The Glimmer Moments

Apr 30, 2025 | Blog, Wellbeing

by Monica Davidson

I had a moment this morning. My puppy Coco was thoroughly enjoying an encounter with the long grass around the train station near my home. It took me back a few years to when my elderly dog Carter enjoyed the same long grass, a little more slowly but with the same eyes-closed joy. I was present in the moment with my pup, but I was also the happy recipient of a ‘glimmer’.

A ‘glimmer’ is the opposite of a trigger. While a trigger is a cue of danger that activates our fight-flight-panic stress response, a glimmer is a signal that brings a sense of joy or safety, and helps us to regulate our nervous system in the process. Coco enjoying the grass gave me immediate pleasure, but also a monetary feeling of nostalgic joy, a happy memory of my beloved old boy that helped me feel calm and happy. It was a micro-moment of comfort that frankly I need right now.

Things are very hard at the moment, for many of us. Everyone I speak to in the creative sector is struggling, financially and emotionally. We’re making hard decisions, balancing cashflow, calming each other and dealing with the stress of an uncertain future. Frankly, we need all the help we can get.

The term ‘glimmer’ was first mentioned in the 2018 book The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation by licensed clinical social worker Deb Dana. It was popularised by a viral TikTok video in February 2022 by psychologist Dr. Justine Grosso, in a video that has nearly 100,000 likes.

Glimmers don’t have to be complicated. The smell of fresh coffee, the feeling of warm sunlight on your skin, laughing with a friend – they all help us regulate and feel safe. You can wait for them to appear, or you can recognise the benefits and seek them out to bring about that sense of joy, peace, and gratitude

If you’re struggling at the moment with the state of our industry, keep an eye out for those moments of joy that you still have in your professional life.

When a client compliments your work, enjoy the vote of confidence. Keep a folder of positive client feedback to revisit during challenging times.
Take a moment after completing a project to appreciate your success. You brought it in on time and on budget, the client or funder was happy, and you made work you can be proud of.
You’ve raised your prices and a new client has accepted it without question. That’s a little more money in the bank, and the possibility of increased revenue from your other clients as well.
If your business gives you the freedom to enjoy some creative autonomy, appreciate those moments when you can follow your intuition or experiment with new ideas without seeking approval.
Enjoy the occasional free time that self-employment can provide. Take a weekday off and head to the beach, or the movies. Have a nap, you probably need one.
Connect with your creative community, and enjoy with gratitude these relationships that provide collaboration, knowledge sharing, and peer support.
Practice daily mindfulness in your professional process, and the glimmers will appear. Take the moment to enjoy that refreshing tea, or that positive email, or the satisfaction of a small task completed.

Finally, acknowledge your courage. Whether you’re running your small creative business or bravely tackling the steps you need to survive right now, your tremendous resilience is important and meaningful. You should be proud.

If you want some more support in this area, check out a wonderful audio course called ‘Making Sense’ from our friends at Make Shift, an organisation that supports creative prescriptions for better mental health. They also have a fantastic book called Creative First Aid that is well worth reading.

And if you’re struggling to find your professional glimmers, it could signal that you need some more directed support at the moment. Make some time to chat with a trusted friend or mentor about what’s going on for you, and seek out professional counselling if you feel you need it.

That said, I wish you many glimmers in your day ahead.