This is the Inner Work of Work.
I'm Stephanie Edward.
Today we are talking about body image.
Admittedly,
Body image may not be the first thing you think of when you hear the words,
Inner work of work,
But our body image can have a significant impact on our work life.
If we have a poor relationship with our body,
It can hold us back from speaking up,
Putting our hand up for opportunities,
Stepping into roles that increase our visibility,
Sharing our ideas from a stage,
And so many other things.
When we're having really bad body image days,
We can even convince ourselves that we are not worthy of having anything to say at all.
Intellectually,
We may know this is silly.
We may know it is ridiculous to reduce ourselves to merely what our body looks like.
But many of us have grown up in cultures that seem to value thinness above almost everything else.
We've been exposed to these messages for so long that we've stopped noticing them.
So while we might know in our head that our worth has nothing to do with the size or shape of our body,
A deeper part of us may not fully believe that yet.
That's okay.
It takes time to undo a lifetime of conditioning.
Let me suggest three ways of navigating and ultimately improving your body image at work.
The first is to have compassion for yourself.
I know it can be easy to get frustrated with not only your body,
But perhaps also the fact that you have a poor body image.
Maybe you are annoyed that you care about your body image so much or that you've been letting it hold you back at work.
Given everything I shared above though,
It makes sense that body image is so top of mind for so many of us.
I want to invite you to do a brief self-compassion practice with me now.
Sit comfortably.
Rest your hands on your lap with palms facing up,
Or let your hands float out to the side,
Beside your torso,
With palms facing up.
And close your eyes.
Take a few moments to breathe here,
Keeping your breathing soft and smooth.
Imagine white light floating down from above,
Like droplets of rain.
Picture these droplets of light softly landing on your upturned palms and accumulating there like soft glowing balls of light.
This light is full of love and compassion and kindness.
Sit like this,
Envisioning these droplets of light for a few moments.
Now bring your hands and their soft white light to the center of your chest,
Placing one palm against the center of your chest and the other hand on the back of it.
Imagine filling your chest and heart with that soft white light that is full of compassion and kindness.
Keep breathing softly and smoothly,
Directing your breath into the place where your hands meet your chest.
Now release your hands to your lap.
Palms can face up or down.
And breathe normally for a few moments.
You can open your eyes or you are welcome to leave them closed for the rest of this try.
The next two ways we can navigate our body image at work have to do with how we think about our body.
On some really bad body image days,
You might not like your body much at all.
Those days can start small.
Maybe you realize a beloved top no longer fits,
Or you unexpectedly caught a glimpse of yourself in an awkward pose in the mirror.
And what starts out as annoyance can quickly devolve into pretty negative feelings about your body,
Which can easily ruin your day.
But there are two incredibly powerful mindsets that can make such a difference and stop the spiral in its tracks,
Allowing you to move forward in a way that feels better.
First,
Consider how your body always shows up for you,
Day after day.
It doesn't matter if you are cruel to it.
It doesn't matter if you say awful things about it.
It is always there for you.
And thank goodness for that,
Because without your body.
.
.
You can't do anything.
It's your body that allows you to do things like present ideas,
Collaborate with colleagues,
Hug loved ones,
Enjoy lunch breaks,
Walk pets,
And so on.
So even on those days when you might not like your body,
Can you instead focus on merely being grateful for it?
Let's try another brief practice now.
This is a body gratitude practice.
If your eyes are open,
Close them now.
And bring your awareness back to your breathing,
Keeping your breath soft and smooth.
Now place your hands gently on a part of your body that you tend to struggle with.
Notice how your hands feel against that part of your body.
Pay attention to the temperature and weight and texture of your hands.
You can move your hands around a little bit,
Rubbing your skin or your clothing,
And focusing on the sensation of doing that.
Your thoughts will undoubtedly try to muscle their way in here and start criticizing your body.
That's okay.
You aren't here to focus on them.
You are here to focus on the sensation of breathing in and out and on the sensation of having your hands resting on or moving around on your body.
So just keep bringing your attention back to those physical sensations.
Letting your thoughts do whatever it is they're going to do.
Let them fade into the background.
Imagine filling the place where your hands make contact with your body with that same soft white light from before.
Filling that place with love and compassion.
As you continue to breathe softly and smoothly,
Mentally extend gratitude to your body.
Saying thank you to it.
List all the things you've done so far today or plan on doing today that would be impossible to do without your body.
Consider big things and small ones.
Preparing lunches,
Brushing your teeth,
Running a meeting,
Reading a book,
Making someone laugh,
Advocating for others.
Add any other statements you want here.
Stay open to any ideas regarding things that your body allows you to do.
Let them float to the surface.
Now take a nice deep breath in and slowly exhale.
Breathing out completely.
Place your hands on your lap.
And breathe normally for a moment.
It can be surprising to realize just how much we have to be grateful to our body for,
Just how much it allows us to do.
And if you do feel surprised by that,
Sit with that for a moment.
We can always find reasons to extend appreciation to our body,
Even when we might not be enthralled with how it looks.
The second mindset shift and final point of this track that I want to share with you is this.
The way your body looks is the least interesting thing about you.
We spend so much time thinking about our body's shape and size,
Wishing it was different,
Feeling frustrated about it.
And based on the amount of time and energy we spend on this,
You'd think it was the most important thing about us.
But it is not.
How could it be?
The most interesting things about you are your creativity,
Your ideas,
The way you connect with others,
The difference you make in the world.
The obstacles you have overcome,
The things you learn,
The problems you solve,
The way you make people feel.
Your work ethic,
Your compassion,
Your sense of humor.
The list goes on and on.
And I can assure you that if you rank the most interesting things about you,
All those things would land miles ahead of how your body looks.
Yes,
Your body is an essential vehicle and you owe it gratitude,
But how it looks is the least interesting thing about you.
So the next time you have a bad body image day,
Try thinking something like,
Well,
I don't like how my body looks today.
Oh well.
I have bigger fish to fry.
There are more interesting and important things for me to put my time and energy towards than how I think my body looks right now.
As I said earlier,
When it comes to body image,
We have a lifetime of training to undo.
So please remember to have compassion for yourself as you learn to navigate this.
Listening to this track is a great first step,
But hearing these things once will not likely be enough.
These are reminders we need to hear over and over again.
So come back to this track as often as you need.
And please know this,
You are worthy of taking up space at work and in life,
No matter how you feel about your body,
No matter what it looks like.
Your body is what allows you to do all the wonderful things you need and want to do.
And while it is an important vehicle,
The way your body looks is indeed the least interesting thing about you.
