6 Reasons Why You Need to Show Appreciation (And how?)

To show appreciation towards others is one of the gestures we hardly do these days. It’s more of a flatter and less of a genuine appreciation now. This article discusses the need for showing genuine appreciation along with some healthy ways, towards the people or things who made an impact in our lives, doesn’t matter how small it may be.

Have you ever paused to appreciate the people or things in your life?

Whether you accept it or not, everyone craves appreciation. They want to be appreciated for their nature, work, connections, efforts, and contributions. There is no doubt that it is indeed an emotional need.

When someone compliments you that you are doing great work, for them it’s just a pair of words but for you, it’s energy. This magical energy sometimes exists for a moment or for several days or maybe for some months.

The more we give, the more we get it.

This statement holds true for each and every emotion we have like love, hatred, happiness, sadness, and many more.

Be a reflection of what you’d like to receive. If you want love and respect, give love and respect. If you want truth, be truthful. What you give out, will return to you.

In the same way, appreciation is one such beautiful human emotion. It is something which increases our happiness to many folds, while both giving as well as receiving.

Show appreciation to others as well as to yourself

Show appreciation to feel happy and full of positive vibes.

The more you appreciate, the more you feel good.

When you appreciate someone and they reciprocate in the same way, you build a positive emotion. And this emotion then becomes the reason for your happiness. After all, positive vibes are contagious.

2. To build trust in your relationships.

By appreciating someone, you take the time and effort to make a genuine and specific connection with that person to let them know that what they have done for you. It also increases one’s pro-social behavior meaning that the person wants to help other people aside from themselves. Hence, it makes one’s relationship flourish more.

3. To bring people together.

We are losing the ability to truly connect with each other on a very basic human level. Connecting with people is difficult and appreciating people takes effort. Many people find it awkward or hard or they just aren’t very good at it.

You need to realize that by appreciating someone, you feel more connected. Every time they think about you, there is a smile on their face. It is hence a method to unite people.

4. To boost your morale as well as others.

When a person appreciates another person, it raises the level of Serotonin in both the brains which psychologically makes us feel better. It boosts one’s level of confidence and works as a motivating factor for them.

5. To make ourselves a better person.

Appreciation needs to be genuine and for that, it takes a certain amount of openness and vulnerability. It not only makes you feel better but heals you from the inside. It shows that you genuinely care for someone.

6. To increase one’s sense of self-worth.

How to show appreciation?

Can you imagine how powerful it is to tell someone that they made an impact on your life? Or to be told that you’ve made an impact in their life?

You can do it through face-to-face interaction or by writing an appreciation or gratitude letter. Take time to appreciate those people who had made some impact on your life. Your family and friends do so much for you every single day that goes unnoticed. Show appreciation to employees who work for you. Not only the known ones, sometimes it’s a stranger who gives us a reason to be grateful to him.

If you want to have a happier and more fulfilling life, then appreciation must be on your to-do list. And you can practice appreciation to a greater extent using these ways:

Say “Thank You” more often.
Be ready to listen to them, empathetically.
Be available for them, when they genuinely need you. If not physically, then emotionally.
Celebrate their success.
Try to make them happy with your sweet or funny gestures.
Don’t wait to appreciate them. Do it now.

What’s stopping us from showing appreciation?

Our society has become a complete mess. It’s too stressful and too competitive all around, and that’s robbing us of our souls. We are raised in a society where the next new thing is always better and the next person is always smarter. We have too many ambitions, greed, ego, and pride inside us. With these negative emotions, we can never appreciate someone else. Instead of appreciating someone, we try more to pull the other person down. We become their critics for a number of reasons.

Not only this, we have become our own biggest critics. We don’t realize what we have to appreciate because our focus is always on what we lack.

If anyone is stressed, they will start blaming themselves as well as their surrounding. Rather than looking for solutions, we always have a list of problems and unfulfilling wishes. That’s the reason we don’t even think about appreciating the little things in our life.

Final Thoughts

You should always tell people how important they are to you. Don’t just assume that they know. And even if they know, it always feels good to hear it again from someone.

Feeling appreciated fuels motivation. Genuine compliments and praise cost nothing but can mean the world to the people you give them to. Being grateful and showing appreciation to the people in our lives is a cornerstone to make this world a little bit better. There is always something to be appreciated. So whenever you get a chance to appreciate someone, never hesitate in doing so.

You may also like reading: 1. How Comforting it is to make someone’s day?

2. Celebrating Small Wins. (And why we must?)