What if the fear you feel about getting help for your eating disorder isn't a warning to stay away - but actually your internal compass pointing toward freedom? In this powerful episode, Lindsey shares wisdom from her 7-year-old son who said, "When I feel those flutters in my tummy, I just know I'm about to do something really brave." If you're feeling afraid to ask for help, scared to gain weight, or terrified of actually getting better, this tough-love episode will show you why those butterflies are your invitation to do the bravest thing you've ever done.
Key Takeaways- Fear isn't a stop sign - it's a compass pointing toward your breakthrough
- If you could recover on your own, you already would have
- Those flutters aren't warning you away from help - they're pointing you toward it
- You don't feel brave first and then act brave - you act brave while feeling scared
- Ready is a feeling that comes AFTER you take action, not before
- Lindsey's son facing his first day of second grade without his big brother
- "When I feel those flutters in my tummy, I just know I'm about to do something really brave"
- How children understand fear differently than adults
- Kids feel scared and do the thing anyway - adults build cases for why they should wait
- Fear of asking for help (admitting you can't do this alone)
- Fear of gaining weight (worth tied to a number on the scale)
- Fear of actually getting better (losing your eating disorder identity)
- Fear of investing in yourself (what if you spend money and don't change?)
- If something feels scary, it must be wrong for you
- Heart racing when thinking about help = "not the right time"
- Anxiety about meal plans = "body not ready"
- Terror about recovery = "maybe not meant for me"
- Truth: Fear means it matters, it's important, you're about to grow
The "Safety" Illusion:
- Staying sick feels familiar = brain labels as "safe"
- Recovery feels unknown = brain labels as "dangerous"
Reality Check - How "Safe" Is:
- Spending every moment thinking about food
- Missing life because you're afraid of restaurants
- Measuring worth by what you ate yesterday
- Living in constant body anxiety
- Isolating because eating around others feels impossible
- Admitting you need help when you want to prove independence
- Following someone's guidance who has been there and recovered when ED voice screams it's too much
- Gaining weight when diet culture says smaller is better
- Investing money in recovery when you've never felt worth it
- Showing up to therapy and bein
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.