Appreciation is a psychological quality that contributes to psychological well-being and establishment and maintenance of social relationships. It is closely related to "gratitude" - the underlying emotion of appreciation of the goodness in things, people and individuals. We can enhance our ability of appreciation with the following ways.

 

Thinking in an appreciative way:  Understand the fact that there are always two sides to every coin. Being an appreciative person starts with having the capabilities of noticing and affirming strength and positive values, meanings of things and the people around us.  Appreciation is the product of the cognitive process of recognising the occurrence of positive outcomes and being aware of someone contributing to them.  It is also a tendency to focus on what we have rather than what we lack. It is important for us to be able to treasure both the positive and negative aspects of experiences and understand that they are all unique to life.

 

Savouring life: Appreciation or being grateful can also be generated by mindful savouring the "here and now" experiences and sensations. Helen Keller, a famous writer and the first deaf and blind person to earn a college degree in the USA, was endowed with an incredible capability to appreciate the things around her even though she could not see or hear.  She wrote about having a long walk in the woods with a friend and was surprised that her friend could observe nothing in particular in the woods. She described many interesting things that she could "experience". "I feel the delicate symmetry of a leaf.  I pass my hands lovingly about the smooth skin of a silver birch... if I am very fortunate, I place my hand gently on a small tree and feel the happy quiver of a bird in full song." She immersed herself in her "here and now" experiences even the sensations were not really present.  In fact, her positive experiences originated from her emotional connection to things and people in the world.

 

Expressing gratitude: Having a feeling of gratitude in our own mind is wonderful enough, yet research studies in Positive Psychology told us that expressing our appreciation and gratitude directly to those who deserve them would double our happiness. Such expression is not merely saying thank you, but to be able to notice and be thankful to the benefits received from others, and treasure the feelings of being cared for and supported in social relationships. When we express our appreciation, we make people around us feel appreciated and valued, fostering meaningful relationships with others. Furthermore, the positive messages are also fed back to us and we open up our channels and senses for the positive attributes of the things and people around us.

 

Police officers often encounter the dark side of human nature and may unconsciously accumulate a lot of negative emotions. This would hinder our ability to appreciate the beauty of life.  Let's start to appreciate the goodness of ourselves, people around and the world, and, with a grateful mind, carry on our journey to psychological wellness (A- Appreciation, P- Positivity, P- Permission to be human, L- Love and Care, and E- Engagement) towards the goal of a happier and contented life.