EP 266: You Won't Recover If You Don't Believe You Can ~ Here's How to Build That Belief (6 Proven Steps)

Let me be real with you: You won't experience healing if you don't lean in. And you won't lean in if you don't believe it's possible.

This is the hardest thing about eating disorder recovery. Not the meal plan. Not the weight restoration. Not even the challenging of thoughts. It's the BELIEF. The belief that recovery from this terrible, horrifying, very no good, unfortunate eating disorder that has taken over your life is actually possible for YOU.

Maybe you listen to this podcast and think, "Great, Lindsey. I love that this is inspirational, but I'm just not sure I'm fully bought in to the possibility that I can experience freedom. That I could actually change."

If that's you, this episode is your game-changer + it's a ⭐ Fan Favorite that we knew we wanted to re-share with you this week.

Recently, I had conversations with women who asked me, "Lindsey, I love what you do, but how do you help these women create that belief that this is possible for them?" And I said, "That IS the hardest thing. It's believing that this is possible."

So today, I'm giving you a proven framework—a tangible acronym that spells out BELIEF—to help you overcome the limiting beliefs that are keeping you stuck and preventing you from your very best life.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why so many women stay stuck in the destructive cycle (hint: they don't believe freedom is possible)
• The truth: Belief CAN be created, and it's a crucial step in the healing process
• The BELIEF Framework: 6 proven steps to create unwavering faith in your recovery
• B - Begin Small: Why trying to change everything at once keeps you stuck
• E - Embrace Support: The game-changing power of working with someone specialized in ED recovery
• L - Learn and Learn Again: How educating yourself builds reassurance and hope
• I - Imagine Your Future: The science behind visualization and why your brain can't tell the difference
• E - Establish Positive Practices: How to challenge negative thoughts and speak kinder to yourself
• F - Focus on Why: Why your "why" is greater than your "now"
• The powerful William James quote: "Belief creates actual fact"
• Why recovery is scientifically and clinically possible (yes, even for you)
• How to answer the question: "Can I believe there is something greater on the other side of all this?"

If you want to recover, if you want freedom so badly, if you're tired of running in circles, if you're exhausted from your unhealthy relationship with food and exercise—this episode will show you how to build the belief you need to finally break free.

Because if I can do it, then so can you, friend.

KEY QUOTES FROM THIS EPISODE

💛 "You won't experience healing if you don't lean in. And the possibility of it being possible is dependent upon your belief."

💛 "If you choose to stay in that fixed mindset of 'I doubt myself, I will always be this way, there's no room for any of that freedom for me,' then that is where you will stay. But belief can be created."

💛 "A lot of women will stay stuck in this destructive cycle because they just don't believe that freedom's possible for them."

💛 "We are bounce back creatures. Anything is possible for us. But the possibility of it being possible is dependent upon your belief."

💛 "It doesn't matter which direction you go, as long as you continue to look forward and you continue to build forward."

💛 "Well, if she can do it, why can't I?"

💛 "Understanding that recovery is scientifically and clinically possible—this is gonna build that reassurance for you and give your brain some safety that leads to hope with belief."

💛 "It does not matter if you've done something before or if you have visualized something before—if you can visualize it, you can become it. If you can visualize it, you can be it."

💛 "Trust that your why is greater than your now. Trust that your why is bigger than your present reality."

💛 "Belief creates actual fact." - William James, Father of American Psychology

💛 "Can I believe that there is something grander, that there is something greater on the other side of all this? Can I believe that there is something more for me than this? And if your answer's yes, you already have the belief you need right now to create the life that you want."

THE BELIEF FRAMEWORK: 6 PROVEN STEPS

This acronym will help you build the belief you need to recover. Grab a piece of paper and jot this down—or come back to this section whenever doubt creeps in.

THE POWERFUL TRUTH: BELIEF CREATES ACTUAL FACT

William James, the father of American psychology, stated: "Belief creates actual fact."

So when the enemy tries to steal your joy this week—when the enemy tries to bring you doubt and discouragement, when the enemy tries to have you staring at your step count, giving yourself shame thoughts, looking at your mirror and telling your body that you hate yourself—I want you to lean in.

Remember these core fundamentals to step into belief:

B - Begin Small
E - Embrace Support
L - Learn and Learn Again
I - Imagine Freedom
E - Establish Positive Practices
F - Focus on Why

You have the power to believe in the process. Trust that you might not know all the answers, but you're striving to figure them out along the way.

READY TO BUILD BELIEF WITH SUPPORT? WORK WITH LINDSEY

💛 JOIN OUR EMAIL COMMUNITY

Get multiple weeks of encouragement, tools, and support delivered straight to your inbox.

👉 Head to www.herbestself.co and get on our email list

💛 WORK WITH A RECOVERY COACH

If you're looking for someone to help you along your path to freedom, I have coaches on my team (or myself) who would love to support you.

We'll help you incorporate these BELIEF steps in tangible ways—like tools in a toolbox—that are gonna get you living your very best life.

👉 Fill out a client application https://docs.google.com/forms/d/13WDpvmQNoVvAytBdqM72FIp1AqXMfSFrqzQVvBWrwHY/edit 

💛 THE RECOVERY COLLECTIVE

Join my group coaching community where women come together to build belief, support each other, and do the deep work of recovery.

www.herbestself.co/recoverycollective 

💛 1:1 PERSONALIZED COACHING

If you're ready for deep, transformational work and personalized support to build unshakeable belief in your recovery—let's partner together.

Connect with Lindsey:

🌟 Website: www.herbestself.co 🌟 Instagram: @thelindseynichol 🌟 Client Application: HBS Co. Recovery Coaching - Client Application - Google Forms

Love this episode? Here's how you can support the show:

💕 Share it with a woman who might need to hear this message 💕 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts - it helps other women find the show 💕 Screenshot and tag @thelindseynichol if any of these steps help you this week!

Remember, beautiful: Your worth is not measured by how perfectly you do recovery. Healing isn't linear, progress over perfection always, and you are exactly where you need to be right now.

Her Best Self with Lindsey Nichol is a podcast for women in eating disorder recovery who are ready to break free from perfectionism, people-pleasing, and diet culture to live authentically and wholeheartedly.

*While I am a certified health coach, anorexia survivor & eating disorder recovery coach, I do not intend the use of this message to serve as medical advice. Please refer to the disclaimer here in the show & be sure to contact a licensed clinical provider if you are struggling with an eating disorder.