EP 231: When Recovery from Disordered Eating Feels Like Swimming Against the Current ~ Finding Hope in the Hard Season🌊

Feeling exhausted from fighting the same eating disorder thoughts every single day? Tired of trying to navigate recovery alone while swimming against what feels like an impossible current? In this hope-filled episode, Lindsey uses powerful ocean metaphors to help you understand why recovery feels so hard and why you don't have to do it alone. If you're in the thick of the hard season and desperately want to stop carrying this burden by yourself, this episode will speak directly to your heart and give you the one step you need to finally say yes to support.

Key Takeaways

• Recovery feels like swimming against the current because you're fighting it alone


• You're not broken - you're a seashell in the making, getting stronger through the storms


• You're not actually in control right now - your eating disorder is


• Putting yourself first isn't selfish - it's putting on your oxygen mask


• The hardest thing isn't doing recovery perfectly - it's admitting you can't do it alone

Main Topics Covered
🌊 The Ocean Current Metaphor

• Why recovery feels like swimming against an impossible current


• The eating disorder voice as the force pushing you backward


• How every woman who found freedom had to swim this same current


• The difference between fighting the waves and learning to ride them

🐚 The Seashell Wisdom

• How seashells become beautiful through pressure and storms


• Every hard day in recovery is forming another layer of strength


• You're not broken in the storm - you're becoming a treasure


• The process of becoming beautiful requires surviving the tumbling

😨 The Fear That Keeps You Swimming in Circles

• The illusion of control that your eating disorder provides


• Why holding onto your ED is actually keeping you drowning


• Fear of weight gain, losing control, and trusting the process


• Reality check: You're not in control right now anyway

🙏 What Stepping Into Faith Actually Looks Like

• Faith as taking one stroke toward shore instead of treading water


• Practical faith actions in recovery (meal plans, rest, support)


• Trusting the process instead of controlling the outcome

💪 The Hard Things You're Trying to Carry Alone

• The exhaustion of managing everything by yourself


• Why "I should be stronger" thinking keeps you stuck


• The difference between being strong and being wise


• Even the strongest swimmers need a lifeguard

✨ What Putting Yourself First Really Means

• Why "putting yourself first" feels selfish but isn't


• The oxygen tank analogy


• Setting boundaries that support your recovery


• You can't pour from an empty cup

🌟 The Ripple Effect of Your Recovery

• How your healing impacts everyone around you


• Becoming a lighthouse for other women in the storm


• Modeling freedom for daughters, friends, and coworkers


• Your recovery story creates ripples of hope

Powerful Quotes from This Episode

• "You think holding onto your eating disorder is keeping you safe, but it's actually keeping you drowning."


• "You're not broken because you're in the storm right now. You're in the process of becoming the treasure."


• "The hardest thing isn't doing recovery perfectly. The hardest thing is admitting you can't do it alone."


• "You don't have to figure out how to become a beautiful seashell while you're still in the middle of the storm."


• "The current is strong, but you are stronger."

The Reality Check

What feels like control vs. What's actually happening:

• You think you're controlling your food → Your ED is controlling when/what/how much you eat


• You think you're managing your body → Your ED is dictating your clothes, activities, social events


• You think you're staying safe → Your ED is keeping you drowning in the same spot

Signs You're Swimming in Circles

• Waking up fighting the same thoughts every day


• Trying to manage recovery completely alone


• Exhausted from "being stronger" all the time


• Making the same promises to yourself that you can't keep


• Feeling like you're treading water instead of moving toward freedom

The One Step That Changes Everything

Stop swimming in circles and reach out your hand for help.

Not tomorrow. Not next week. TODAY.

Because when you reach out for support:

• The current doesn't disappear, but you stop fighting it alone


• You learn to ride the waves instead of being crushed by them


• You get a guide who knows the way to freedom

What Professional Support Looks Like

• Having a guide who's already made it to the shore


• Learning to work with the current instead of fighting against it


• Getting a map for territory you've been trying to navigate alone


• Having someone protect you while you're forming your strength (like the seashell in deeper water)

Action Step

Go to herbestself.co and fill out an application to partner with Lindsey in your recovery journey.

This is your moment to:

• Stop doing the hard things alone


• Say yes to the support you deserve


• Take one brave step toward freedom


• Let someone help you swim to shore

Ready to Stop Swimming Alone?

You don't have to earn support. You don't have to be perfect first. You just have to be brave enough to reach out your hand.

Connect with Lindsey

• Website: www.herbestself.co 


• Private Facebook Community: www.herbestselfsociety.com  


• Client Applications: www.herbestself.co 

About the Host

Lindsey Nichol is a former competitive figure skater turned God-led entrepreneur, boy mom, and digital CEO. She's been where you are - swimming against the recovery current alone - and now helps women find their way to the freedom shore through guided support and proven strategies.

If this episode spoke to your heart, please share it with a friend who needs this message. Your support helps more women find the hope and guidance they need to stop swimming alone.

* 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.