Introducing The ‘Glimmer’: The ‘Anti-Trigger’, & Why You Should Seek Yours Out

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We all spend infinite amounts of time on our phones, mostly wasting our precious earthly time, but every so often you come across something and think ‘That’s actually quite interesting’. That’s exactly what I thought when I was sitting there scrolling through TikTok when a video about ‘glimmers’ landed on my FYP.

The video was a montage of calming clips; a girl hanging up her washing, dogs playing, and blades of grass gently blowing in the breeze. In between what I can only describe as the absolute carnage of my For You page, I suddenly felt quite peaceful, nostalgic even, I too wanted to be sat barefoot in a meadow.

I felt that way because the moments shown to me on the screen are what is described as a ‘glimmer’. The idea was coined by Deb Dana, a clinical social worker who specialises in complex trauma. Essentially the opposite of a trigger, a glimmer is a micro-moment that brings us happiness. They’re not grand or expansive experiences of happiness or excitement, but rather fleeting moments which can be found in each day.

While a trigger might bring about unpleasant feelings, a glimmer sparks instant joy and makes you feel grounded, and hopeful for the future. A glimmer can be almost anything you want it to be, it could be a smell, a sound, a memory or place, it could even be a person.

The only rule with glimmers is that once you learn about them, you must start looking for them. Thankfully, that’s pretty easy because they’re all around you, and once you start noticing them, it’s hard to stop.

The practice is said to be especially beneficial for people who have experienced trauma in their past. As the anti-trigger, glimmers show us the micro-moments of the goodness in life. 

Photo by Kai Pilger

To inspire you to seek out your own today, here’s a list of some of my glimmers: 

• Thinking of the perfect meme to match whatever situation I’m in 

• When my dog steps onto a rug to stretch himself so he won’t slip 

• Letting out a little ‘yeow’ when I hear trad music 

• Seeing the first bloom of cherry blossoms every spring 

• Driving past a field and seeing a cow, sheep, horse, or any animal really 

• Letting the theme song of my favourite TV shows play instead of choosing skip – Golden Girls, The Office, New Girl 

• Putting on an outfit that actually looks how I imagined it in my head 

• When the sun hits the disco ball in my living room 

• Seeing small birds splash around in a puddle after rain, like they’ve turned it into their own private bath 

• That first sip of a pint of Guinness

This article first appeared in the October 2023 issue of STELLAR magazine

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