A rampage of appreciation is an Abraham-Hicks process in which you deliberately look for things to appreciate, one after another, letting each good feeling build on the last until you reach a noticeably better emotional state. It is gratitude with momentum: short, playful, and designed to shift how you feel in minutes rather than weeks.
The process comes from the teachings of Esther and Jerry Hicks, who present material they attribute to a group of non-physical teachers called Abraham. It appears as the first of twenty-two processes in their 2004 book Ask and It Is Given, which tells you something about how foundational they consider it. Below you will find what the process is, how to do it well, examples you can borrow, and how it differs from ordinary gratitude practice.
What Is a Rampage of Appreciation?
In Abraham-Hicks terms, a rampage of appreciation is a way to raise your vibration by focusing on things that feel good to think about. You start with something small and easy, notice what you like about it, and then let your attention move to the next thing you appreciate. The word "rampage" matters. The idea is not to list items dutifully, but to build enthusiasm until appreciation starts to flow almost on its own.
The teaching rests on a core Abraham-Hicks principle, often summarized as the law of attraction: thoughts attract more thoughts like them. When you hold a pleasing thought, related pleasing thoughts become easier to find. A rampage uses that tendency on purpose. You are not trying to fix a problem directly; you are changing your emotional set point so that better thoughts, ideas, and actions become available.
Why Appreciation, Not Just Gratitude?
Abraham-Hicks draws a subtle distinction between gratitude and appreciation. Gratitude, in their view, can carry a trace of the struggle it followed: "I'm grateful I finally got through that." Appreciation is framed as pure positive focus, closer to delight or admiration, with no sense of relief from something bad.
You do not need to adopt the whole framework to find the distinction useful. In practice it means aiming for the feeling of "I love this" rather than "Thank goodness this isn't worse." If you already keep a gratitude journal, a rampage of appreciation is its livelier spoken or mental cousin, done in the moment and focused on building feeling rather than recording facts.
How to Do a Rampage of Appreciation Step by Step
1. Start where you are
Begin with whatever is in front of you. Your coffee mug, the light coming through a window, the chair holding you up. Easy objects are better than big life topics at first, because they carry no emotional baggage.
2. Name what you appreciate about it
Say it out loud, think it, or write it: "I love how warm this mug feels in my hands." Be specific. Specific appreciation produces more feeling than general statements.
3. Stay with it for a few moments
Abraham-Hicks teaches that holding a thought for about seventeen seconds allows a matching thought to join it, and that sustaining focus for around sixty-eight seconds builds real momentum. Whether or not you take those numbers literally, the practical point is sound: linger long enough for the feeling to register before moving on.
4. Move to the next thing
Let your attention drift to something related or nearby. "I love how warm this mug is. And I love that I have a quiet morning. And I love the sound of birds outside." Each item should feel at least as good as the last.
5. Let it build
As you gather momentum, bigger topics become easier to appreciate: people you love, your body, opportunities in your life. If you hit something that drops your mood, go back to simpler things and rebuild.
6. Stop while it feels good
A rampage can last two minutes or twenty. Abraham-Hicks suggests doing it often, and ideally for ten to twenty minutes a day. End on a high note rather than grinding on after the energy fades.
Rampage of Appreciation Examples
Here is what a short rampage might sound like in different situations. Notice how each one starts small.
Morning rampage
"I love the feel of clean sheets. I love that I woke up before the alarm. I appreciate this quiet. I love the smell of coffee. I love that today is open and anything could happen. I really appreciate my body for carrying me through yesterday. I love that I get to choose how this day feels."
Commute or walk rampage
"I love how blue the sky is. I appreciate that tree, the shape of it is beautiful. I love that this road is smooth. I appreciate the person who built this bridge. I love this song. I love that I have somewhere to go and people who are expecting me."
Rampage about money
This topic often carries resistance, so warm up first. "I love that I could pay for groceries this week. I appreciate the ease of tapping a card. I love that money has already brought me my favorite things: this jacket, that trip, these books. I appreciate the people who pay me. I love imagining more flowing in." For a fuller framework on this theme, see our guide to how to manifest money.
Rampage about a person
"I love the way my sister laughs. I appreciate how she remembers small things. I love that she texts me random photos. I appreciate that we have known each other our whole lives." Keep the focus on what you genuinely enjoy; skip anything that sneaks in a complaint.
Rampage about yourself
This can feel awkward at first. Start with neutral facts and let them warm up: "I appreciate that I showed up today. I love that I am curious. I appreciate that I keep trying. I love my handwriting. I appreciate how much I care about people."
When to Use a Rampage of Appreciation
- First thing in the morning, before you check your phone, to set the tone of the day.
- Before a meeting, date, or difficult conversation, to walk in feeling steady rather than tense.
- When you feel mildly off, such as bored, flat, or irritated. A rampage is ideal for small dips.
- Before sleep, as a gentle replacement for replaying the day's problems.
- Before any manifestation work, such as visualization or scripting, so you begin from a good-feeling place.
It pairs naturally with other practices on this site. Our list of gratitude prompts can give you starting points when your mind goes blank, and our guide on how to become a high-vibration person covers daily habits that support the same shift.
What If You Feel Too Bad to Appreciate Anything?
This is the most important caveat, and Abraham-Hicks addresses it directly. A rampage works best when you are already in a neutral or mildly positive state. If you are grieving, furious, or deeply anxious, jumping straight to "I love everything" can feel false and even make you feel worse, because the gap between where you are and where the exercise asks you to be is too wide.
In that case, Abraham-Hicks suggests reaching for a thought that feels only slightly better than your current one, a gradual climb up what they call the emotional guidance scale. For example, moving from despair to anger, or from anger to frustration, is genuine progress, even if it does not look like positivity. Once you reach a calmer, more neutral place, a rampage becomes easy and natural.
It is also worth saying plainly: appreciation practices are not a substitute for professional help with depression, trauma, or anxiety. They are a tool for shifting mood, not for treating illness.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Listing without feeling. Ten items recited flatly do less than three items you actually enjoy. Slow down.
- Choosing loaded topics too early. Starting with your finances or your ex usually drags in resistance. Warm up with easy things.
- Using "but." "I love my job, but my boss is difficult" cancels the appreciation. Drop the second half.
- Treating it as a chore. The process is meant to be playful. If you are gritting your teeth, stop and try later.
- Expecting instant external change. The immediate goal is a better feeling. Abraham-Hicks teaches that circumstances follow; in plain terms, you think more clearly and act better when you feel better.
Does a Rampage of Appreciation Actually Work?
The metaphysical claims behind Abraham-Hicks cannot be tested in a laboratory, and it is fair to hold them lightly. The practical mechanics, though, line up well with what psychology knows. Research on gratitude interventions has linked regular appreciation practice to improved mood and life satisfaction. Deliberately savoring small pleasures is a well-studied way to increase positive emotion. And redirecting attention from a threat to something pleasant is a basic emotion-regulation skill.
A rampage also works against hedonic adaptation, the tendency to stop noticing the good things we already have. By actively re-noticing them, you get more enjoyment from your life as it already is. Whatever you believe about vibration and attraction, feeling better on purpose, several times a day, tends to make you kinder, more creative, and more willing to take useful action.
A 5-Minute Daily Rampage Routine
If you want a simple habit to start with, try this for one week:
- Minute 1: Appreciate three physical things around you, one sentence each.
- Minute 2: Appreciate three things about your body or health.
- Minute 3: Appreciate two people and one specific thing about each.
- Minute 4: Appreciate something you are looking forward to.
- Minute 5: Let yourself ramble freely, following whatever feels best.
At the end of the week, notice whether your default mood has shifted, even a little. Most people find that the rampage gets easier and faster each day, because the mind learns to go looking for good things on its own. That, more than any single session, is the real point of the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the rampage of appreciation come from?
It comes from the teachings of Esther and Jerry Hicks, who present material attributed to a non-physical group called Abraham. It is listed as the first of twenty-two processes in their 2004 book Ask and It Is Given.
How long should a rampage of appreciation last?
It can last anywhere from a couple of minutes to twenty minutes. Abraham-Hicks suggests doing it regularly, ideally ten to twenty minutes a day, but even a short rampage done with real feeling is useful. Stop while it still feels good.
What is the difference between appreciation and gratitude in Abraham-Hicks?
Abraham-Hicks describes gratitude as sometimes carrying a trace of the struggle it followed, like relief at getting through something hard. Appreciation is framed as pure positive focus, closer to delight or love. In practice, aim for the feeling of enjoying something rather than being relieved it is not worse.
Can I do a rampage of appreciation when I feel really bad?
It works best from a neutral or mildly positive mood. When you feel very low, Abraham-Hicks suggests reaching for a thought that feels only slightly better and climbing gradually. Appreciation practices are also not a substitute for professional help with depression or anxiety.
Should I say my rampage out loud or write it down?
Either works, and so does doing it silently in your head. Speaking aloud or writing can help keep your focus and slow you down enough to feel each item. Choose whatever keeps the process playful rather than a chore.
