The question really is: can I change my brain? The answer is: yes. The brain has plasticity, and the overriding maxim is: I get what I focus on. Focus on anger, anxiety, and the thought loops that cause the emotions and adrenaline pumping, and I reinforce those neural pathways and get more of the same.

I was once in a constant state of anxiety, and found myself making my life smaller and smaller to try to reduce the sensation of anxiety (caused by adrenaline). I finally reached a point where I knew if I didn't make a change in my brain, I would be that way the rest of my life.

I embarked on a simple plan to rewire my brain. I meditated every day for 20-30 minutes or so. I spent all my spare time in creative activities that interested me (writing, drawing, making music), doing number puzzles, running, and doing things for my wife (creating for her and with her). I visualized being relaxed in various situations, and living freely and creatively.

I also worked a simple mental trick when I found myself "what-iffing" or "thought-looping" or just "looping", which is a form of thought (could be memory, fears of the future, etc.) that kind of goes in circles and is the root cause of the anxiety, I would say to myself "that is just a loop, a thought, a movie in my head, it's not real." Then I would return my attention to the environment and look at the details closely (colors, lines, shapes, textures, sounds, volumes, smells), then get busy creating, problem-solving, or moving my body.

The anxiety was gone in less than two months. I had rewired my brain.