In this opening episode of our three-part anxiety series, we begin with the most powerful first step in healing: naming what's happening.

Anxiety often arrives without language. It feels physical, overwhelming, and sometimes frightening. In this episode, Dr. Malorie shares her first experience with panic, explains what anxiety actually is in the brain and nervous system, and explores how shame quietly intensifies the struggle.

You'll learn why naming anxiety isn't defeat—it's dignity. And how grace meets us not after we calm down, but right in the middle of the storm.

If you've ever felt high-functioning on the outside but restless underneath… this episode is for you.

• What anxiety actually is from a neuropsychological perspective

• The difference between stress, anxiety, and clinical anxiety disorders

• How the amygdala and prefrontal cortex interact during anxious moments

• Why shame keeps anxiety stuck

• How faith and grace can interrupt the anxiety–shame loop

• Simple grounding practices you can use immediately

• Anxiety is a nervous system response, not a character flaw

• The amygdala acts as the brain's alarm system

• When anxiety spikes, the thinking brain temporarily goes offline

• Shame increases perceived threat and reinforces anxiety patterns

• Compassion calms the nervous system more effectively than self-criticism

1. Try the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise when anxiety rises.

2. Practice a breath prayer:
   Inhale: "Be still…"
   Exhale: "…and know that You are God."

3. Journal this prompt:
   What might my anxiety be trying to protect me from?

Is what I've been experiencing lately stress, anxiety, or something that may need professional support?

If anxiety is chronic, overwhelming, or interfering with daily life, consider speaking with a licensed therapist or medical provider. Anxiety is highly treatable, and you do not have to carry it alone.

In Episode 2, we'll explore how to live with anxiety—how to work with it instead of against it, and how to stay grounded in grace when it resurfaces.

If you'd like to continue reflecting, subscribe to receive access to the Anxiety: Grace in the Tension Reflection Guide—a companion journal designed to walk with you through this series.

🔗 https://subscribepage.io/restored-reflection-guide

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you believe you may be experiencing clinical anxiety or another mental health condition, please consult a qualified healthcare provider.

You are not your fear.
You are not broken.
You are deeply known and deeply loved.

Healing doesn't mean life gets quieter—and rhythms don't protect themselves.

In this final episode of our burnout recovery series, Dr. Malorie explores how to protect the rhythms you've rebuilt when stress returns, responsibilities increase, and old patterns start pulling you back into urgency. This conversation weaves together neuroscience, polyvagal theory, clinical psychology, and a Christian faith perspective to help listeners respond to stress with wisdom rather than self-criticism.

This episode completes the arc from burnout → rest without guilt → rebuilding rhythms → protecting what's healing.

• Why stress is not the enemy—but how our response to stress matters

• How chronic stress shifts the nervous system toward survival mode

• Why rhythms are often the first thing to disappear under pressure

• A polyvagal understanding of mobilization, shutdown, and return to safety

• How to recognize early signs of nervous system activation

• The difference between protecting rhythms and turning them into rigid rules

• Why repair—not perfection—is where healing consolidates

Neuroscience & Psychology Highlights

• How increased stress reduces access to the prefrontal cortex

• Why sympathetic activation narrows attention and decision-making

• How rhythms act as anchors for regulation when threat cues increase

• Why naming stress early reduces nervous system threat

• How flexibility—not consistency—is a marker of nervous system health

• A Christian perspective on abiding under pressure

• Why Jesus withdrew more—not less—when demands increased

• How protecting rhythms becomes an act of trust rather than striving

• Honoring limits as wisdom, not failure

• A brief body-based meditation to tune into your nervous system

• Gentle questions to help identify what your body needs more—and less—of

• An invitation to notice without fixing or judging

• Choose one rhythm you've already been practicing

• Ask how it needs to shrink or adapt when stress increases

• Practice naming stress early (out loud or silently)

• Focus on returning, not correcting

This episode closes with:

• A spoken blessing for listeners navigating stress and transition

• A prayer focused on wisdom, trust, and grace-filled limits

If you'd like to deepen this work, subscribe to the podcast to receive reflection journal prompts designed to help integrate these ideas gently and practically at the nervous-system level.

If someone came to mind while listening—someone who's overwhelmed, anxious, or quietly burning out—consider sharing this episode with them. Healing is often supported in community.

Next week, we begin a new three-part series on anxiety, exploring:

• How anxiety works in the brain and body

• Why control often increases anxiety

• How compassion, neuroscience, and faith together can support deeper peace

This podcast is for educational and spiritual reflection purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, mental health treatment, or medical care. Listening does not establish a therapeutic relationship. If you need personalized support, please seek help from a qualified mental health professional.

Join the Restored family by subscribing: https://greater-things.com/restored-podcast

Burnout doesn't happen all at once—and healing doesn't end with rest.

In this episode, Dr. Malorie traces the full arc from chronic boundary erosion to burnout, from rest without guilt to the slow, intentional rebuilding of rhythms that support long-term nervous system regulation. Drawing from neuroscience, polyvagal theory, and clinical psychology, this conversation explores why rest restores capacity—but rhythms are what help us stay well.

You'll learn how burnout disrupts interoception, why predictable rhythms signal safety to the nervous system, and how to rebuild regulation without slipping into rigidity or perfectionism. This episode also weaves in a Christian faith perspective, offering a grace-forward understanding of limits, formation, and trust.

Listeners are invited into a gentle practice for the week, a blessing, and a closing prayer—making space not just for insight, but for integration.

If you'd like to deepen this work, you're invited to subscribe to the podcast and receive reflection journal prompts designed to help you integrate these ideas slowly, thoughtfully, and compassionately into daily life. You can subscribe by following this link: https://greater-things.com/restored-podcast

And if someone came to mind while listening, consider sharing this episode with them—healing is often supported in community.

Please note: This episode is intended for educational and spiritual reflection purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, mental health treatment, or medical care. Listening does not establish a therapeutic relationship. If you are in need of personalized support, please seek care from a qualified mental health professional.

Next week, we'll continue this series by exploring how to protect the rhythms you're rebuilding when stress increases and life speeds up.

Restored: Where Psychology Meets Grace

Burnout doesn't heal by pushing harder.
It heals by restoring what's been depleted.

In this episode, Dr. Malorie continues the conversation on burnout by exploring why rest can feel so difficult—and even unsafe—for so many of us. Drawing from neuroscience, psychology, and faith, we look at what happens in the brain and nervous system when we rest, why guilt often shows up when we slow down, and how rest becomes recovery rather than something we have to earn.

You'll learn why rest is more than stopping, how chronic stress keeps the nervous system on high alert, and how small, gentle moments of restoration can begin to bring safety, clarity, and healing back online.

This episode includes reflection, a guided practice, and a closing prayer—offering space to slow down and begin restoring what burnout has quietly taken away.

✨ Continue the journey:
If this episode resonates, you're invited to go a little deeper by subscribing to receive reflection journal prompts created to support integration, nervous system awareness, and gentle restoration throughout the week. No pressure—just an open invitation to reflect at your own pace.

Next week, we'll talk about rebuilding gentle rhythms after burnout—how to return to life and work without losing yourself again.

Until then, rest well.

In this episode of Restored: Where Psychology Meets Grace, Dr. Malorie explores what burnout really is—and what it isn't. Moving beyond the idea of "just being tired," this conversation looks at burnout as a state of deep emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual depletion.

Drawing from psychology, neuroscience, and faith, you'll learn:

• How burnout affects the brain and nervous system

• Why chronic stress makes rest feel difficult or unsafe

• Common signs of burnout we often overlook or minimize

• The difference between stress, fatigue, and true burnout

• Why burnout isn't a failure—it's a signal

This episode invites you to slow down and listen to what your body has been trying to tell you. Rather than offering quick fixes, it creates space for awareness, compassion, and truth.

If you've felt numb, exhausted, irritable, foggy, or disconnected from yourself or God, this conversation may help you name what you're experiencing—and remind you that you're not broken.

✨ Burnout is not a personal weakness.
✨ Your body is wise.
✨ Awareness is the first step toward restoration.

This episode sets the foundation for next week's follow-up, Rest Without Guilt, where we explore how healing begins by restoring what's been depleted.

If this episode resonated with you, I'd love to invite you to subscribe to Restored: Where Psychology Meets Grace. Each week, we explore mental health, faith, and growth in ways that honor both science and grace—without pressure to perform or fix yourself. To subscribe and gain access to our reflection library, please follow this link:

https://greater-things.com/restored-podcast

And if you know someone who's tired of starting strong but struggling to keep going, consider sharing this episode with them. Sometimes growth begins simply by reminding someone they're not alone—and that slow, faithful change still counts.

You can also leave a review—it helps others find the show and join this growing community of people learning how to live restored.

What if growth in 2026 didn't require fixing yourself—or burning out by February?

In this episode of Restored, Dr. Malorie explores what it actually takes for growth to last. Drawing from psychology, neurophysiology, and a Christian vision of formation, this episode reframes change as something that happens slowly, gently, and faithfully over time.

You'll learn why most habits fail, how the nervous system shapes change, and why incremental, intentional, repeatable practices are the key to sustainable growth. We'll also explore six pillars of wellness—spiritual, relational, educational/occupational, financial, social, and physical—and how to choose practices that support real life, not ideal life.

This episode offers a grounded, grace-filled way to approach 2026—not with pressure, but with wisdom.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why your nervous system resists sudden change

• How neuroplasticity supports long-term growth

• The role of safety, repetition, and predictability in habit formation

• A Christian framework for slow, faithful growth

• How to choose practices across six pillars of wellness

• Why linking habits to existing routines helps growth stick

Prefer a readable version of the show notes?
Visit: https://greater-things.com/restored-podcast

In this intro episode, Dr. Malorie—clinical psychologist, Jesus follower, and podcast host—shares the heart behind Restored. If you've ever wondered how faith and psychology can work together, you're in the right place.

If you'd like to continue reflecting, you're welcome to subscribe for access to the Reflection Library here:
https://subscribepage.io/restored-reflection-guide

What happens when mental health meets faith? Restored is a podcast for people who think deeply, feel deeply, and long for healing that touches both the mind and the soul.

Hosted by Dr. Malorie—clinical psychologist, Jesus follower, wife, and mother—this show explores life's struggles through the lens of psychology and the hope of grace. Whether you're navigating faith, deconstruction, or simply trying to understand yourself better—you belong here.

In this episode, you'll hear Dr. Malorie's story of trauma, loss, and healing—and why she believes wholeness comes from attending to both the brain and the soul.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The personal story behind Restored

• Why this podcast bridges Jesus and therapy

• What to expect in future episodes (25–35 minutes, practical + grace-filled)

Episodes are 25–35 minutes and include solo reflections with real-life applications, occasional guest voices, and plenty of space for doubt, questions, and grace. Whether you're navigating faith, deconstruction, or just want to understand yourself better—you belong here.

This isn't about fixing yourself. It's about being restored—bit by bit, breath by breath, grace by grace.

📘 Disclaimer: This podcast blends psychological insight and faith-based reflection. It is not a substitute for therapy or pastoral counseling.

Restored: Where Psychology Meets Grace Step into a new kind of healing space. Hosted by Dr. Malorie—a clinical psychologist and Jesus-follower—Restored is a podcast for those craving emotional depth, spiritual honesty, and grace that meets you where you really are. If you're entering the new year tired, wounded, or wondering if wholeness is even possible, this is your invitation to slow down, exhale, and begin again. Through the lens of psychology and the truth of Scripture, you'll discover how transformation isn't about striving—it's about presence.

Your restoration begins January 1, 2026.