When I was talking with doctors about stress in medicine, many who were struggling said that they didn’t feel appreciated, that they felt like a cog in the system.

The doctors who were thriving on the other hand did feel appreciated.

Now, while I didn’t go and observe all these doctors at work, I did ask them how much they expressed their appreciation for others when going about their doctor jobs.

The ones who were struggling often gave answers to the effect of, “If they don’t appreciate me, why would I appreciate them?”

The ones who were thriving were more likely to say, “I look for any opportunity to show my appreciation.”

Interesting, in order to feel appreciated it’s more important to give it than to receive it.

That makes sense though, doesn’t it? If you give appreciation you are expressing gratitude, and gratitude has been shown to increase our own sense of wellbeing, our sense of appreciation.

Try it, show your appreciation to everyone you can. I guarantee that you’ll feel better, that you’ll feel more appreciated, and I imagine that people will express their appreciation to you too.

At a minimum you’re more likely to get a generous serving at lunch!