjoy nature without fear or anxiety.

The tools have been applicable to my daily life. It seems like something pops up on a daily basis where I can apply these helpful techniques, whether it’s traveling, dealing with an illness, or worrying about random things.

I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty simple if you’ve learned about anxiety before, but filled with good info. Liked seeing how info was organized. Seems like it was meant to be read over time to allow for strategies to be implemented, so probably best to get a hard copy if planning to use it that way. Would recommend to learners.

[Carol H.]

I started and stopped this book and Rewire Your Anxious Brain several times between October and December/January because... it's often easier to give in to anxiety and feel a short sense of relief than to purposefully make decisions and plans to handle anxiety.

I liked this book; it was good, not great, not bad.

[Lisa Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book, so many of the tips are deceptively simple. But basically the message is to heal anxiety, you have to calm the amygdala and the cortex, and then they give you exercises for how to do each of those. Again, many of them will seem too simple but they actually do work when practiced regularly.

[Triinu Lume · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting insight into the neuroscience behind anxiety, lovely short book full of references to actual studies and scientific findings.

[natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

fuck anxiety

[Joan Baslow-Temple · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repetitive

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever wonder what part of the brain triggers a fight/flight/freeze response? It's called the amygdala. It produces the feelings of danger or dread, which can trigger anxiety or stress reaction. The cortex section of the brain can trigger the amygdala by thinking over and over "What If" questions. "What if I don't get this new job?" "What if this or that happens?" or "What if my husband has a vehicle accident on the way home?" When these questions get thought multiple times, the cortex can trigger the amygdala, which, in turn, raises the anxiety reaction.

In 50 Ways to Rewire Your Anxious Brain, Catherine M. Pittman offers knowledge on how these two sections of the brain work together to produce the fight/flight/freeze response. She also offers tools to help rewire your thoughts as to not trigger the amygdala. These tools use journaling to enhance their effectiveness. The chapters can be read in any order. I read then in order, but I did not journal. Pittman uses medical terminology, but she presents it in a such a way that it is easy to understand. This slim book is a handy reference or guide to refer to often.

[Zach Boerger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, quick read full of helpful tips. The first half is a little dry and heavy in biology for my liking, but is good at illustrating where stress comes from both biologically and evolutionarily. The back half of the book was much more impactful to me, as it spoke heavily about how your conscious alone can trigger real, tangible stress reactions, and how to avoid them. The two authors tones differ greatly, which I think keeps the book interesting and versatile throughout

[Dustin Siegel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clearly written, concise book that delivers what it says - 50 tools, tips, and tactics to help effectively manage anxiety. Each method is detailed in just a few quick pages, making it a handy reference or guide. I can happily reccomend this to anyone who needs some help in getting their anxiety better under control.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

TBH: did a quick skim, but still learned useful information. This is a dense, but also useful/readable book that I think could be very useful to people interested in learning more about their own anxiety or how to better support loved ones living with anxiety. I plan to look at the other books written by this author.

[Nancy Milton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy to read, tell you both the what to do and how to do it tips and suggestions to improve your response to anxiousness.
Depending on the work you have already done in this area of your life, it may seem basic. In my opinion, always good to listen for new ideas and reinforce others that you can bring/do consistently in your life.

[Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Learned a bit about what causes anxiety and was good to know that I'm not alone when I go into 'freeze' mode and have trouble processing thoughts. Provides exercises that when practiced regularly should train your amygdala (which produces the flight/fight/freeze response) to chillax.

Some of the situations they present as irrational fears, and so as an exercise you put yourself in the anxiety-inducing situation and ensure that absolutely nothing will go wrong otherwise it'll actually make the anxiety worse, but we don't have control over every anxiety-inducing situation (for instance, I'm anxious all the pumps will be occupied when I go to get gas, and there's no safe or obvious place to wait in line so people butt in front of you - it doesn't always happen, but it DOES happen sometimes, and therefore I'm anxious EVERY time I go to get gas). Also, many people experience anxiety over environmental destruction and contamination - very real, threatening circumstances - and money problems, which the authors suggest is a solvable problem, as in you could get another job or turn to family for help.

Not trying to discredit the exercises provided as they sound like pretty solid ways to rewire your thinking patterns, if you give them the practice time. However, as an anxious person I didn't feel completely understood, plus the narrator took on a calming tone which felt condescending.

[Sheila Hirschauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short book that talks to the reader in a very straightforward way without a lot of complex jargon. She uses the correct medical terminology, of course, but only goes as deep as is needed in order to get the point across - then uses stories/examples to make the point stick.

In addition to providing lots of ways to reduce anxiety, this book also explains why certain actions might be a trigger to anxiety. Once you've identified the anxiety, she covers ways to overcome it by training your amygdala to stop treating that trigger as something that warrants a fight/flight/freeze response. It's not instantaneous, but by creating new pathways, it can be done.

Easy enough read with viable solutions that can be implemented right away. I've already started putting several suggestions in place and will go back for a reread in another month to digest even more.

[Talenyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book summarizes the neuroscience behind anxiety and offers a mix of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Buddhist methods to retrain the brain. I liked that each chapter was short, thematic, and offered concrete exercises to attempt before and during a moment of crisis. There is also zero victim blaming, huzzah! My only serious critique is that there's a heavy focus on exposure therapy and pushing through anxiety, which can be deeply traumatic if not approached with a trusted professional to guide you. That said, overall this is a helpful little book to keep on the shelf for quick reference.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical steps to gaining control of your anxiety by recognizing the neuro-processes that allow anxiety to drive the bus. I recognized at least one DBT exercise and one that I developed on my own through emdr. This book is not the answer,the answer is the work you put into it. If you aren't ready for therapy, give it a shot. It is also a great companion to therapy or a refresher.
Great for people that like brain science.

[Sandra Mendonça · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you find yourself trying to cope with anxiety or panic, daily life can be a real challenge. Anxiety and panic are not only distressing and limiting, but also, others really don’t understand what you are coping with.
In this book, two therapists with decades of experience treating anxiety disorders will provide you with daily exercises that translate the causes of anxiety in the brain into clearly explained practices and strategies to rewire an anxious brain. The exercises provided will not only combat the distress and limitations anxiety causes in your daily life but will also make lasting changes in your brain that make it more resistant to anxiety.

[Amber Barke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful, albeit fairly dry and basic book about the anxious brain. This would great psychoeducation for someone that knows very little about anxiety disorders or how the amygdala works. The exercises and strategies are useful if you’re going to do them, but in my experience as a therapist, most people don’t.

[Dani Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, practical, and encouraging. 50 Ways to Rewire Your Anxious Brain gives you bite-sized strategies you can actually use day to day. Not every tip will click, but with so many options, you’re bound to find a handful that really help. It’s more of a toolbox than a deep dive, but a solid resource for anyone wanting simple ways to manage anxious thoughts.

[Zen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of good tips on how to manage your anxiety, not just in the moment, but how to create long term solutions. There is not one that can be used as a cure all for anxiety, but combined, they provide a large arsenal that can be used to combat this problem that plagues so many.

[Once Upon a Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good content (I highly recommend Catherine M Pittman’s books on anxiety) but the audiobook narrator ruined it by putting a different emphasis on every word. Shame since if she’d read it instead of acting it, it would’ve been much better.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a simple, quick read with good ideas that are worth trying. Obviously not everything works for everyone. May or may not find much new to you depending on how much you've already read on anxiety/time spent in therapy.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I needed

I was hoping this book would have better advice on how to control my anxiety but it didn't. I'm already doing some of the suggestions. I was hoping for some new ones.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really made the science of anxiety accessible for people. It has the recommendations in there like breathing exercises, but then explains how that actually helps your body calm down. Very insightful. I've been recommending this book to the anxious people in my life (i.e., everyone).