In uncertain and triggering times, lookout for glimmers to glow and soothe an overwhelmed mind. Glimmer in the glow of your own kindness!
Nona Walia
We are living in a world of constant triggers. Everyone gets triggered at slightest provocation and sometimes with absolutely no provocation whatsoever. Glimmers are small moments that spark joy or peace, which can help cue our nervous system to feel safe or calm. Glimmer gives us a sigh of relief. When you work to add glimmers to your day, you are setting yourself up to feel safe.
A cup of coffee in your favourite café’ – glimmer. Meeting a friend after lockdown – glimmer. Putting on your favourite dress – glimmer. Glowing with glimmer is about shining bright with calmness and joy. Glimmers help you change your energy when the world is trying to trigger you. When you are walking in a street and suddenly hear: loads of temple bells ringing. Glimmer. It’s the moment when you shift your energy of sadness to celebration.
Glimmering glows your nervous system, while triggers shrink it. Author Deb Dana, in her book The Polyvagal Theory, coined the word "glimmers" which are small moments when our body feels safe or calm. “These are micro moments that begin to shape our system in very gentle ways.”
A recent post on TikTok about discovering daily glimmers went viral, #glimmers on Instagram has people post their daily glimmer glows for mental health. The idea of looking out for daily glimmers when facing triggers was discussed by Ling Lam in his TED talk – The Power of Feeling Safe, he believes that our overall mental health depends on the relative ratio of glimmers to triggers. “Just by living in this world, it's impossible to avoid triggers, especially if you experience racism, homophobia, or oppression that can't simply be turned off because you're burnt out. There are definitely psychological benefits to logging positive experiences like glimmers. It can train the mind to look for them more and to get better at noticing them,” says Lam.
What are glimmers: Tiny, small moments of joy. It could be a beautiful cup of China you love enjoying tea in. Falling of raindrops. Flowering of lilies in your home.
Map your triggers and glimmers. Make a journal of things/people/situations triggering you and make your glimmer moment list. Make sure you keep increasing your glimmers and reducing your triggers.
Triggers are traumatic, scary and heart-sinking.
Glimmers are joyful, uplifting and heart-sweetening.
If triggers are hard. Glimmers are soft.
If you got triggers, get some glimmers.
Invite some gentle glimmers to soothe your nervous energy.
Our idea of daily resilience can fade with ‘continuous daily triggers’. We are in a perpetual state of trigger. If you consciously go looking for glimmers it can increase your dose of daily happiness. If we track our daily glimmer journey, it will take away our mind from the triggers and make life more meaningful.
When you create a glimmering life, you glow up and radiate. We might not control the daily triggers in life, but we can certainly control how our life glows with glimmer moments. It will shift the energy of emotional hardship to energy of abundance and celebration. Music and books provide multiple glimmers; certain foods can give us glimmer moments of joy.
Can we create glimmer moments at workplaces? What if our workplaces were full of glimmer and shine. We can lookout for ways to glimmer at work. A kind gaze, a smile, laughter over coffee – glimmer moments. Appreciating people – glimmer.
Count your daily glimmers. The more you have, the happier you become.