Searching for glimmers in…December

Glimmers are, broadly speaking, the opposite of triggers. Where a trigger might leave us feeling distressed, a glimmer is a moment in time that reminds us there is joy, connection and hope in the world.

Why is noticing glimmers helpful?

Noticing glimmers can send signals to your nervous system to calm and soothe you, regulating your breathing and heart rate. Spending more time in this steady place is a lot more enjoyable than feeling stressed, so it’s worth trying to notice glimmers and see how much less frazzled you feel when you do.

Glimmers are very personal, but when you’re just starting out noticing them, it can be helpful to have some ideas to work with. Some of my suggestions won’t resonate with you and that’s absolutely fine. But others might, so perhaps you could try to look for similar ones while you’re about your life.

We can’t all get outside every day, so I like to consider what’s indoors too. Soft fabrics, cheerful ceramics and house plants are uplifting to many of us.

Often, we tend to think of visual beauty when we think of things which make us happy, but smells and sounds are incredibly powerful too. The scent of freshly baked biscuits, newly cut grass or treasured perfumes will help your spirits soar. Listening to a playlist of your favourite songs can help to brighten the gloomiest days.

Getting into the habit of using your five senses can deepen your sense of calm too. The magical ability to rewire our brains is called neuroplasticity. Until fairly recently, it was thought that our brains could only be shaped during childhood, but new evidence confirms we can develop new and hugely beneficial pathways by committing to positive habits. 

Every time you remember to stop and look at a leaf in a frozen puddle, or listen to the liquid song of a robin perched on a bare twig, you’re strengthening these new pathways, and enabling your brain and body to respond better to these glimmers of hope.

So, have a play with your senses. Do you have a favourite ? Or one you don’t really think about?

When you identify a glimmer, can you run through your senses to extend that joyful moment?

Crunchy apples

Take an apple in your hand. Feel its weight, and the texture of the skin—is it smooth, or slightly rough? 

Bring the apple to your nose. What can you smell? Any slight hint of the juice hidden beneath the wrapping of the skin?

Take a bite, or cut a slice. What does it taste like? Apples vary wildly in their flavours. This variety – Red Falstaff – is notably fragrant, sweetly juicy and crisp in texture. There’s a loud crunch as you bite, as the juice runs down your hand.

Fancy fountain pen

Do you ever write instead of type? It’s not for everyone, and that’s fine. But you can find inexpensive fountain pens and fill them with fabulous inks, so jotting down your thoughts becomes immediately more joyful.

This particular pen has a smooth, glassy feel, and has tiny specks of indigo and silver glitter embedded in the enamel. When the light catches them, it’s like gazing at a starry sky. The pen’s filled with deep, dark forest green ink which glides smoothly across the page as I write.

Blue hour at the coast

Watching the light change over the water, the shells crunching under my feet. Bending down to look more closely, I can see they’re different from the ones on our local beach. Ripples whisper, flickering towards my feet, as distant lights spark on the far shore. There’s a prickle of brine and tangy seaweed in my nostrils.

Time for gelato

Vanilla Joe’s Gelateria. What a place of childhood dreams. There’s always a fabulous selection of old favourites and classic flavours, but some mind bendingly unusual ones too. 

Gelato and ice cream are about texture as well as flavour. Some are velvety, a few are meltier, and others can be grainy. 

If you allow the gelato to melt gradually in your mouth, you’ll be able to taste more as it gently trickles over the groups of different taste buds on your tongue. Extreme cold dulls the sensation of sweetness, so you could try holding the gelato in your mouth for a few seconds.

Winter woodland walk

Wind rustling through swaying branches. Damp, glowing velvet moss. Blackbirds and robins chattering as they unearth tasty morsels from under tiny twigs. Slippery mud under your feet. Perhaps a dark, mushroomy tang in the chilly air. Spattering raindrops against my cheek.

It’s easier to stay inside more in the winter, but even a five minute walk can do wonders for lifting your spirits and warming you up. 

Where could you go nearby for a short walk? 

Plant Your Own Joy

Looking at flowers, plants and trees is great for our wellbeing. And sometimes we can’t get outside as often as we’d like. Making the most of any outdoor space with clever planting can give you a huge boost, especially if you position green things where you can see them from inside.

You don’t need much space either. Which is why I set up Plant Your Own Joy, so I can help people use their windowsills, patios and doorsteps and turn them into gorgeous oases full of abundant foliage and flowers.

How about booking a chat with me, so we can talk through some easy care plants for your outdoor space? 

Now you know what glimmers are, why they’re so powerful, and how to look out for them, d’you think you might give it a try?