The Power of Glimmers: Training Your Brain to Notice the Good

There are seasons in life when everything feels a little… flat.

Nothing is necessarily wrong, but nothing feels particularly right either. The days blur together. Motivation dips. Even things that normally bring joy don’t quite land the same way.

I found myself in one of those seasons recently.

Not burnt out.
But definitely in overwhelm.
And definitely … just flat.

And then I remembered something I’d come across before — the concept of glimmers.

Glimmers are the opposite of triggers.
Where triggers activate our stress response, glimmers activate our sense of safety, joy and connection.

They’re tiny moments that make your nervous system soften, even if only for a few seconds.

A flicker of warmth.
A moment of delight.
A small reminder that the world still contains goodness.

The beautiful thing about glimmers is that they’re everywhere — but we often miss them because our brains are wired to scan for problems.

So I decided to run a little experiment with myself.

For one week, I would actively look for glimmers.

I would notice them.
Collect them.
Let them land.

And something surprising happened.

Within days I felt lighter.
Within a week I felt genuinely better.
Not because anything major in my life had changed — but because my attention had.

Instead of waking up wondering what problem I’d deal with that day, I started waking up wondering:

What glimmer might I notice today?

My Favourite Glimmers Of The Past Week

Once you start looking, they appear everywhere.

One afternoon I saw a woman walking her dog. She had headphones on and had stopped to let her dog sniff a post. While she waited, she started doing a little dance to whatever she was listening to — completely unbothered by who might be watching.

It made me smile for the rest of the walk.

My cat provides about twenty glimmers a day if I’m honest. His newest trick is jumping onto the bathroom sink while I’m brushing my teeth and very seriously attempting to copy me by chewing on my husband’s electric toothbrush.

He looks incredibly proud of himself while doing it.

There are the small caring messages from my husband asking if I’ve remembered to stop for lunch that day.

There was the day my Pilates teacher turned up to class with five 1000-piece puzzles because she heard I love puzzles and she’s packing up her house to move. 

There’s the quiet shift in the air as the evenings start cooling down, that reminder that summer has ended and we are now firmly in autumn. I’ve always loved the feeling of seasons changing.

Last night I hugged my son goodnight for the last time as a 13-year-old, knowing the next hug would be from a 14-year-old. It was such a simple moment, but I felt the weight and sweetness of it.

Another glimmer came while making a playlist for my sister filled with the songs we grew up with — Cat Stevens, Paul Simon, Kate Bush, America, The Boss, John Farnham....The kind of music that instantly transports you back in time.

And then there are the tiny environmental ones — like noticing the garden looking a little greener after some recent rain.

None of these things cost money.
None of them were planned.

They were simply noticed.

Why Glimmers Matter for the Nervous System

From a nervous system perspective, glimmers are powerful.

When you notice something that feels warm, safe or pleasant, your body receives a signal that you are okay right now.

Your shoulders drop.
Your breathing softens.
Your nervous system shifts out of constant alert mode.

These micro-moments may seem insignificant, but they add up.

Our brains are incredibly good at strengthening the pathways we use the most. When we constantly scan for problems, our brain becomes excellent at finding them.

But when we start noticing glimmers, we begin strengthening a different neural pathway — one that recognises safety, connection and beauty in everyday life.

Over time this can help counterbalance the anxious or negative thinking patterns that so many of us — and our kids — experience today.

Teaching Kids to Collect Glimmers

One of the most powerful things we can do is teach our children how to look for glimmers too.

In a world that can feel overwhelming, uncertain and often very loud, helping kids learn to notice the small good thingscan be incredibly grounding.

You might ask them at dinner:

“What was a glimmer in your day today?”

It might be:

• a friend sharing their snack
• the feeling of warm sun at lunchtime
• a funny moment in class
• the dog greeting them at the door

These small moments help build a mental library of safety and positivity that kids can return to when things feel hard.

And the more they practice noticing them, the easier it becomes.

A Gentle Practice

If life feels heavy or flat right now, try this simple practice for a week.

Each day, notice three glimmers.

They can be tiny.

The smell of coffee.
A message from a friend.
Birds in the morning.
A song that brings back a memory.

Just notice them.

You don’t need to write them down (though you can if you want to). Simply pause long enough for the moment to register.

Let it land.

Because the truth is, even on difficult days, glimmers are still there.

They’re the little sparks of goodness threaded quietly through ordinary life — reminders that the world is still interesting, still beautiful, still worth showing up for.

And sometimes, all it takes to start feeling better is learning to notice them again. 🌿

If you or your child needs to lean a little more towards the positive in life, please check out our Manifest Blend.

Yours in Health,

Alisha x