Happy World Gratitude Day! How will you show appreciation today?
Gratitude is very Physically Intelligent. Appreciation for ourselves and others boosts all 3 of our feel good chemicals: serotonin (happiness and status), dopamine (pleasure and reward), and oxytocin (social bonding and trust), helps us endure any challenges or difficulties we’re facing, is a great motivator, and also can improve our mental health.
Try these best practices:
APPRECIATION OF SELF
We’re often so focused on what we don’t have or haven’t achieved, that we forget to acknowledge what we do have and what we have achieved. Gratitude journals and mental appreciation for those things helps us maintain/regain a positive, optimistic mindset, important for motivation and endurance. Countless studies over the past decade have found that people who consciously count their blessings tend to be happier and less depressed.
Try this...
- At the end of every day, spend 2 minutes appreciating what you achieved that day. Make it a habit. Do it the moment your head touches the pillow.
- At the start of every day, spend 2 minutes appreciating what you have (a warm bed, roof over your head, etc.). Start the moment you turn off your alarm.
APPRECIATION OF OTHERS
I often say, “Plants need to be watered more than they need to be pruned. People are the same.” Appreciation is a fantastic way to lift spirits, raise energy levels, and build a cohesive team. And, in terms of learning, we are much more likely to repeat behavior when we’ve been appreciated for it. A study of 300 adults found that those who wrote one weekly gratitude letter to another person for 3 weeks reported significantly better mental health both 4 and 12 weeks after the exercise ended.
When you show appreciation, be specific and focus only on positives. For example, “Great job facilitating that meeting. The
agenda was well thought out. You asked for input from the group and you managed our time efficiently. As a result, it was a good use of everyone’s time and we made real progress” is much more effective than, “That’s the way to run a meeting. You’re usually all over the place.”
To increase your appreciation of those around you, challenge yourself to actively look for opportunities to:
- Acknowledge achievements/helpful behavior in others
- Appreciate others by cheering them on and thanking them for their support/contribution, etc. To make sure your feedback is specific:
1) Share data: When, where, what are/were they doing that you particularly appreciate?
2) Share the impact: What is/was the impact on you/others?
- If you lead people, have a coaching session where you focus only on delivering well-deserved praise.
Make it a habit, then build it into your culture and pay attention to the changes you experience. I'd love to hear about them.
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