EP 255: Sis, Stop Identifying as Disordered! You're Not a Number, a Diagnosis, or a Label ~ Get Rooted in the RIGHT Identity for the New Year

Girlfriend, if you want freedom from your eating disorder in the new year, you can't keep identifying AS the eating disorder.

In this powerful new episode, host Lindsey Nichol gets vulnerable about being defined by labels - the number on the clothing tag, the OSFED diagnosis that made her feel "not sick enough," then the anorexia diagnosis that felt like she'd "earned" being officially sick. She shares the moment she realized the energy it took to be everyone's label was debilitating - and how everything changed when she stopped identifying as disordered and started living from her TRUE identity.

Here's the truth: If you are defined by your labels, you're also confined by your labels. And no label - no matter how authoritative, no diagnosis, no number, no title - can contain the full perspective and constellation of who you might become.

You are NOT your eating disorder. You are NOT your diagnosis. You are NOT the number on the tag.

You are a saint. An heir. A daughter of the Most High. Royalty.

This episode will shift how you see yourself and give you a tangible exercise to discover your true identity as we head into a new year.

What You'll Learn:

The Label Trap

• Arianna Huffington's truth: No label can contain who you might become
• How the ED voice defines you by WHAT you have/do, never WHO you are
• Why being defined by labels means you're also confused by them

Lindsey's Vulnerable Label Story

• Obsessed with the number on clothing tags
• OSFED diagnosis: feeling "not sick enough"
• Anorexia diagnosis: feeling "officially sick"
• The shift: When being someone else's label became debilitating
• Realizing she wasn't designed to be a label - she was designed to be HER

The Labels Keeping You Stuck

• "Anorexic," "bulimic," "the girl with the eating disorder"
• "The fit one," "the vegan," "the one on a diet"
• "Perfectionist," "people pleaser," "the sick one"
• Even "recovered" can become a trap
• Research: 80% of New Year's resolutions fail because they're rooted in outcomes, not identity

Who God Says You REALLY Are

• Fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)
• Chosen - royal priesthood, holy nation (1 Peter 2:9)
• Deeply loved - nothing can separate you (Romans 8:38-39)
• A new creation - old is gone, new is here (2 Corinthians 5:17)
• An heir - daughter of the King, royalty (Galatians 4:7)

The New Year Identity Shift

• Most resolutions fail because they're about WHAT you want to do
• Identity-based change is more powerful than outcome-based goals
• You can't identify as "the girl with the eating disorder" and expect to live free
• When you change your identity, your behavior follows
• Stop identifying as disordered, start identifying as WHO GOD SAYS YOU ARE

Your Tangible Exercise:

Step 1: Write down FALSE labels you've been carrying (Anorexic, bulimic, the number on the tag, not good enough, the sick one, etc.)

Step 2: Cross them ALL out (These are NOT your identity - they're lies that cannot contain who you might become)

Step 3: Write down WHO GOD SAYS YOU ARE

• I am fearfully and wonderfully made
• I am chosen
• I am deeply loved
• I am a new creation
• I am an heir
• I am a daughter of the Most High
• I am royalty
• I am a saint
• I am NOT my eating disorder
• I am created for freedom

Step 4: Read these truths OUT LOUD (Let your ears hear what God says about you)

Step 5: Live from THIS identity (Not from labels, not from diagnosis, not from what people call you)

Key Takeaways:

✨ If you're defined by your labels, you're also confused by your labels

✨ No label can contain who you might become

✨ The ED voice tells you WHAT you have/do, never WHO you are

✨ You are NOT: your eating disorder, your diagnosis, your size, your past

✨ You ARE: a saint, an heir, a daughter of the Most High, royalty

✨ 80% of New Year's resolutions fail - identity-based change is what works

✨ Stop identifying as disordered, start identifying as who God says you are

✨ When you change your identity, your behavior follows

Powerful Quotes:

• "No label, no matter how authoritative - one given to you by a doctor or a boss - no title, no dollar sign can ever contain the full perspective and constellation of who you might become." - Arianna Huffington
• "If you are defined by your labels, you're also confused by your labels"
• "The eating disorder voice loved defining me by WHAT I had and WHAT I did. But it never told me WHO I was"
• "The energy it took to remain someone else's label was absolutely debilitating"
• "I wasn't designed to be a label. I was designed to be ME"
• "You weren't designed to be 'anorexic.' You were designed to be a daughter of the Most High"
• "If you keep identifying as 'the girl with the eating disorder,' you will keep living like the girl with the eating disorder"
• "You are NOT your eating disorder. You are a saint, an heir, a daughter of the Most High, royalty"
• "When you're rooted in THAT identity - when that becomes your foundation - everything changes"
• "You can't keep identifying AS the eating disorder and expect to live free"
• "No label can contain the full perspective and constellation of who you might become"

Ready to Get Support for the New Year Ahead?

You don't have to root yourself in the right identity alone.

Recovery Collective: Group support program with bi-weekly coaching calls and community chat~ www.herbestself.co/recoverycollective 

One-on-One Coaching: Personalized support to help you discover your true identity and walk in freedom

Learn more and apply at www.herbestself.co

Connect with Lindsey Nichol:

Website: www.herbestself.co

Apply for Coaching: www.herbestself.co

Instagram: @thelindseynichol 

Facebook Community: www.herbestselfsociety.com 

Share This Episode:

Know someone who's been identifying as their eating disorder? Send them this episode.

If this shifted something in you, please:

• Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts
• Share on social media and tag @thelindseynichol
• Screenshot your favorite quote and post it
• Do the identity exercise and share your breakthrough

Remember, Sis:

You are NOT your eating disorder.

You are NOT your diagnosis.

You are NOT a number or a label.

You are a saint. An heir. A daughter of the Most High. Royalty.

That's your TRUE identity. Now go live like it.

You really can move from perfection to purpose. Let's break the chains together.

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About the Host

Lindsey Nichol is a former competitive figure skater turned God-led entrepreneur, boy mom, and digital CEO. She understands how core beliefs formed in childhood can create and maintain eating disorder patterns, and she's passionate about helping women identify and transform these beliefs to find lasting freedom.

If this episode helped you feel hopeful again and remember your worth isn't found in your body or on your plate, please share it with someone who needs to hear this message. Your support helps more women break the chains of limiting beliefs.

*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.