My Word-of-the-Year for 2026

This will be my 15th year choosing a word-of-the-year. I love that I can look back and clearly see who I was in each season of my life. Some words felt magical and life-changing and others felt really freaking frustrating.

Before I get into my new word-of-the-year, I want to talk about my word for 2025.
It was “reclaim”. I wanted to focus on reclaiming my time, joy, peace, and sense of safety. And it kinda felt like I reclaimed a lot – just not in the way I thought I would (which is how it usually goes, right?).

Turning 40 this year, reclaim kinda felt like a midlife word. Like trying to grab back pieces of myself from earlier versions of me. In practice, I thought how awesome that would be to connect to my younger self. What happened was, I realized that while my younger self was AWESOME – I am also a completely different (yet equally awesome) person with new interests. So instead of reclaiming my old self, 2025 felt more like claiming who I am now.

Reclaim as a word-of-the-year also felt like I was very focused on doing things. Reclaim is an action.

Moving forward, I wanted to choose a word that was more focused on being present. Some words that I considered were: Anchored, Stillness, Grounded, Gentle – you can see the vibe I’m going for.

When I thought about what I wanted to feel in 2026 it didn’t feel like a tangible thing at first. I just want to feel… sunlight. Like when you’re stepping outside for the first time that day and there’s a breeze and morning sunlight. I wanted that in a word. I don’t want to *do* anything. And then it came to me.

So for 2026, my word is Glimmers.

If you’re not familiar with the term, glimmers are essentially the opposite of triggers. Glimmers are small, fleeting moments that signal safety, calm, or connection to the nervous system. They’re the tiny experiences that make your body exhale and relax before your brain even catches up. Like sunlight.

Glimmers aren’t big, life-changing things. They’re subtle and easy to miss if you’re not paying attention. They don’t demand anything from you. They just… happen. They don’t require me to do or become anything. I just… let them land on me.

And that’s exactly why this word feels right.

2025 was honestly a bit rough for me . I feel like I spent a lot of time focusing on the bad or the stressful (I say as I wave my arms at the current political and financial climate). The world feels scary AF and as an anxious person – I am naturally drawn toward spiraling down into the suck and being oblivious to all the good stuff.

Glimmers aren’t about chasing happiness. They’re about recognizing it where it already exists.

So that’s my word for 2026. I’d love for you to share yours!

If you like my Word-of-the-Year Vision Board – you can find the template for free on Patreon!