Day 82 of 100 Days of Hope
The Secret to Feeling Good: Express Appreciation
If you want a simple, immediate way to feel better—no matter what kind of day you’re having—there’s one practice that works almost every time:
Express appreciation.
It sounds almost too easy, but it’s one of the most powerful emotional resets available to us. Appreciation blesses not just the person receiving it, but the person offering it. When you help someone else feel seen, valued, or uplifted, your own energy naturally rises.
It’s a two-way gift, and the ripple effects are enormous.
Why Appreciation Works So Fast
Appreciation shifts your internal state immediately. Instead of focusing on problems, stress, or what’s not working, your attention moves to what is good, true, or beautiful in another person. That shift alone creates emotional expansion.
Katie Hendricks talks about appreciation as one of the core practices of integrity—and she says something I love:
“Appreciation is a powerful life-enhancing move. When you share loving truth, you create flow, connection, and aliveness.” — Katie Hendricks
Most of us hold back the loving truth.
We notice something wonderful about someone but stay silent.
We feel grateful but don’t say it out loud.
When we actually share it, everything opens.
Appreciation Creates Instant Connection
A genuine compliment or moment of gratitude lights up the nervous system. It softens tension, builds trust, and strengthens connection—whether with a partner, friend, coworker, or even a stranger.
And here’s the wonderful part:
When you cause someone else to feel good, you feel good at the same time.
Their uplift becomes yours.
Their smile becomes your smile.
Their energy rises—and yours rises with it.
Start Right Now—One Small Step
If you want to feel good in this very moment, try this:
Think of one person.
Name one thing you appreciate about them.
Tell them.
A simple text, a sentence, or a smile can begin a ripple that touches far more people than you realize.
Appreciation is contagious. Pass it on.
Here is a short video to hear more.
With love,
Julie Burningham
The Hope Coach