Glimmers: On Beauty, Joy and Pleasure

And What You Might Be Missing for Your Nervous System Health

If you’re the kind of woman who does the work – but somewhere deep down wonders why life still doesn’t feel quite joyful enough – this is for you. In this post I explore glimmers, their impact on your nervous system, and why joy and pleasure are not a reward. They are medicine.

Over the last two months, life took me on an unexpected journey – from Dubai, where the war in the Middle East broke out around us, through Australia, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia. It was one of the more surreal and defining experiences of my life. And somewhere in the middle of all that uncertainty, I found myself returning again and again to something ordinary that carries extraordinary medicine: glimmers. This is what it reaffirmed in me.

When life throws you a curve ball

We all have seasons where life feels heavy, uncertain or just relentlessly hard – relationship challenges, women’s health issues, sick parents, loss, burnout… life throws us curve balls.

This piece is for those of you who don’t shy away from doing the inner work when these things happen – whether that’s through trauma work, coaching journeys, or processes where the focus is on healing, releasing and transforming.

All of this I applaud. Doing the work is important if we want to grow and change outdated habits. It’s part of maturing and waking up. It’s absolutely needed.

However, sometimes we can get too far down the rabbit hole of healing – or of focusing on what’s the pain, on what’s not working and what we want to change.

So what are glimmers?

Glimmers offer something different.

They offer us a reprieve from all this. They say: hey, come, tap into joy, pleasure and wonder. This too is available and happening – always.

And we do need to balance the depth of inner work with the lightness of wonder and beauty. Noticing glimmers and creating them might just be one of the most underrated things you can do for yourself.

Glimmers sustain us and help us carry through challenging times. Tapping into them and creating opportunities for them to happen is its own kind of healing.

They can help our body/mind/soul system relax as well as lift our spirits. They bring us hope and breathing space. They help us remember all that’s good while we are navigating hard times.

Tapping into glimmers and creating opportunities for them to happen is its own kind of healing.

The science behind glimmers

They get our oxytocin flowing – which relaxes us. They get our dopamine flowing – which can act as a buffer against pain and anxiety. Both act as natural “anti-stress” agents, bringing down our cortisol levels.

I’m not suggesting staying away from addressing problems.

I’m saying: it’s not either/or – it’s both. And frankly, when I look at how hard women tend to be on themselves… I want to say: Let’s have a bit more fun, sister!

Joy and pleasure are not something you earn once the hard stuff is dealt with. They are part of the medicine.

5 glimmers from two months of war, travel and uncertainty

I want to share some of the glimmers I recognised and soaked up during those two months – to give you a good range of examples:

1. Dubai – the beach with Rio and my bestie

The day before we made the decision to leave the country, my best friend and I walked down to the beach with Rio. We sat down together and watched the ocean.

It was a bittersweet moment. Not knowing when I would come back. Not knowing when I would see Rio again. And yet, everything around us was calm. The water, the light, the moment itself.

We just sat there, the two of us, in deep appreciation for each other and for what we had navigated together over those intensely charged days. No words needed. Just presence, and the ocean, and the quiet understanding between two friends who had held each other through something neither of us had ever experienced before.

That stillness – that heart-to-heart – was a glimmer. Found right in the middle of one of the hardest moments.

2. Muscat – becoming tourists for a day

We had an overnight stop in Muscat on our way out – the same place where the photo at the top of this post was taken. It would have been easy – and understandable – to just stay in the hotel, rest and wait

Instead, we looked at each other and said: let’s go out.

So we did. We wandered through the old town, explored the markets, took in the beauty of a city neither of us had ever really seen before. We let ourselves be curious. We let ourselves be present and surprised. We chose to find the beauty that was right there in front of us, even in the middle of an uncertain and intense time.

That active choice – to move towards joy rather than away from discomfort – was its own kind of glimmer. And it left us feeling happy and alive.

3. Australia – walks in nature

Staying with friends in Australia for those last few days, I made sure to go on walks every single day.

The Australian landscape has a way of activating all of your senses at once. The feeling of warm sun on my skin. My body moving through that rich, ancient terrain. The smell of eucalyptus from the gum trees – so earthy, so grounding, and peaceful to my nervous system.

And the birds. If you’ve ever been to Australia, you’ll know, the birds there have the most extraordinary sounds. Sounds you simply don’t hear anywhere else in the world. I found myself stopping, just to listen. Nature as glimmer. Simple, always available, always generous.

4. Australia – the poetry writing circle

One of my dear friends invited me to join a poetry writing circle she was part of. A facilitator read a poem aloud, and then we were simply invited to free flow write whatever it evoked in us. Tea was served. There were about seven women in the room.

I remember sitting there and feeling something loosen inside me. The writing became a way to process the war, the leaving, the uncertainty, the journey to Australia. All of it found a place on the page.

But it was more than just the writing. It was the creativity, the sisterhood, the feeling of being held in a circle of women doing something meaningful together. Oxytocin flowing freely. Joy and depth at the same time.

Creativity as medicine. Sisterhood as medicine. Both, glimmers.

5. Hong Kong – the tea ceremony

My second stop was Hong Kong, where a very dear friend has a beautiful new tea space.

She prepared everything with such intention – the incense, the music, the tea she had chosen specifically for us. The space itself a real sanctuary. And we sat together first, just talking. The kind of nourishing, unhurried conversation where you feel truly listened to and met.

And then came the tea. She served it slowly, intentionally, and I just received it. The warmth of the cup in my hands. The connection to the earth through something as simple as leaves and water. The soul care of that moment, of being so fully present with a dear friend, in a beautiful space, with nothing to do and nowhere to be.

That tea ceremony was a glimmer of the most intentional kind. A reminder that beauty is always available to us – sometimes we just need someone to create the space for us to receive it.

How to bring more glimmers into your own life

Maybe some of these speak to you? Or perhaps they spark some ideas on how to bring more glimmers into your own life.

You don’t need a war, a journey or a tea ceremony in Hong Kong to find them. Glimmers are available to you right now, in your everyday life. You just need to start noticing.

Because here’s the thing – you don’t need a war, a journey or a tea ceremony in Hong Kong to find them. Glimmers are available to you right now, in your everyday life. You just need to start noticing.

If you’d like support in bringing more beauty, joy and pleasure into your life as a powerful way to both, calm and enliven your nervous system, I’m thinking about a 21-day online summer experience – something sensual, colourful and fun. Very affordable, no pressure, just following what feels good. A means for women to live juicier, more alive and connected lives.

If that sounds like something you’d like to be part of, get in touch – I’d love to hear from you.

And if this piece resonated, I’d love for you to share it with a woman in your life who might need this reminder today.

With much love,

Corinne

P.S. Want to go deeper? If this resonated, below are a few ways we can continue exploring together:

• Read & watch I share regular reflections on thriving relationships, how nervous system health plays into it and living more fully over on the blog and on my YouTube videos. Come find me there.
• Self-paced online course: To help you reclaim your needs and create heartful boundaries. Reclaim Needs & Heartful Boundaries – A course in Self-connection is available here.
• Work with me: Whether through 1:1 coaching, group programs, or retreats, I work with women and couples who are ready to live more fully – with relationships that feel genuinely connected, alive and rooted in truth and wonder. I’d love to hear from you.