By Tina O’Conner
Body image is a challenge we all face every day. I did some research online and discovered that how we view our appearance can affect our productivity in the workplace. This makes sense.
Those who have a tough time accepting themselves as they are spend more time trying to “improve” their natural beauty and worth. Men and women are equally engaged with this concept.
One aspect of this challenge again starts as soon as the day begins. Depending on who I am working with each day will make a difference as to how I dress. This is especially true for me if I am meeting a new client, needing to feel more confident (such as talking to a teenager’s parents), or I am in a setting where more professional attire is required.
Another obstacle is spending time during the day trying to change one’s self. Instead of meeting work expectations, time is spent comparing yourself to a coworker or utilizing social media and the internet to figure out how to make changes.
To me, the broad view of focusing on body image is that a person’s self-esteem is quite low. Technically, we are supposed to get our confidence from inside ourselves (our qualities) not our outside appearance.
To continually focus on validation and appreciation from our coworkers or supervisor is like being on a roller coaster. If we look for validation outside ourselves one day we receive it and the next day we may not. It is exhausting being on this roller coaster. Get off of it!
Take time every day to focus on your qualities. A suggestion…write a list of your ten (10) positive qualities and post it somewhere you can see it daily. Such as on the bathroom mirror, make a list on your phone, the steering wheel, or post it on your computer. Reflect on this each morning. Appreciate who you are from the inside out.
_________
photo credit: Looking Down Makes Walking More Fun via photopin (license)
