Anchored Not Anxious

When anxiety hits hard, have you ever wished Jesus would just speak out loud or sit beside you? You're not alone. Even the disciples struggled when Jesus said He was leaving—until He promised them the Holy Spirit as their Counselor. 

But what does that actually mean for managing anxiety today? In this episode, I explore how the Holy Spirit functions like a professional counselor: listening, revealing truth, redirecting, and interceding when you’re overwhelmed. 

If you've been treating the Holy Spirit like a distant concept instead of an active presence, this conversation will change how you approach your hardest days.

Scripture References (NIV, NLT):

John 14:27, Romans 8:6b, Romans 8:26-27, Ephesians 4:30, 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Get The Anchored Life twice-monthly email.  Discover how including Jesus in each day brings reassurance, wisdom, hope, identity, and emotional and mental rescue remedies. On hard days and in between, you can stay anchored in faith. 

Your story matters to me and I answer every email. Go to [email protected]

Visit Anchored Not Anxious. It's help, hope and resources designed for you

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/terri.hutchinson.140

Listen to Sue share stories from her book, Never Alone: Stories of Connection & Invitation. With stories from her life, Sue illustrates the purpose and power of connection. You can have eyes and ears for the people who cross your life path, extend an invitation, and let God reveal the purpose as you connect with them. 

Sue's Favorite Relaxing Recipes:  https://view.flodesk.com/pages/60db7ed16b275532b755c224

and

30 Conversation Starters from one of Sue's books: 

https://welcomeheart.myflodesk.com/v6wwjwq7hp

Amazon link for Sue's Book, Never Alone: Stories of Connection & Invitation

https://www.amazon.com/Never-Alone-Stories-Invitation-Connection/dp/B0FXTMGTXJ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=13KZ54J6N12U8&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.w0CCeGU8sedwWqqUakeG7A.QcVbSRncQvGkIpor4zmdyAEicHnoDZbmDcTuSELQ7Ao&dib_tag=se&keywords=never+alone+sue+donaldson&qid=1769178979&sprefix=never+alone+sue+%2Caps%2C110&sr=8-1

Find Sue on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/suemooredonaldson/

Sue's Website

https://welcomeheart.com/

Get The Anchored Life twice-monthly email.  Discover how including Jesus in each day brings reassurance, wisdom, hope, identity, and emotional and mental rescue remedies. On hard days and in between, you can stay anchored in faith. 

Your story matters to me and I answer every email. Go to [email protected]

Visit Anchored Not Anxious. It's help, hope and resources designed for you

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/terri.hutchinson.140

Living with a chronic condition means navigating the unpredictable terrain of high-energy days and low-energy days. One morning you wake up ready to conquer your to-do list, and the next, a simple shower leaves you depleted. This fluctuation doesn't just affect your body—it impacts your mental and emotional wellbeing, often triggering anxiety and discouragement.

In this episode, we explore the connection between low activity tolerance and anxiety, and I share a practical, clinical tool to help you manage your energy wisely. You'll learn how to create an Activity Tolerance Planner that honors both your capabilities and your limitations, using evidence-based strategies like the talk test to assess your exertion levels.

Whether you're living with fibromyalgia, MS, heart failure, COPD, or another chronic condition, this episode offers you permission to find contentment in what you can do while extending grace to yourself for what's beyond your reach today. Because a high-energy day needs as much careful attention as a low-energy one.

Download the free Activity Tolerance Planner

Get The Anchored Life twice-monthly email.  Discover how including Jesus in each day brings reassurance, wisdom, hope, identity, and emotional and mental rescue remedies. On hard days and in between, you can stay anchored in faith. 

Your story matters to me and I answer every email. Go to [email protected]

Visit Anchored Not Anxious. It's help, hope and resources designed for you

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/terri.hutchinson.140

What if trust isn't about getting what you want when you want it—but about learning a path that never becomes a dead end?

In this episode, I use the imagery of a nature trail to explore what it means to truly trust God when you're waiting, when answers haven't come, or when the outcome isn't what you prayed for. We'll walk through the three movements of trust. 

This isn't a pep talk about positive thinking. It's an honest conversation about the growth that happens in the waiting, and about believing that God's eyes search for our hearts—not our religious performance.

If you're standing at a signpost with arrows pointing toward worry, overthinking, and "what if" scenarios, this episode offers you a different direction. 

Get The Anchored Life twice-monthly email.  Discover how including Jesus in each day brings reassurance, wisdom, hope, identity, and emotional and mental rescue remedies. On hard days and in between, you can stay anchored in faith. 

Your story matters to me and I answer every email. Go to [email protected]

Visit Anchored Not Anxious. It's help, hope and resources designed for you

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/terri.hutchinson.140

Monster fires in the California mountains consume everything in their path. It takes only a spark to start a raging blaze. What if there was something like fire that could consume your worry just as an actual fire consumes anything in its path? Something that would scare it into silence?

There is—if you're willing to be reckless and ruthless.

God’s Word gives us examples of women and men who were reckless and ruthless, in a way that brought them closer to God. 

How do you ignite a reckless, ruthless faith fire? Listen to this episode and discover what you need as fire starter to get a blazing faith and trust. 

Jeremiah said the Word of God is like a fire in his heart that cannot be contained. (Jeremiah 20:9) This is what I pray for you: A fire in your heart that burns with trust in God.

Get The Anchored Life twice-monthly email.  Discover how including Jesus in each day brings reassurance, wisdom, hope, identity, and emotional and mental rescue remedies. On hard days and in between, you can stay anchored in faith. 

Your story matters to me and I answer every email. Go to [email protected]

Visit Anchored Not Anxious. It's help, hope and resources designed for you

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/terri.hutchinson.140

A high school friend messaged me after decades: "I've thought about you 8 million times since 1978." She remembered a powerful conversation about faith and obedience—a lesson she'd carried with her and shared with countless people over the years.

The twist? She had the wrong Terri. That wasn't me.

But here's what struck me: That other Teri remained relevant all these years. Her words rippled forward in ways she'll never fully know.

Maybe you're feeling less relevant then you did ten years ago. The feeling is genuine, but the facts don't support it. Find out why you've got your hands full of purpose.

Listen to this episode, you'll discover why you are very much relevant in your corner of the world—and why small acts are just as powerful as big, bold gestures.

Get The Anchored Life twice-monthly email.  Discover how including Jesus in each day brings reassurance, wisdom, hope, identity, and emotional and mental rescue remedies. On hard days and in between, you can stay anchored in faith. 

Your story matters to me and I answer every email. Go to [email protected]

Visit Anchored Not Anxious. It's help, hope and resources designed for you

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/terri.hutchinson.140

I worked with someone who moved the boundary lines daily. Some days she was warm and open. Other days? Ice cold. I never knew which version I'd get. The relationship became dysfunctional because it impeded our ability to work together—and it made me increasingly tense.

The truth is, people can elevate our stress and anxiety. In this episode, I break down six reasons why certain relationships might be draining you.

I'll share practical strategies for both work relationships (where you have fewer options) and casual or family relationships (where you might need to pull back for your own wellness). 

Resources:

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/energy-vampire

https://www.gaslightingcheck.com/blog/analyzing-coercive-language-in-gaslighting

https://ctrinstitute.com/blog/10-strategies-for-dealing-with-passive-aggressive-people/

Get The Anchored Life twice-monthly email.  Discover how including Jesus in each day brings reassurance, wisdom, hope, identity, and emotional and mental rescue remedies. On hard days and in between, you can stay anchored in faith. 

Your story matters to me and I answer every email. Go to [email protected]

Visit Anchored Not Anxious. It's help, hope and resources designed for you

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/terri.hutchinson.140

What’s the Point of Knowing Jesus? 

She wasn't invited to the dinner party. Her reputation was well-known. And nobody thought her life mattered except for Jesus. What made her believe Jesus could make her life better? What happened next was an act of complete surrender.

In this episode, I show you a few women who followed Jesus like Joanna and Susanna. Each one followed Jesus not just for a day but for the long haul. 

Jesus doesn't make the bad disappear, but He'll walk you through every season. Your trust keeps you anchored to Him so you won't drift into despair.

Get The Anchored Life twice-monthly email.  Discover how including Jesus in each day brings reassurance, wisdom, hope, identity, and emotional and mental rescue remedies. On hard days and in between, you can stay anchored in faith. 

Your story matters to me and I answer every email. Go to [email protected]

Visit Anchored Not Anxious. It's help, hope and resources designed for you

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/terri.hutchinson.140

Ever noticed how scrolling through your favorite photos can instantly lift your mood? There's actual science behind it. 

In this episode, discover how photographs—whether of grandchildren, nature scenes, or peaceful landscapes—can lower your blood pressure, reduce stress, and interrupt anxious thought patterns. 

Get practical tips for creating your own "calming photo file" to use in waiting rooms, traffic, or anytime anxiety strikes. From "internet vacations" to guided imagery, this episode equips you with a simple, accessible tool you can carry in your pocket.

Research on digital nature images reducing stress

Get The Anchored Life twice-monthly email.  Discover how including Jesus in each day brings reassurance, wisdom, hope, identity, and emotional and mental rescue remedies. On hard days and in between, you can stay anchored in faith. 

Your story matters to me and I answer every email. Go to [email protected]

Visit Anchored Not Anxious. It's help, hope and resources designed for you

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/terri.hutchinson.140

Do you avoid opportunities because you can't control all the variables? In this episode, Terri explores intolerance of uncertainty—the fear of what's not known and the mental struggle with ambiguous situations. 

Through a personal story about overcoming flight anxiety, discover how behavioral experiments can help you test your beliefs and increase your tolerance for life's unknowns. Learn practical strategies to move from fear to freedom, backed by current psychological research.

Resources mentioned:

• Psychology Tools: Behavioral Experiments for Uncertainty
• HelpGuide: Dealing with Uncertainty

Perfect for anyone who wants to live more fully but feels held back by "what-ifs."

Get The Anchored Life twice-monthly email.  Discover how including Jesus in each day brings reassurance, wisdom, hope, identity, and emotional and mental rescue remedies. On hard days and in between, you can stay anchored in faith. 

Your story matters to me and I answer every email. Go to [email protected]

Visit Anchored Not Anxious. It's help, hope and resources designed for you

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/terri.hutchinson.140