Samira Wiley Emphasizes The Importance Of Showing Your Body Gratitude, Opens Up About Being Body-Shamed

Actress Samira Wiley has teamed up with One A Day multivitamins to encourage people to "start practicing gratitude for their body and all it does for us."

As part of the partnership, the Emmy winner, 34, co-produced The Gratitude Project, a documentary that showcases real stories from those who are using gratitude as a tool for self-improvement.

It's something the Handmaid's Tale star herself has been doing for years.

"I have always felt strongly about using my platform to empower and encourage people of all backgrounds to better themselves and show thanks for all the amazing things they can do," she shared. "Showing yourself and your body gratitude can be something that feels big, like taking time to meditate each day or something small, like taking a daily multivitamin to give your body the key nutrients it needs."

"No matter how you show it, it's something actionable, something more than saying, 'Thanks!'" continued the mom-of-one. "Our shared goal for The Gratitude Project is to help people see the power that comes from owning and outwardly celebrating their body for what makes it individually unique and amazing."

Since the star has a "healthy body image," she doesn't fret much over the idea of showing skin — however, she recalled being deeply affected when she was body shamed during a photo shoot.

"I remember this one so vividly ... I was on the shoot and one of the outfits they put me in, was something that showed a bit of midriff. And honestly, I thought it was fine," she spilled to PEOPLE. "But someone on the set was like, 'Oh, don't worry. We can fix that in post.'"

Because she was already confident in herself, she got over the situation rather quickly, but "I can't imagine what all of these young girls who are just looking at these magazines, and their perception is that this is reality and it's not," she explained.

Aside from negative comments damaging one's ego, it's proven that they can affect your physical health as well.

"Studies show the important role gratitude plays in enriching overall quality of life, revealing feelings of gratitude were associated with significantly lower average heart rate and blood pressure, better sleep quality and lower stress," revealed Lisa Perez, General Manager and VP Marketing, Nutritionals at Bayer. "The Gratitude Project is focused on inspiring acts of showing appreciation, love, and care towards your entire body and self, inside and out. And, when we discovered Samira already incorporates this inspiring practice into her everyday life, we knew that she was the perfect partner to help us on our journey."

To learn more about The Gratitude Project, click here.