Appreciation is powerful – Word of the week

As we enter the tenth week of Clap for Carers, founder Annemarie Plas is calling for its end proposing instead to make it an annual event. Plas feels the weekly applause for front-line workers has "had its moment".

Social media is full of comments to suggest that, as the restrictions on lockdown are relaxed, the divide between those who are still mindful of the pandemic and those who are quite frankly ‘over it’ is growing ever wider. The conflict is leaving some feeling that clapping for carers whilst starting to socialise is hypocritical; others still feel a continued need to show their appreciation. Comments fuelled by May Bank holiday weekend BBQs on beaches and the ongoing saga of whether Dominic Cummings did, or did not break his own rules, are further clouding the issue.

There is no question, the country embraced the applause cause. Whether clapping for carers, the NHS, or keyworkers, the country has enjoyed the feel-good factor resulting from expressing their appreciation.

One of the very first lessons we teach our children is to say thank you. As they grow older, we encourage them to write thank-you cards show their gratitude, it is considered good manners to thank those who have gone out of their way to help or those who have behaved generously. Many of us still carry this through in our writing and even sign our email with a gesture of thanks.

Appreciation is powerful — not just because of the positive effect a thank you can have on your staff and parents, but because gratitude is also good for your brain. Being thankful can affect your mood in a positive way; studies have identified an association between gratitude and well-being. The results revealed that ratings of gratitude correlated with brain activity, moral cognition, and that positive emotion accompanies the experience of benefitting from the goodwill of others. Essentially, the more you appreciate and are thankful for, the more attuned you are to your feelings of well-being and gratefulness.

There are various ways to show your gratitude and thanking your team is probably something you do on a regular basis. However, what of the consultants and subcontractors you also rely on, support staff and those who are less visible? Highlighting individuals for thanks adds weight to the action and many of your subcontractors and suppliers will be anxious to know if you and your school family are well; some are finding that clients are deliberately not getting in touch as they do not want to commit to spend, but that is leaving them feeling isolated and of no value. Perhaps consider sending a message to your suppliers to say that, whilst you are not in a position to place an order, you are grateful for their past support and very much hope to be using them again soon; ask after their family health and show that you are concerned about their welfare.

Diarise weekly time for thanks, keep a list of those you thank and why, consider those you should have thanked but haven’t. Not only will your list highlight your star players, but you may notice an improvement in the confidence or performance of those you thank too. Creating an “attitude of gratitude” results in a healthy, respectful, and empathetic work environment where problems are solved together, issues are faced head-on, and where collaboration results in an efficient team. Do not avoid contact because you feel awkward about the current situation, use it to demonstrate your compassion and, most of all, let your team know too. By doing so, you will encourage others to follow suit.

Headspace Academics; helping schools on the road to recovery.