July 18, 2025

EP 228.5: How to Give Yourself Permission to REST When Exercise Controls Your Life (+ The REST Method) Must Listen Fav!

14 minutes

If you exercise too much but can't stop, if rest days fill you with anxiety, if you've convinced yourself that constant movement equals worthiness—this episode is your permission slip to finally rest. Lindsey shares her personal journey from exercise addiction to freedom, revealing the powerful 4-letter word and method that saved her life: REST.

You'll discover why your brain equates rest with laziness, learn the REST acronym that breaks the compulsive exercise cycle, and understand why rest isn't a reward for work—it's part of the recovery work itself.

What You'll Learn

✨ Why exercise addiction is common in eating disorders (and how to recognize it)

✨ The false beliefs that keep you trapped in compulsive exercise patterns

✨ How "dedicated" becomes destructive (and when to be concerned)

✨ The REST method: A practical 4-step approach to breaking exercise addiction

✨ Why rest days anxiety is normal in recovery (and how to manage it)

✨ Biblical perspective on rest and recovery (Matthew 11:28)

Exercise Addiction Warning Signs

Do you recognize yourself in these patterns?

Exercising every single day, multiple times per day

Eating while standing to "burn more calories"

Doing random exercises throughout the day (crunches, etc.)

Believing rest makes you lazy or weak

Feeling anxious or guilty about missing workouts

Exercising even when injured or exhausted

Viewing movement solely through a calorie-burning lens

Isolating from friends/activities that involve sitting

The REST Method Breakdown

R - RELAX

Surrender and give up control

Pause, pray, stop, step away

Let go of the bondage to constant movement

Practice: Try stopping your workout 1 minute earlier each day

E - EVALUATE

Get in tune with your feelings and emotions

Reframe emotions with facts

Challenge thoughts: "Will I really 'blow up' if I don't go to the gym?"

Ask: "Am I actually going to heal my disordered relationship with exercise?"

S - SET AN INTENTION

Define what your best self means to you

Plan and pre-decide your actions

Ask: "What's one thing I can do to step in her direction?"

Focus on who you want to become, not what you want to avoid

T - TAKE ACTION

Put that step in motion and practice

The hardest part: actually doing what you've been thinking about

Don't wait for your eating disorder to give permission

Remember: The action here IS resting

Key Mindset Shifts

Rest Isn't Laziness—It's Living

"You aren't lazy, you're living. You're allowed rest."

Rest Is Part of Recovery Work

"Resting isn't a reward for work. It's part of the work. It's part of the recovery work."

Your Body Needs Repair

"If you don't rest, you can't repair. If you don't rest, you can't restore. If you don't rest, you can't reflect."

Cultural Lies vs. Recovery Truth

Culture says: Hustle and go, go, go

Recovery truth: Two rest days in a row is exactly what you need to heal

The Deeper Issue: Fear of Self

Why Rest Feels Impossible

Fear of sitting with yourself

Not knowing who you are without constant motion

Anxiety about having more time to think about food

Fear of "losing control" around food when home longer

The Weekend Challenge

Weekends felt harder because more time at home

More food available = more food thoughts

Fear of "going off the rails"

Solution: Learning to sit with discomfort

Biblical Foundation for Rest

Matthew 11:28: "Come to me, all you who feel weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

God himself rested after creation

Rest is divinely designed, not humanly weak

Weariness and burden are invitations to rest

Rest is both physical and spiritual restoration

Practical Steps to Implement This Week

Start Small

One Minute Method: Stop your workout 1 minute earlier each day

Sitting Practice: Sit for 5 minutes without doing anything productive

Weekend Rest: Allow yourself one full rest day this weekend

Challenge the Thoughts

When you think "I'm being lazy": Remind yourself "I'm healing"

When you feel guilty: Remember "Rest is part of recovery work"

When you fear weight gain: Focus on "My body needs repair"

Find Your Rest Activities

Rest isn't just napping—it's anything that makes your nervous system feel safe:

Yoga or gentle stretching

Meditation or prayer

Reading for pleasure

Warm baths

Nature walks (for joy, not calorie burn)

Professional Support Recommendations

Lindsey emphasizes the importance of working with qualified professionals:

Clinicians: For DBT therapy and emotion management

Dietitians: For nutrition guidance during recovery

Coaches: For lived experience and practical support

"The best thing you can do is give yourself permission and work with someone who has lived experience."

Recovery Encouragement

You're Not Alone

Exercise addiction is common in eating disorders

Your struggle with rest is valid and normal

Recovery is possible, even from severe exercise addiction

Permission Granted

You have permission to rest

You deserve to discover who you are without constant motion

Your worth isn't determined by calories burned

The Promise

"If I can have an addiction with exercise, if I can completely break the chains of that bondage, I know that's God's plan in your life too."

Ready for Professional Support?

If this episode resonated and you're ready to break free from exercise addiction, you don't have to do this alone.

Next Steps:

Email the team: [email protected]

Join the private community: www.herbestselfsociety.com

Fill out a client application: www.herbestself.co

Remember: You deserve freedom from the chains of compulsive exercise. Rest isn't your enemy—it's your healing.

Share This Episode

If this episode gave you permission to rest: ✨ Leave a review about your exercise addiction recovery journey

✨ Share with a friend who needs permission to rest

✨ Tag us on social with your rest day victories using #PermissionToRest

"Grant yourself permission to rest this week. Grant yourself love and compassion and grace. The world is not gonna crumple and fall apart if you don't get in your exercise this week."

Your rest day starts now.

xo, lindsey

Coach with Me -＞Client Application

* 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.

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By Lindsey Nichol - Certified Health Coach, Eating Disorder Recovery Coach, Food Freedom Coach, Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy Certified

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