A trainer swears by this five-minute mindfulness practice to manage symptoms of ADHD and find calm amid a busy work-life schedule
How Bronté Terrell shifts her mind from going a mile a minute to calm and restful
When life gets hectic and your chest starts tightening, Bronté Terrell says a five-minute mindfulness practice drawn from the field of neuroscience can help restore calm.
“It’s called glimmer hunting,” the Les Mills group fitness presenter tells Fit&Well.
“Looking for those small things in life that bring you gratitude, that help to calm your nervous system and fill your cup, is so important in a job where you’re constantly giving to others.”
Bronté Terrell (center)
Glimmers, according to Terrell, are those small things in life that bring you joy.
“Like going for a walk while the sun’s setting, observing the sky changing color. Or watching the way light bounces off a lake or kisses the sea,” she says.
“Those beautiful things that bring you joy that money can’t buy.”
Actively seeking out these cues, Terrell says, helps manage her symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—but the benefits can be enjoyed by anyone.
“It’s like an anchor for my restless mind. Your brain can spiral 10 to the dozen with ADHD. You’re here, there and everywhere.
“Coming back to five things you can see around you that you’re grateful for or that bring you joy or you find beautiful, I’ve always found is a really good anchor.”
How Bronté Terrell makes glimmer hunting part of her morning routine
Terrell says she will always carve out a few minutes at the start of her day to search for these micro-moments of joy and tranquility.
“For me it’s always my cup of coffee in the morning. It brings me so much joy,” she says.
“Before our call today, I set time aside to sit in the garden. We’ve got parakeets in this area. They’re bright green. That always brings me joy.
“And the sun was out. The sunshine always brings me joy.”
If she’s ever feeling like work or life is overwhelming her, or she’s in a downward spiral of emotions, Terrell says this five-minute practice will serve as a “really good anchor”.
“If you just stop to pause and challenge yourself to glimmer, you’ll start to see the world in a different way. It’s a really good mental health hack,” she adds.
The origins of glimmer hunting
Glimmer hunting is a relatively modern wellness practice born from trauma-informed therapy and the work of psychotherapist Deb Dana.
In her 2018 book The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation, Dana introduced the concept of glimmers.
The opposite of triggers, which can lead to a spiral of negative thoughts and emotions, glimmers are tiny, everyday cues that spark brief feelings of calm, connection and comfort.
Dana’s application expanded on the research of neuroscientist Dr Stephen Porges.
In 1994, Porges challenged the assumption that our autonomic nervous system works like a two-part on/off switch, flipping between stress and relaxation.
Instead, he proposed a three-state model shaped by evolution, with two influenced by the vagus nerve, which connects the brain to the heart, lungs and digestive organs.
When we feel safe, we’re able to access something Porges described as the social engagement system.
Heart rate stabilizes, defensive arousal drops and we’re more able to feel calm, connected and mentally flexible.
Glimmer hunting is simply the deliberate practice of seeking out these cues to shift our nervous system from stress and anxiety toward calm and connection.
