Losing Belief in Yourself Is One of Grief’s Quietest Side Effects | Nicole Weston Life Coach & Quantum Forgiveness Practitioner

Dec 30

How Fear Replaced Vision and Possibility Thinking

Grief changed my capacity in ways I didn’t understand for years. This is what rebuilding confidence after burnout, ADHD discovery, and losing belief in myself actually looked like—and why compassion had to come first.

I will admit, I am feeling incredibly energized going into 2026. Last year on this day, I felt the opposite, and everything I’ve learned about the year of the Snake makes me realize 2025 was truly the YEAR of SHEDDING. We are now moving into the year of the Fire Horse—and honestly, I’m no expert in this, lol—but I can say I feel its energy. I feel energized, excited, inspired, clear, and my nervous system is calm.The Real, Raw Business Chat

I’ve had MANY real, raw, and vulnerable chats with business owners over the last few months—the kind where you open up about your deepest feelings regarding your business.

Here’s what I’ve learned: Your vision, passion, and strategy are critical to success, but more than ANYTHING, belief in yourself is what will truly set you apart. Raise your hand if you have ever second-guessed yourself? (Me raising my hand—I just wish I knew how to insert an emoji here, lol!)

I’ve been unsure of my path since 2023 after my son was born. I love what I do—the people I coach, the flexibility, being my own boss, and helping people transform their lives. But my capacity to do anything more on the front end of my business came to a halt. I was seeing my clients and loving the referrals, but everything else stopped.

Real talk: I was so ashamed that I couldn’t do more, and this shame ate away at me for years. I thought I was ahead of it; after all, I'm a life coach, I practice manifestation, I'm a "vibe," and I do my inner self-love and shadow work. But, I wasn’t, and that’s okay. Grief absolutely kicked my butt, and I have been on the journey of believing in myself AGAIN.

My capacity truly shifted. Rather than seeing it as an opportunity to focus and hire support, this shift played out entirely on my mental game. My ability to see what was possible was replaced with fear: fear that I couldn’t handle it all, fear that something bad would happen again, and fear that I would make a careless mistake and put my family at risk. My capacity for possibility thinking and dreaming was entirely replaced with fear, limiting beliefs, and honest thoughts that I couldn't do what I loved anymore.What Shifted? My Year of Shedding

Grief's Hold: My mom died in 2021. Even though I was determined not to let it change me, it profoundly did. I was angry for two years—not at anyone else, but at myself. Angry because I thought I failed and couldn’t see how to come back to life, love, and business after such a life-altering event.
Neurodiversity Discovery: I was unofficially diagnosed with ADHD and started medication (something I thought I would never do). Seeing life through the lens of neurodiversity brought me so much relief, compassion, and power, but also grief, sadness, and overwhelm because everything in my life was built for neurotypicals.
Life's Full Plate: I was navigating hormones, postpartum life, being a mom of two, running a business, and raising a baby boy who is allergic to milk/dairy and has asthma, all while moving to our dream home.
ADHD Burnout: I became ABUNDANTLY aware that I was in an ADHD burnout—not the fun, catchy kind, but a total body collapse.

I didn’t realize I was burnt out, but once I did, I began creating capacity in my body, mind, and physical environment to make transformation happen.

So yes, a lot of this happened in 2025. I am absolutely ready to leave it there and fully embrace 2026. Because now, more than ever, I know what I want and where I want to spend my time this year.Your Compassionate Action Starts Now

All this to say: I am not in burnout anymore. I am clear, confident, and energized BECAUSE of the shifts I made. I can hear ME again—not the dysregulated fear brain, but ME: calm, confident, joyful, and believing in myself again. That is the energy I want for all of you.

So, where do we start? With compassionate action. What does this look like?

Give yourself the same love, grace, and compassion you just gave me after reading about my year. Extend it to yourself, because I know we are always hardest on ourselves.

Okay, I’m going to use a cheesy analogy now. If you were to plant a flower today in soil with zero nutrients, water, or sun, it wouldn’t grow, but you would still expect it to because you planted it.

The truth is, you can’t make goals or set intentions if you don’t first give yourself love, grace, and compassion. And honestly, all that love and compassion is compounded when paired with action taken in love.

So, LOVE ON YOU FIRST. Drink the water, move your body, listen to my hypnosis here, and continue choosing to believe in yourself.-----Want to chat more? I can talk about this topic all day, every day. I LOVE connecting for 15-minute connection calls to see if we might be a good fit for one another. Book with me and let's find out.

P.S.: My podcast is launching in Jan 2026! As I write this, I am so nervous, lol, but I am truly honored. Also, I wrote a chapter in a book, and it will be ready early Q1!