18 hours ago
EP 293: When Your Body Doesn't Feel Like Yours ~ 8 Things That Help You Feel at Home Again in Your Skin
A listener wrote in recently and said the quiet part out loud — "I know I'm supposed to have this extra weight on - and I feel heathier, but it's so hard to keep eating when all I want to do is lose it. I've been cutting corners and I feel tempted to slip. How do I learn to be okay in this body and keep going?"
Sister, if that's you — this episode is for you.
Today Lindsey walks through the eight things she returns to again and again with the women she coaches — the shifts that help when your body feels foreign, when you're scared, when you don't know how to keep choosing recovery. Not quick fixes. Real ground to stand on while you find your way home to yourself.
The short version: do the next recovered you thing
Before the eight, the heart of it: just do the next recovered you thing. You don't have to figure out the whole road. You only have to take the next step the recovered version of you would take. Stop identifying with the older, smaller version of you — she wasn't your best self; she was you running on fumes. The body you're in now isn't your enemy. It's where the rest of your life gets to live.
8 things that help when your body doesn't feel like yours
1. Understand the recovery process.
What you're going through is normal. Your body is healing, and healing isn't a sign you're doing it wrong — it's a sign you're doing it. Begin shifting your focus from how your body looks to how your body is healing. You're allowed to feel terrified and still take the next step. Both can be true.
2. Challenge the negative chatter.
Acceptance starts with awareness. The harsh thoughts about your body? Those are symptoms of the disorder, not the truth. The mirror lies through that filter. Instead of trying to leap straight to loving how you look, aim first for respecting your body. That's the bridge.
3. Focus on body functions over body image.
Your body is a vessel — it carries your soul through this life. As Glennon Doyle said: your body is not your masterpiece; your life is. Notice what your body lets you do. Appreciate it for showing up, even through the struggle. And as you move, shift from a metrics mindset to a mindful-movement one. No more exercising for numbers — movement for joy, for strength, for being alive in your skin.
4. Practice self-compassion.
Speak to yourself like someone you love. Maybe write a letter to the younger version of you who started all this — apologize, tell her it's okay, let her know the wiser, stronger version of you is here now. You are a human. Struggling is part of being one. Feelings aren't facts — you're allowed to feel something hard without making it a verdict on who you are.
5. Keep making pro-recovery choices.
Prioritize your meals. Prioritize your snacks. Prioritize sleep — seven to nine hours, because your body is doing real work and it needs rest to heal. Step off the metrics treadmill. Choose movement out of preference, not punishment. We're not playing small anymore.
6. Seek support.
You can't do this alone, and you were never supposed to. Whether that's a coach, a therapist, a dietitian, or a community of women who get it — let people in. Vulnerability heals what isolation can't. Come hang out with us in the private community at HerBestSelfSociety.com, or reach out about working together one-on-one.
7. Practice patience and plan for the messy middle.
Celebrate the small daily things — journaling, time off social media, sitting in nature, music, stillness. And plan for the hard moments before they hit. What are your triggers? Who are they? Where will you need boundaries? Planning is your friend. The messy middle is the hardest part — preparing for it makes it survivable.
8. Adopt the sunset mindset.
Picture a sunset. We never look up and criticize one for being different than yesterday's — for the colors being "wrong," the shape being off. We just take in its beauty. Sunsets aren't criticized for their differences because their beauty doesn't need to be altered. Yours doesn't either. What would it be like to see your body the way you see a sunset — appreciation instead of judgment, beauty just because it exists? This planet isn't promised. Every day you have here is its own sunset. You don't have to love your body every day. But you can respect it, you can appreciate it, and you can let it be yours.
A few lines from the episode
"Just do the next recovered you thing."
"You're allowed to feel terrified and still take the next step."
"Your body is not your masterpiece. Your life is."
"Your body is a vessel — it carries your soul through this life."
"You don't have to love your body every day, and you're not going to. But you can respect it. You can appreciate it. You can let it be yours."
Your reflection this week
Pick one of the eight that speaks loudest to where you are right now and live in it for a few days. Don't try all eight at once. The shift back to feeling at home in your own skin isn't a checklist — it's a slow homecoming, one small choice at a time.
If it helps, journal these:
- What is one thing my body did for me today that I didn't notice?
- What would the recovered version of me do at my next meal?
- Where can I trade judgment for appreciation today?
Come walk this with someone in your corner
You don't have to figure this out alone. If something in you just leaned forward — if you're tired of doing this by yourself and you want personalized support — come work with me one-on-one. You can fill out a client application at www.herbestself.co
And big news — there's something exciting coming this fall that I've been building specifically for women who need support beyond one-on-one. Make sure you're on the email list at www.herbestself.co so you hear about it first.
Connect with Lindsey:
🌟 Website: www.herbestself.co 🌟 Instagram: @thelindseynichol 🌟 Free FB Community: www.herbestselfsociety.com 🌟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.
No comments yet. Be the first to say something!