Dissatisfied with your body? Try this.

A countermeasure against comparison and self-loathing

Even after all the inner work I’ve done—as a podcast host, author, and dharma/psychology guinea pig—I still find myself occasionally critiquing my abs.

It’s dumb; I know full well that whether I have visible ab muscles is not an indicator of my underlying health (which is good, I’m happy to report).

And yet, the conditioning runs deep. Our culture is constantly sending powerful signals about what a healthy body should look like.

So here’s a little hack—a countermeasure against toxic comparison and self-loathing—that I got from the meditation teacher Cara Lai:

Next time you’re in the shower, washing your body, try silently sending gratitude toward each of your body parts. Thank you, knee. Thank you, belly. Etc.

As I so often say in these missives, it may feel cheesy, but no one has to see you doing this.

Cara wisely reframes strength not as visible brawn, but as the ability to cultivate appreciation and acceptance for your body as it is right now. One of life's great paradoxes is that only when you accept yourself can you truly grow. This sentiment was beautifully captured by one Zen master who told his students: You’re perfect—and you could use a little improvement.

Today, paid subscribers get a meditation from Cara, where she teaches you to tune into your body. The meditation is meant to be paired with today’s episode of the pod, where I interview Bonnie Tsui, a science writer who has a new book called On Muscle.

We talk about the connection between muscle and mind, how to understand strength, and how to avoid falling into society’s trap of needlessly striving after an arbitrary aesthetic ideal.

Paid subscribers get the 10% Happier podcast ad-free, as well as:

• A cheatsheet for each episode — with key takeaways, time-coded highlights, and a transcript

• The ability to comment on posts and participate in subscriber chats

• Access to our twice-monthly live video sessions, in which I guide a meditation and take questions

Join the party.

Episode Cheatsheet

The big takeaway

Bonnie Tsui, journalist and author of On Muscle: The Stuff That Moves Us and Why It Matters, explores how our muscles deeply influence our longevity, mental health, and sense of self—well beyond aesthetics.

Mind & Muscle: Why Strength Means More Than You Think, key takeaways: