She leans her bicycle against the fence and searches her bag for the key. Her shoulders feel heavy. The day wasn't even particularly busy, but everything seems to hit harder today. Voices on the street, a moped driving by, the light reflecting brightly on the windows of the houses.
She just wants to go inside.
Then she sees something move between the stones next to her front door. A small purple flower, grown in a place where there hardly seems to be any soil. She pauses for a moment. Just for a few seconds. Yet something happens. Her gaze softens. Her breath settles just a little bit. For a very brief moment, she doesn't have to go anywhere.
Then she opens the door and just goes on with her day.
Nothing changed about her worries, her fatigue, or the things that still awaited her. And yet, for a moment, something else was present. An unexpected moment of beauty. A brief interruption.
A glimmer.
Summer too can offer space for such small moments. That emerged in the experiences of the Traumane panel membersAlthough the summer also has difficult aspects for many people, panel members shared that fewer obligations, time in nature, peace and quiet, and contact with trusted people can be supportive.
The healing side of summer therefore doesn't have to be found in a distant trip or a few weeks of complete relaxation. Sometimes it is precisely small moments that can mean something to you.
When danger is noticed faster than beauty
If you have trauma symptoms, you can nervous system having grown accustomed to constantly scanning the environment. Is it safe here? Can I trust this person? What is going to happen next? Have I overlooked anything?
Often that happens without you consciously choosing to. Your body can perceive sounds, facial expressions, or changes in the atmosphere faster than your thoughts can explain them. Sometimes you feel the tension before you even understand where it comes from.
That constant vigilance has a reason. Your system is trying to protect you. It once learned that it was important to be prepared, to react quickly, or to make yourself as small as possible.
When your nervous system is focused on danger for a long time, pleasant signals more easily fade into the background. You see that the sun is shining, but you don't really feel its warmth. You hear someone speaking to you in a friendly way, but meanwhile you keep searching for what might be hidden behind those words.
That doesn't mean fine things aren't there. They just don't always get the chance to truly sink in.
What are sparkles?
Deb Dana, therapist and author of Glimmering diary, uses the word glimmers for small moments that can help your nervous system experience a bit of safety, calm, joy, or connection.
A glimmer doesn't have to be a big moment of happiness. Often it is about something small: the coolness of a tiled floor beneath your bare feet, someone smiling kindly at you, or the sound of rain after a warm day.
You notice that your breathing is becoming a bit calmer. Or you hardly notice anything physically, but you do know: I like this.
That too can be a glimmer.
For people with trauma symptoms, it can be valuable to learn to recognize such moments. If your nervous system is used to focusing mainly on what might be unsafe, glimmers can help bring attention to what feels pleasant, familiar, or safe at this moment.
That does not mean that tension, anxiety, or sadness disappear. You can feel tense and at the same time notice that the sun on your face feels nice. One does not have to exclude the other.
Book recommendation
Glimmers Diary – Deb Dana
It Glimmering diary invites you to capture and cherish your sparkles. With prompts and gentle suggestions to experiment with.
Summer sometimes makes the small more visible
Based on the experiences of the Traumanet panel members, summer gives some people more space to catch their breath.
Less work pressure or fewer commitments can provide more time to rest or listen to what you need. Many panel members also mention nature and activities that are good for them, such as walking, reading, or doing something creative. For others, it lies precisely in contact with people they feel comfortable around.
The freedom to decide for yourself how you spend your summer can also be nice. Going on a trip or staying at home, seeing people or spending time alone: what feels pleasant differs from person to person.
It is precisely in those ordinary moments that glimmers can arise. A patch of light between the trees. A conversation in which you notice you feel at ease.
You don't need to look for happiness
When you know that glimmers can be pleasant for your nervous system, subtle pressure to find them can unconsciously arise.
Have I seen anything beautiful today? Why do I feel nothing at that sunset? Why doesn't a walk calm me down?
But glimmers cannot be forced.
Sometimes you only notice such a moment afterwards. You realize that you had to laugh during a conversation or were completely absorbed in a song for a few minutes.
And sometimes you don't notice anything all day. Especially when you are tired, experiencing a lot of tension, or feeling closed off.
That doesn't mean you're doing something wrong. A glint doesn't have to become a command.
Stick to what feels comfortable
We often quickly pass by small pleasant moments. You hear a bird sing, but meanwhile you are already looking at your phone again. You feel a soft breeze, while your thoughts are with the rest of the day.
If you notice a shimmer, you can try to stay with it for a few seconds. Look at the color of the sky for a moment longer or listen a little longer to the music you like.
You don't have to calm yourself down in the process. You can just notice: this feels pleasant.
Something in your body may change. It is not about achieving a certain feeling, but about giving yourself a little more time to notice the moment.
A booklet full of sparkles
This summer, you can write down a glimmer every now and then. You can use a small notebook for this, but also the notes on your phone.
At the end of the day, for example, you can look back:
Was there a small moment today that felt pleasant?
That can be something very ordinary: the first sip of cold water, a nice message, or the light falling through the leaves.
If you want, you can write down what you saw, heard, smelled, or felt. Or just write down a few words.
And if you can't think of anything for a day, nothing has to be there.
It is not a checklist you have to complete. It can simply be a place where you keep small moments that you would otherwise forget.
Maybe this is the sparkle
Sometimes we think something only has meaning when it is big. A great trip. An important breakthrough. A day when we finally feel completely like ourselves again.
But a meaningful moment can also last just a few seconds.
A shadow moving across the wall. Cold fruit on a warm afternoon. The relief when an appointment is canceled. Or the moment you realize you have listened to a boundary of your own.
Maybe summer isn't going the way you had hoped. Maybe there is little rest or little happiness. You don't have to make a pretty story out of that.
But sometimes, in the middle of everything difficult, there is also something small that feels pleasant for a moment.
Maybe you'll notice it.
A glimmer.
