Gratitude has become a buzzword of late, and although it may seem tempting to dismiss its recent resurgence as simply a popular new age notion or a social media caption, you may find beyond the trending hashtags and headlines, that there is a deeper concept to explore. This concept invites us to consider what it really means to practice gratitude and how it can affect our lives.

At the surface, it seems to me that practicing gratitude might offer a more mindful and balanced approach to life, rather than being caught up in the illusion of modern overconsumption or the false belief that happiness should only evade us until we are thinner, prettier, smarter, or richer. But beyond this, practicing gratitude can offer us significant benefits in terms of our health. Practicing gratitude can change our perspective, and it makes sense that how we perceive our lives should have a significant impact on how we feel about our lives. To its aid, science is finally starting to back up the positive effects of gratitude and what its practice can mean for our health (like a strengthened immune system, improved quality of sleep, more positive emotions and a better sense of well-being). Surely then, this must be a concept worth exploring.

So, what does it really mean to be grateful? Without a doubt, showing gratitude must be more than just a platitude or lip service. It must be authentic, genuine, real. It certainly must go beyond using #grateful to adorn a photo on Instagram of an abundant meal laid out artistically on a table top, a black and white of the family by the beach, or a colourful, late winter sunset. All these are beautiful moments in our lives, and certainly things that we are grateful for – but what does that mean? I have undoubtedly used the hashtag myself – and I am grateful, I am thankful – but this call to gratitude must go beyond the banal and hackneyed expression.

So, what does the word ‘gratitude’ mean to me? It means appreciating and giving thanks for what you have. We may at times wish that things in our lives were different, or there may be things that we are struggling with, but if you look closely you are likely to always find that there is something to be grateful for. For being grateful means embracing your life, right now, as it is. It means being grateful for the present you and this present moment. Being grateful doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t strive for something more, but it also doesn’t mean that we should get caught up in thinking that our future selves will somehow be happier because our dreams should by that future date be achieved. They may, or they may not be. Gratitude, then, is about being thankful for the journey.

Speaking of journeys, we are already more than a week into the New Year and not surprisingly we are not yet transformed into fitness pros or career mavens. And yet even knowing that the goals we set for ourselves are not accomplished overnight, we might still feel discouraged that we don’t yet have the perfect job, or the perfect body, or the perfect life. Now putting aside for a moment the entire concept that anything could be “perfect” (I would argue that there is no such thing and that you might not want it anyways if it were), we would do well to remember that our end goal is only part of the story – the road we walk to get there, as cliché as it sounds, is just as important. And this is what makes practicing gratitude so essential.

To practice this myself, I decided to start a gratitude journal this year (for as any writer will tell you, there is power in writing it down). The journal helps you to reflect and consider what you are grateful for, but in a different context than our regular daily, polite ‘thank you’s and ‘grateful’ hashtags do. It encourages you to think about what you are grateful for right now, here in this moment. For myself, it reminds me that I cannot wait for the goal to be accomplished in order to be happy or thankful, but to appreciate the ride as I go. It is especially helpful to think about what you are grateful for after a difficult or frustrating day. It might be that you are grateful that tomorrow is a fresh, new day (I know I was at least one day this past week), but it also makes you examine all the gifts in your day and all that you can truly, honestly, be grateful for.

This practice of reflecting on what we are grateful for, through journaling or whatever other way you might find works best for you, helps to bring us back to balance. It helps us to stay positive. It helps to keep things in perspective and washes away all that is inconsequential so that we can focus on what is really important, on what truly matters.

It helps us to reflect on all the little things we are grateful for, like sunny winter afternoons, the purr that cats make, or a really fantastic homemade dinner. It helps to remind us that we are so lucky and to be grateful for today.

Yes, certainly, for today. Be grateful for Sundays. Always be grateful for beautiful, lazy, lay-in Sundays.