As festive preparations reach their peak, a leading voice in wellbeing is urging Brits to make a radical seasonal resolution: to break up with their smartphones and rediscover the unscripted, messy joy of being truly present.
The Healing Power of Everyday 'Glimmers'
Author and speaker Gavin Oattes speaks from profound personal experience. He reveals that a nervous breakdown in 2023 led him on a path to recovery stitched together not by grand gestures, but by small, real-world moments of happiness. He describes actively seeking out "glimmers" – fleeting sparks of magic in the ordinary, like sunlight on his face or the sound of a forgotten favourite song.
"Each time I noticed one, I stopped thinking about how broken I felt," Oattes explains. This conscious practice of acknowledging micro-moments of joy helped rebuild his resilience, proving that wellness is often found not in passive consumption but in active, sensory engagement with the immediate world.
Relearning the Lost Art of Play
Oattes argues that a fundamental loss of playfulness lies at the heart of modern adult discontent. "We stopped galloping into rooms," he observes. "We traded 'wow' for 'what now?'" He stresses that play is not childish, but a vital mechanism for processing joy and feeling alive. It can be as simple as a snowball fight, baking oddly-shaped biscuits, or the pure, uncontainable physical excitement of a "wiggle."
Yet, this instinct is increasingly buried under spreadsheets, screens, and endless digital communication. Christmas, a time traditionally saturated with potential joy, often finds adults merely spectating, squinting at happiness through a six-inch screen as they film events or scroll through curated highlights of others' holidays on social media.
Step Into the Frame This Festive Season
The antidote, Oattes proposes, is bravely simple: ditch the camera and get in the frame. He challenges the notion of a picture-perfect Christmas, advocating instead for a celebration defined by warm, ridiculous, and sticky presence. This means being the person covered in Sellotape, knocking over the Buck's Fizz, or suggesting a spontaneous walk.
"Christmas isn't about perfection. It's about presence," he asserts. This presence is found in mismatched socks, mispronounced carols, and laughing until you snort. He points to children as the masters of this art – fully immersed in the moment, unconcerned with posting about it, and fulfilled by simple acts like licking the spoon.
Oattes's message is a timely call for a sanctuary of silliness in a overly serious world. His book, Confidently Lost: Finding Joy in the Chaos and Rediscovering What Matters Most in Life, published by Capstone and priced £12.99, is out now. This Christmas, the invitation is clear: you don't need to buy joy, you just need to remember how to let it in.
