Rampage of appreciation: how to do it in 5 minutes

A rampage of appreciation is a practice named by Abraham Hicks, the teaching of Esther Hicks, in which you let one thing you appreciate lead to the next until your mood lifts. It works like a snowball of small, specific thank-yous. This page explains the idea, gives five steps and an example, and adds a worksheet-style list. It sits close to the law of attraction, though you can use it as a simple mood habit without believing any of the theory.

What a rampage of appreciation is

The phrase comes from the Abraham Hicks teachings, which Esther Hicks presents as messages from a group of non-physical beings called Abraham. As Abraham Hicks describes it, a rampage of appreciation is a stretch of deliberate appreciating, where you go from one pleasant thing to the next, letting each one build on the last. You can read more from the source at abraham-hicks.com.

In that teaching, the point is to raise your emotional state, and the state then supposedly draws in matching experiences. That is the teacher's claim, and it is a spiritual one. The part anyone can test is the simpler observation: spending a few minutes noticing what you like tends to improve how you feel right then.

The word "rampage" is playful on purpose. Think of it as a small, gleeful spree, with none of the earnest homework feel of a formal gratitude exercise.

Gratitude compared with appreciation

The two words overlap, but the practice leans on a slightly different feeling. Gratitude often points at a giver: thank you to someone, or to life. Appreciation is broader. You can appreciate the blue of a mug without thanking anyone.

You do not have to pick one. Many people do a gratitude list at night with gratitude journal prompts and a rampage when they need a quick lift.

The steps

Here is a version you can do in about five minutes. Find somewhere you will not be interrupted, or do it on a walk.

1. Start small and easy. Look for something in your surroundings you like right now: a warm cup, sunlight, a soft blanket. Pick something that needs no effort to appreciate.

2. Say it, specifically. "I appreciate the way the steam curls off my tea." Detail is the fuel. "I appreciate my home" is thin. "I appreciate the corner of my sofa where the light lands at 4 pm" has texture.

3. Follow the thread. Let each appreciation nudge the next. The tea leads to the friend who gave you the mug, which leads to a memory of a good laugh, which leads to your favourite song.

4. Keep it flowing for a few minutes. If you run dry, look around again or go to people, places, small wins or your own body.

5. Stop while it still feels good. Finish with a slow breath and notice your mood. Then get on with your day.

The whole practice can be spoken aloud, whispered, typed or written. Some people do it on the bus with a hand over their chest, and no one notices.

An example rampage

It sounds more natural in action. Here is a short example, the way a person might say it under their breath on a Monday morning.

"I appreciate this hot shower. I appreciate the smell of the soap, the cheap lemon one. I appreciate that my towel is still warm from the radiator. I appreciate the towel, honestly, it's really soft. I appreciate my sister who bought it. I appreciate that she texts me memes on bad days. I appreciate that I have someone who does that. I appreciate my little kitchen. I appreciate toast. I appreciate the window over the sink and the fat pigeon that visits it. I appreciate that I am on time today."

Note the pattern. It begins small and bodily, drifts to a person, returns to the home, and lands on the present moment. Nothing in it is grand, and it does not need to be.

A worksheet you can copy

If you like structure, copy this list into a notebook or notes app. Each heading is a prompt to keep the flow going when you feel stuck. Write two or three specific lines under each.

My body: something that worked well today. My home: a corner, object or sound I like. Nature or weather: something outside. A person: someone who made life easier. Food or drink: a taste I enjoyed. A small win: something I handled. Something from the past: a good memory. Something coming: a plan I look forward to.

The manifestation journal prompts page has more ideas if you want to use the list as part of a journaling habit. If you would rather keep your appreciations somewhere you can see them fill up, the idea behind a wish jar and gratitude jar works the same way with paper slips.

The emotional guidance scale in plain words

Abraham Hicks teaches a tool called the emotional guidance scale, a list of 22 emotions arranged from the lowest, like despair and powerlessness, to the highest, like joy, appreciation and love. The idea is that you reach for the next feeling up, and it is described as a ladder that you climb one small rung at a time.

Its practical use is modest. If you feel awful, "I appreciate everything" will probably ring false. A better move is to reach for something a little easier: a bit of relief, a small hope, a plain "this is a bit better." The rampage of appreciation can be a quick way to do that, because you can start with the lowest-effort item and let the flow carry you.

The scale is a teaching device from the Abraham Hicks material and is not a clinical tool. If your low mood is heavy or lasting, please do not treat appreciation as a substitute for help.

Tip: when a rampage feels forced, drop the word "appreciate" for a minute and use the phrase "I like." I like this jumper. I like how quiet the street is. It is a smaller ask and it often gets the flow moving again.

Rampage compared with a journal

A journal gives you a record. A rampage gives you a quick shift. They do different jobs. A written gratitude journal slows you down and leaves something to reread on a hard day, while a spoken rampage is instant and portable.

If you want a routine, pair them. Do a two-minute rampage in the morning as part of a morning affirmation routine, and write one grateful line at night. The 17 second method, another Abraham Hicks idea, fits nicely between the two, because it asks you to hold one pleasant thought for a short stretch of time.

What research says about gratitude

Separately from Abraham Hicks, researchers have studied gratitude for years. The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley collects studies and explains that gratitude practices are linked with better mood, and it is honest that effects are usually modest and vary by person. You can browse its gratitude pages for the details.

In short, noticing good things on purpose seems to help many people feel a bit better. There is no solid evidence that it draws money, partners or events to you, so treat those claims as the teacher's belief and hold them lightly. Also be careful not to use appreciation to push down real pain. Gratitude sits well beside difficulty, and it should never be a way of telling yourself to stop feeling what you feel.

Common snags

It feels fake. Go smaller and more concrete, or use "I like." You slip into complaining. Notice it kindly and return to the next easy item. You feel guilty for having good things. Appreciating something does not mean others do not struggle. You are too tired. Do one minute and stop. A short rampage beats an abandoned long one.

If you feel tense while doing it, try a few rounds of 4-2-6 breathing first.

Where manifestlings fits

If you like the idea of a habit you can see growing, manifestlings is built around it. It is a virtual pet, a dreamling, that grows on what you practise. Around it sit a wish you can look at again, a short game made from your words, small rituals, care on the real clock, and a guided meditation with 4-2-6 breathing.

It is coming to the App Store for iPhone, with Android later. You sign in once, and every new account starts with 7 days of Premium free, followed by a free core. Appreciation itself is free and needs no app, so think of an app as a cheerful reminder.