What is a Glimmer?
Have you ever been out walking and noticed how the sunlight is warming your face or is beautifully lighting up the trees? You notice that you’re feeling good. You many even pause for a moment, in gratitude. If you’ve had this type of experience or sensation, you’ve most likely felt a “glimmer.”
The real definition of glimmer is: to shine faintly or unsteadily.
The glimmer slang is: a small inkling of an idea.
There is a newer concept of glimmer (described above) in a term associated with the Polyvagal theory (Stephen Porges). The term “glimmer,” though, was introduced in 2018 in the book, The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation, by LCSW, Deb Dana.
What is this newer idea of a glimmer?
A glimmer is the exact opposite of a trigger. Those of us who have experienced trauma (many of us) may experience ‘triggers,’ which are painful memories that show up in the present. These can cause anxiety, depression and more.
Glimmers, on the other hand, can elevate your mood and provide you with a sense of calm. A glimmer is some kind of cue, either internal or external, that brings one back to a sense of safety or joy. This can be anything, small or big, that brings you to a moment of joy or safety, ie: seeing a view of your city to feeling the warmth of the sun on your face.
In the last couple of blog posts, we discussed nervous system regulation and dysregulation and that many of us, in our overstimulated world and lives, have dysregulated nervous systems. Glimmers can be an answer to helping us regulate our overwhelmed nervous systems.
Some Everyday GLIMMERS:
In daily life, glimmers are small, spontaneous moments where you feel calm, peaceful, present, joyful, or all of the above. They’re mini moments of gratitude. They can not only boost your mood; they can change your life.
However, how a glimmer looks varies from person to person, according to Ernesto Lira de la Rosa, PhD, psychologist. He says, “I find that all glimmers are personal glimmers because we all will experience them differently based on who we are, how we are feeling in that moment, and based on our lived experiences.”
Some COMMON GLIMMERS:
-Feeling the warmth of the sun
-The smell of cut grass or the trees after rain
-Seeing a rainbow
-Sunlight sparkling or ripples form on water
-Sunlight sparkling on fresh fallen snow
-Smelling lavender or another relaxing scent
-Being in nature
-A stranger smiles at you in public
-The perfect cup of coffee (this is one of mine!)
Are Glimmers Good for You?
Yes; if you feel calmer, joyful and more present in the moment instead of being stressed or anxious about the future. Glimmers can improve your mood and increase motivation to accomplish your goals.
Physiologically, glimmers calm the nervous system because they decrease anxiety. They’re helpful for good sleep.
When your body experiences triggers, the nervous system becomes dysregulated and the body may enter ‘fight or flight’ mode, which means the sympathetic nervous system is stimulated and your body is in a heightened stress state and working in overdrive.
Glimmers can be a great way to take a small step toward helping your mind and body feel safe, connected and joyful.
With repetition, practice and mindfulness, you’ll see that the more you become aware of, notice and appreciate your unique glimmers, the more habitual (and automatic) experiencing them will become. Once this habit is established, this new habit circuit of noticing and accepting pleasure, positivity, joy and gratitude in your everyday life, will gain momentum.
How to Recognize GLIMMERS
We are all able to notice glimmers and they can be both small and large. It’s about training yourself to check in with yourself and observe your feelings and sensations. You can do this a few times a day or schedule it every hour (set your phone alarm).
It’s really about mindfulness, where we notice and are aware of our thoughts, without getting lost in them and without judging them. In this moment, we notice the sensations in our bodies more (tension, temperature, etc.).
Trauma is more common than we think and, after the Covid pandemic, many if not most of us know, what trauma is. If you have a trauma history, glimmers can help you learn how to experience safety and connection, in your body and mind.
If and when you’re triggered, it associates past traumatic events as if they’re occurring right now, leading to the body and brain being on high alert. Rapid heartbeat or sweating may occur within the body as the fight or fight response occurs.
This helps the body prepare for physical danger, which works when chased by a tiger, but not so much when chased by your own memories.
Long story short, the goal is to get to the ventral vagal state (vagus nerve), connected with safety and social engagement. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), the rest & digest system, and puts the body in balance (homeostasis). Glimmers can be a help to get to balance.
If you have challenges tuning into glimmers, you may want to practice helpful mantras. Here are a couple of examples:
“When I feel the trigger of rejection, I acknowledge it and that this feelings stinks, but I won’t let it consume me. Rejection is redirection.
“When my anxiety is triggered, I focus on the present moment and do grounding techniques (do them) and I take deep breaths and vocalize, to regulate and calm my nervous system.”
Really, noticing glimmers is about being present and enjoying the moment, simple things and experiences and others.
If you want to learn more about glimmers, please be in touch & set up a free Clarity call @www.gigiarnaud
Train your body & brain to look toward and forward to the ‘good’………….
With smiles & love,
Dr Gigi
PS: Sign up @www.gigiarnaud.com for your free e-book and blog posts.
Enjoy and notice the glimmers all around you!
Change your Thoughts, Change your Mind, Change your World