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Spring has a way of inviting us back outside. Longer days, brighter skies, warmth from the sun and emerging greenery and flowers naturally draw us into the world again, after the stillness and cold of winter. Time in nature also offers us an opportunity to gently regulate our nervous system through Glimmers.

What are Glimmers?

Our nervous system is constantly scanning our surroundings for signs of safety and danger, a process known as Neuroception. When life is stressful or unpredictable, our nervous system can become hypervigilant and biased toward spotting potential dangers, and even minor threats can be seen as triggers, keeping us stuck in a stress response.

Glimmers are the opposite of triggers. They are small sensory moments that signal safety to our nervous system and help bring us back into a more regulated state where we feel more relaxed, connected and grounded. Over time, intentionally noticing these moments can help retrain our nervous system to be less reactive to life’s every day stresses, and to recognise safety more easily.

A glimmer might be a beautiful sunrise or sunset, the smell of freshly cut grass, birdsong, petting an animal, a perfect cup of tea or coffee, hugging a loved one, a favourite song on the radio, smelling a relaxing or nostalgic scent, seeing a rainbow, or sunlight sparkling on water.

Nature is Full of Glimmers

Nature is rich in sensory experiences and Spring in particular offers countless glimmer opportunities: the warmth of the sun on your face or body, blossom emerging on trees, daffodils bursting into colour, the smell of cut grass, longer evenings, or watching clouds changing shape in the clearer sky.

Spending time in natural environments has been shown to reduce stress hormones and support our ‘rest and digest’ arm of our nervous system.

I often encourage clients to build small daily ‘glimmer moments’ into their routine. These simple practices can become powerful signals of safety to an often overworked nervous system.

How to Start Noticing Glimmers

Glimmers (just like triggers) are very personal for everyone. The first step is actively noticing moments where, however fleeting, you felt calm, safe and connected. Glimmers feel a little different in everyone’s bodies, but they’re generally those warm-and-fuzzy feelings where you feel cozy, content or that bring quiet enjoyment.

Here’s some ideas to try:

Take a slow ‘glimmer walk’
On your next walk outdoors, instead of focusing on the number of steps or distance, notice the colours, sounds or scents that feel pleasant along the way. Take regular pauses and at each ask yourself: What is one small thing around me that feels pleasant or calming right now? Take a slow breath and notice it for at least ten seconds. That moment is likely to be a glimmer.

Engage your five senses
When something catches your attention during a busy day, such as warm sunlight or birds singing or another glimmer personal to you, pause and take a few breaths while noticing what you can see, hear, smell, feel or taste in the moment.

Start a glimmer journal
At the end of the day, write down one or two moments that occurred that day and reflect on how they made you feel. Over time, you may find you naturally start to see more throughout the day.

 By intentionally noticing glimmers around us, these small moments can help shift the body away from constant stress and back towards feeling calmer and more balance — one glimmer at a time.

Your Next Step

To find out how I can help you get your brain, body, energy and life back, click to book your free Thyroid TLC Call