Let’s start here: healing begins with truth. Not the polished, intellectual kind of truth we use in meetings or on LinkedIn—but the kind that lives deep in your body. The kind that sighs in relief when you finally stop pretending everything’s fine.
If you’ve experienced harm at work—gaslighting, exclusion, overwork, being devalued or dismissed—you may have tried to push it away. You might have told yourself it was “just business,” or that everyone has to tough it out. But your body knows better. It remembers the tightness in your chest, the dread before Monday morning, the way you shrank to survive.
That’s workplace trauma. And the first step toward healing is naming it.
Naming your experience doesn’t make you dramatic or unprofessional—it makes you real. It’s the moment you stop twisting yourself to fit inside a system that wounded you. You begin to tell the truth of your experience, not as a complaint, but as an act of self-respect.
When we name what happened—I was silenced, I was betrayed, I was unseen—we open a door. Energy that’s been trapped in shame and confusion starts to move again. We stop gaslighting ourselves. The fog lifts, and we can finally see what’s true: that we were doing our best in a situation that wasn’t safe.
You don’t need anyone’s permission to validate your own experience. You don’t need an apology, or proof, or a company memo acknowledging your pain. You are the authority on your own reality.
Try this: Sit quietly. Breathe. Ask yourself, What actually happened? Then listen—not to the voice that wants to tidy things up—but to the one deep inside that says, Yes. That’s it. That’s what hurt.
When you name it, you honor it. And when you honor it, you begin to reclaim the parts of yourself that went into hiding.
This isn’t about blaming anyone. It’s about telling the truth so your nervous system can relax and start to heal. Truth is medicine. It doesn’t require permission, only courage.
So let’s begin gently. Speak your truth—on paper, to a trusted friend, in the quiet of your own heart. Let your body exhale.
That’s the first step.
Naming. Validating. Coming home to yourself.
Here’s an exercise you might find helpful –
Coming Home to the Body
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Find stillness.
Sit or lie down somewhere comfortable. Let your body be supported. Don’t fix your posture—just notice how you’re being held by gravity, by the chair, by the ground. -
Breathe low and slow.
Place a hand on your belly. Inhale gently through your nose, feeling your hand rise. Exhale through your mouth, letting your shoulders drop. Do this three times. No need to force it—your body already knows how to breathe. -
Locate the truth in your body.
Now, think of something that happened at work that still stings. Don’t dive into the story—just let one image or memory drift into your mind.
As you do, notice: Where do I feel this in my body?
Maybe it’s a tightness in your throat, a knot in your stomach, or a heaviness in your chest. -
Name it softly.
Silently say to yourself:“This is what it feels like when I remember what happened.”
“It makes sense that my body feels this way.”
Let your body know that you’re listening now—that it doesn’t have to hold this alone. -
Offer kindness.
Place your hand over the spot that feels tense or tender. Imagine sending warmth there, like sunlight melting ice. Whisper something kind:“You were right to feel hurt.”
“I see you.”
“It’s safe to feel this now.” -
Let it move.
If your body wants to sigh, stretch, or shift—let it. Those small movements are your system releasing. -
Close with truth.
Take one final deep breath and say quietly:“This is my truth. And that’s enough.”
This practice doesn’t fix everything—it simply opens a door back to yourself.
Every time you return to the body with honesty and compassion, you reclaim another piece of your power.
Have an Amazing Monday (and everyday!),
Leanna Fredrich, Leadership, Career and Stress-Management Coach
PS: Interested in Coaching? Please email me at [email protected]