How Awkward Is Telling Someone You Appreciate Them?

Small talk, gratitude, and what really brings us closer

November 27, 2025

Hi everyone,

Here in the US, people are celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday, where loved ones get together for a home-cooked meal. Ever since I moved here from Sydney, kind people have invited me to join their families for the occasion.

This meant that each year I was walking into large gatherings where I barely knew anyone. But it’s always a good opportunity to practice my small talk and conversation skills.

I know many of you will be doing the same — maybe talking to friends of relatives or more distant family connections you haven’t seen in a while.

Here Are A Few Resources:

A Quick Note On Gratitude

thanks from us for watching the channel

Most people have heard gratitude journaling is good for us — but far fewer know this: Actually expressing your gratitude to someone has even greater psychological benefits.  

We know from research that:

  • We feel happier and more connected to each other.

  • It’s way less awkward than we expect.

  • And we underestimate how meaningful it will be to hear this.

So here’s a challenge: if there’s someone in your life you appreciate, try telling them directly. (It doesn’t need to be a grand, dramatic gesture.)

Most of us hear this far less often than they should.

Our Gratitude

I want to say thank you for engaging with the channel — watching the videos and sharing your thoughts — and reading these emails.

Hope and I started this channel after we got married, and it’s always been the two of us working on it together. Creating these videos is connecting for us — we love expressing ourselves creatively and building something that can help people.

Thanks for continuing the journey with us,
Dr. Thomas Smithyman

P.S. If you’d like to support the channel, we’ve started a YouTube Membership. We’re planning to share extra behind-the-scenes content, reply to some of your questions and comments, and offer members-only polls.

Discover how to overcome social anxiety and form genuine connections that are rooted in authentic self-confidence with my book, Dating Without Fear. This engaging, science-backed blueprint—written by a clinical psychologist—will help you understand your anxiety, work through it, and naturally connect.

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