WHAT ARE GLIMMERS
And why are they good for us?
Words
ALICE VINCENT
Photography
JACK FAIREY
The unexpected arrival of late afternoon sunshine, and the shadows it makes across your wall. A smile from a stranger. The smell of coffee brewing. All everyday occurrences and, depending on what makes you happy, all glimmers.
In recent years we’ve become better-versed in the language of psychology and what our minds need to stay well and happy. “Triggers” is something we’ve become so familiar with as to understand it as a verb or an adjective; a reminder of something upsetting that can derail a moment of calm. Increasingly, though, people are coming to accommodate glimmers, considered a light to a trigger’s shade: a small, relatively normal situation or happening that can inspire grounding and resolution, something that can regulate us when we’re feeling out of kilter.
The term ‘glimmer’ emerged from a book published by psychologist Deb Dana in 2018, which builds on Polyvagal theory, the concept that our autonomic nervous system – responsible for involuntary bodily actions such as breathing – is actively looking for and interpreting the world around us for dangerous cues. This is how we become triggered.
But if our bodies are searching for triggers in an attempt to keep us safe, then, argues Dana, they’re also able to locate glimmers – “micro moments” that encourage our nervous system to feel calm. The more we actively seek out and engage with glimmers, the more we will be able to “shape our system in very gentle ways."
Nobody needs a specific reason to spend more time feeling safe or calm, but demands are increasingly put upon our nervous systems. A brief scroll through a news website can introduce a smorgasbord of international conflict, climate crisis and chaotic domestic policy into our days. We have never been more online or more in-demand, often having to attend to several different things at once. It can be difficult to feel tethered to the world around us.
But the good news is that finding and reacting to glimmers doesn’t need to be particularly demanding: our bodies, after all, are already doing some of the work. Glimmers can be more difficult to notice than triggers, for the same reason that bad news can be easier to dwell upon or remember than the quietly good things that happen day-to-day. Instead, try and think of what an ideal weekend or evening might look like to you. When and how might you wake up, and what would be for breakfast? What would the weather be doing and what might you wear? Who might you see, and what would you do together? How would you relax or spend some time alone?
Think of the small moments of everyday life that bring you comfort and satisfaction. The smell in the air when the seasons change or the way you feel in your favourite T-shirt. Looking at a favourite photo of someone you love, or the comfort of freshly laundered sheets on the bed. These can all be glimmers.
Once you’ve noticed them, the trick is to savour them. Give yourself the luxury of letting the sun rest on your face for a minute, while you close your eyes and don’t do anything else at all. Go for a walk without your phone, and take in the world around you. Leaning into glimmers is a practice, but it’s a useful one to build into your life. Glimmers can be a helping hand when you're feeling overwhelmed, but they can also make the world a more shimmering place when you're not. Being present enough to notice and appreciate the best little things in life can make it all the more pleasant to live.
You can read more from Alice via her newsletter, Savour.