Have you ever felt so overwhelmed by the pressures in your life, you thought you were having a heart attack? As if elephants were sitting on your chest? That’s the way my guest today describes the weight of anxiety in our daily lives.

Anxiety is Real

In this Living the Grace Life episode, I welcome guest Caris Snider, a speaker, author, and certified life coach whose honesty and vulnerability help us share our own. Caris is as real as they get. But it wasn’t always that way for her. She struggled for a long time to take off the facade and allow God’s grace to work in her real life.
From Caris Snider:

“About 13 years ago, anxiety and depression almost took my life. I was wearing this weight on the inside, but on the outside, no one knew it. No one knew I was struggling. No one knew I didn’t ‘have it all together’ because it appeared as though I did.

My husband and I were leading worship at a church. I was working out of my home, a successful business. And my daughter, two at the time, was living her best toddler life.

It all appeared great, but all of a sudden, out of nowhere, my heart would just be beating out of my chest where it felt like this herd of elephants was stomping up and down.”

From Anxiety to Grace

Caris shares her story of anxiety, depression, miscarriage, and finding hope through God’s grace.

In our conversation, you’ll receive practical tips on how to:

  • Untangle lies stirred by anxiety
  • Make the journey from ‘What If?’ to ‘What Is!’
  • Find ‘your people’ and build community that helps you walk through anxiety and into grace
  • Practice anxiety blockers such as gratitude, grounding, body movement, getting enough water and sleep, and getting outside as ways to welcome grace and offer it, to yourself and to others
  • So much more…including an introduction to Cooper Hashbrown!

Listeners will find an abundance of forgiveness and hope in Caris’s honest and vulnerable storytelling, as well as actionable steps on embracing God’s grace in everyday life.

Grace Quotes from Caris:

God wants to comfort us, but He can’t comfort us if we’re pulling away.

We need to be intentional with what thoughts come in. They don’t all have to stay. You get to be the boss of your brain.

We want to move out of what if and move into what is. Be where your feet are.

Key Scriptures from our Conversation:

Psalm 34:4 I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.

Philippians 4:8 And now dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you have learned and received from me–everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the Godof peace will be with you.

Galatians 6:2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

Resources Mentioned:

 

Connect with Jennifer Sakata

Contact Jennifer