Shari B. Kaplan, LCSWIntegrative Mental Health

Gratitude vs. Appreciation: A Shift That Feels Different

20 Oct 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:45

In this brief segment of her YouTube video, licensed clinical social worker Shari B. Kaplan contrasts gratitude with appreciation. She describes gratitude as feeling pressured, whereas appreciation feels easier and less demanding. Kaplan explains her personal practice of starting each morning by appreciating concrete, everyday blessings—such as a safe home, beloved animals, supportive people, and food in the fridge. She asserts that this simple appreciation routine quickly generates a sense of happiness.

I always felt that gratitude was a little too much pressure.
Hmm.
I felt that appreciating was so much easier. And I know it's a subtle nuance, but I think if I wake up in the morning and I appreciate that I am in a safe place, if I appreciate that I love my home, it's my sacred space, I love the animals that I wake up with, I love the people who are in my environment, I love the fact that there's food in my refrigerator. Like, I just start appreciating that. That appreciation to me builds my happy really quickly.