Glimmers are small moments of joy or safety that resonate positively within us, creating a sense of calm and connection. In contrast to triggers, which usually bring on stress or discomfort, glimmers act as the opposite of a trigger, providing positive cues that sustain emotional well-being. They can be as slight as listening to a favorite tune or basking in sunlight.
The Dalai Lama captioned in 'The Art of Happiness': "Happiness is determined more by one's state of mind than by external events." Focusing on glimmers can help rewire your mind toward positivity and enhance personal happiness anytime. Discover how small moments of joy can contribute to stronger resiliency in emotional wellness and transform your daily life with actionable insights.
Understanding the concept of glimmers
Deb Dana, a licensed clinical social worker and expert in the polyvagal theory in therapy, used the term "glimmer" in 2018. The term refers to small, positive signals in the environment or within ourselves that form parts of joy, safety, and connection. Glimmers are subtle and usually short experiences that activate the nervous system and allow it to transition from a calm state into being open and engaged.
Deb Dana's work emphasizes that glimmers must be noticed and recognized as essential elements in healing and regulating the nervous system. She explains how the autonomic nervous system reacts to signals of safety or danger. By seeking and celebrating these rewarding moments, you can build resilience and emotional well-being and gradually retrain your nervous system to find calm even in chaos.
Mindfully searching for and attentively enjoying micro-moments may help produce a practice that enhances overall well-being and mindfulness.
Understanding the contrast: Glimmers vs. triggers
Glimmers and triggers are the nervous system's responses to the outside environment, closely tied to the fight-or-flight response. While a trigger activates stress, fear, or discomfort, glimmers evoke a sense of safety, connection, and joy, countering these reactions.
In other words, it’s overcoming stress and triggers by focusing on small positive cues to foster a healthier state of mind. In '10% Happier', Dan Harris reveals,
“Make the present moment your friend rather than your enemy. Because many people live habitually as if the present moment were an obstacle they must overcome to get to the next moment.”
Stress the need to be mindful and magnify those glimmers, the main moments of goodness. Tuning into positivity will help you see everyday events in a new light, replacing negativity with friendliness. This focus will lead to a stress-free situation and an improved capacity for happiness and emotional well-being.
Why recognizing glimmers matters
Noticing little things has significant emotional and psychological benefits, offering mental health support by calming the fight-or-flight response and fostering a sense of safety and joy. These moments of joy and safety help regulate the nervous system, slowing the heart rate and activating the parasympathetic response to promote relaxation and reduce stress.
Glimmers help build emotional strength, making it easier to handle challenges. They keep you focused on the present, reducing anxiety and mental stress. Over time, noticing glimmers can grow your sense of gratitude, which supports your happiness and mental health.
Glimmers help counter negative thoughts by reducing the brain’s natural negativity bias, creating space for uplifting and positive emotions. The change is conducive to developing healthier relationships, as noticing positive moments increases empathy and connection to others.
Looking for glimmers helps train your brain to notice and enjoy joyful moments in daily life, making you more optimistic. Remembering these moments boosts your happiness and mental clarity. In the end, glimmers gently help create balance in your life.
Research on the power of glimmers
Research into glimmers shows they improve your mental state by enhancing emotional regulation and diminishing stress. Studies found that targeting positive sensory experiences could engage the parasympathetic nervous system, yielding a relaxed and calm state.
Individuals' continuous acknowledgment of such traces of joy builds neural pathways associated with positive emotions, bolstering mental endurance. As the Dalai Lama said in 'The Art of Happiness,'
"By mobilizing our thoughts and practicing new ways of thinking, we can reshape our nerve cells and change the way our brains work."
Neuroplasticity research indicates that uplifting cues rewire brain channels so that most stimuli become relevant to the individual, making them generally happier. Such findings align with psychology and neuroscience, showing how positive attention can create powerful effects, transforming mental status and emotional balance.
Research highlights how recognizing glimmers can foster personal growth in trauma survivors, emotional distress, and complex trauma by regulating the sympathetic nervous system, which governs stress responses, creating space for healing and resilience.
Glimmers as a way of finding brightness in the small things
Here are some examples of glimmers: small, sweet, healing moments that can become a person’s glimmer, quietly brightening their daily lives. Sensory triggers could include warmth from sunlight, the sound of birds singing, or even the softness of a very cozy blanket. Interactions like a genuine smile, a heartfelt conversation, or witnessing someone doing an act of kindness can also serve as tiny moments of happiness from the soul with a strong will to reinforce positivity.
Personal successes, such as completing a project or overcoming a fear, manifest progress and boost self-confidence. Nature even spills its glimmers, like watching the waves crash on a shore or noticing little details in a flower. Even routine things, like listening to your favorite song, eating, or reliving a memory, can become glimmering points.
Glimmers also reveal themselves in rituals like lighting candles and mindful breathing and can help us reconnect with positive cues. The more we notice and appreciate glimmers, the more appreciation pours into emotionality. It fills everyday moments with small, beautiful intimacies, which are more likely to produce resilient and optimistic thinking.
This reflection favors relishing the joy in daily life, echoing Ingrid Fetell Lee in 'Joyful':
"The only requirement is what you already have: an openness to discovering the joy that surrounds you." Glimmers help create a positive shift in focus toward enhancement.
Making glimmers a part of your daily routine
Life should include micro-moments of joy. First, however, try to find your own glimmers; here are some ideas on incorporating them into your everyday life:
Practice mindfulness and become aware of the bright cues in your environment, like feeling the sunlight on your skin or hearing a loved one's laughter.
Pause daily to engage in hobbies, dedicate time to activities you love, talk to a friend, and enjoy a meaningful conversation.
Make changes to your surroundings. Brightly painted walls and nature-inspired decor can induce a mood where glimmers may occur. Create a cozy, inviting place.
Being intentional on social media and following accounts that share heartwarming posts or inspiring stories can shift the focus toward positivity and connection. Limit the negative content.
Practice deep breathing to feel present.
Writing a glimmer journal can significantly improve your skills just to enjoy those moments. Reflect on how these experiences make you feel.
"I realized that we all have the inclination to seek joy in our surroundings, yet we have been taught to ignore it," are the words of Ingrid Fetell Lee in 'Joyful.' Actively redirecting your attention to such sparks of joy will allow you to enrich your daily experiences while building a foundation for greater emotional well-being.
Continue with Headway: Let glimmers guide your path to happiness
We encourage you to notice these glimmers every day, as they can enhance your emotional well-being in everyday life. You can find out more about this in our Headway app's summaries of insightful books on happiness, emotional resilience, and motivation.
Our Headway app can be a valuable tool in your journey to experience glimmers daily. Our summaries will remind you to be mindful of positive cues around you. Here are some main benefits of using the Hadway app:
Insights for personal growth and mindfulness boost: Summaries of some of the best expert books thus far written on emotional resilience, gratitude, and well-being.
Keeping track of progress: Built-in trackers reflect on daily positive experiences, augmenting long-term emotional stability.
Customized content: Get personalized recommendations according to your goals, and enjoy every part of your growth path.
Let the Headway app take your hand as you discover glimmers and open doors to personal and professional success.
