There is a newer term happening in the mental health space called glimmers. These are essentially the opposite of triggers. Glimmers are helpful to our nervous system and bodies because they are things, individuals, experiences, or moments that support us in accessing safety.
In mental health, glimmers are small cues that help your body and nervous system move toward a sense of safety, peace, connection, gratitude, or joy. They may not erase stress or pain, but they can help you notice moments of steadiness and support in the middle of everyday life.
When we talk about glimmers in mental health, we are often talking about the practice of becoming more aware of what helps us feel grounded. This awareness can support mindfulness, emotional regulation, and a more compassionate relationship with ourselves.
Identifying Your Triggers
Before we can understand how to identify your glimmers, it is important to look at and recognize your triggers. Triggers can be sensory reminders that can cause undesired memories or symptoms to be present. It may be a person, place, or memory. You could experience anxiety, sadness, or a sense of unease as a result of your triggers. Triggers point us to our unhealed pain and wounds.
Explore what your triggers may be, and why it may be triggering for you. I invite you to use curiosity over shame as you are exploring this with yourself. It is important to approach your triggers, also seen as “points of activation” with an abundance of compassion and curiosity. As a reminder, therapy can be a beautiful space to explore our triggers with kindness towards self.
Understanding triggers can help us notice what activates distress, while identifying glimmers can help us notice what supports regulation, connection, and safety. Both can offer meaningful information about our internal experience.
Becoming Aware of Your Glimmers
Glimmers can be small, positive moments in your life that allow space for you to feel safety, joy, peace, or gratitude. They do not have to be grand. They can be simple items or things in your environment that support you and are cues that support you in moving towards safety.
Perhaps, this could be a warm cup of tea, and using mindfulness to notice how it tastes or the feeling of warmth in your hands. During our last snow day, I sipped on a cup of tea and noticed my daughter reading and looking at the pictures of the snow, and laughing with delight at herself sledding. She cannot read yet but seeing her look at the photos was a glimmer for me. Glimmers can be simple and intentional moments of accessing safety.
Other examples of glimmers might be noticing what it feels like to pet your favorite animal or noticing how your body feels after a safe conversation with a trusted friend. Glimmers are essentially ways that our bodies communicate to us that we are safe and grounded, or are experiencing gratitude and joy.
Glimmers can be easy to miss because they are often quiet, brief, or ordinary. Practicing mindfulness can help you slow down enough to recognize them when they appear.
Glimmers Increase Presence and Gratitude
The world is often very fast-paced and there is significant pain and suffering around us. While this is important to notice, grieve, and attune to, it can also take away from intentionally noticing our glimmers.
A few benefits of noticing our glimmers is that it can increase our sense of gratitude and help us be more present in our daily lives. So, even right now, as I am writing this, I am noticing my new office space, the warmth of the sun on my back, and the plants that my amazing team has gifted me. This intentional orientation to my surroundings brings me peace and is a glimmer as I write this blog.
From a mental health perspective, noticing glimmers can be a gentle way to practice presence. It does not require ignoring pain or pretending everything is okay. Instead, it creates space to also notice moments of support, beauty, connection, and ease.
Mindfulness as a Pathway To Our Glimmers
Mindfulness is simply noticing the present moment without judgement. There is research that shows us that once we notice these moments, our brain is more likely to notice these moments moving forward. By noticing the glimmers, it creates new neural pathways to notice these moments in the future.
I invite you to take a moment to be aware of your surroundings. Practice mindfulness and notice what may bring you peace, joy, or gratitude.
I encourage you to slow down so that you can mindfully notice your glimmers and attune to what supports you in accessing safety and ease in your everyday life.
One way to begin is to pause once a day and ask yourself, “Did I notice one small moment of safety, peace, gratitude, or connection today?” Over time, this practice may help you become more aware of the cues that support your nervous system and emotional well-being.
How to Notice Glimmers in Daily Life
If you want to begin identifying glimmers, start small. You might choose one ordinary moment each day and notice what happens in your body. Does your breath soften? Do your shoulders lower? Do you feel warmth, ease, connection, gratitude, or calm?
You can also keep a short glimmer list in a journal or phone note. Write down simple moments that helped you feel grounded, even briefly. This can help you recognize patterns in what supports you.
If noticing glimmers feels difficult, that does not mean you are doing it wrong. Stress, trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, or other mental health concerns can make it harder to access safety or ease. Therapy can be a supportive place to explore this with compassion.
Additional Resources
Lauren Baird – Inner Glow Therapy
Lauren Baird is a psychotherapist who gives insightful information around regulating our nervous systems and coping with PTSD and trauma. You can visit her page here.
Anchor Your Anxiety – This weekly group therapy, led by interns Devin Kappie and Hannah Wise, is focused on nurturing yourself through community and receiving practical takeaways to support your mental health. You can sign up here.
Compassionate Affirmation:
“I can slow down and be present in my life. I can notice my glimmers.”
Becoming Anchored in Hope,
Laura
LPC-MHSP, CEDS-C, ACS, NCC
Owner + Director
Laura is committed to guiding individuals along their path to mental wellness and has carefully gathered a team of skilled, knowledgeable, and committed therapists at Anchored Counseling Co. to assist in this mission.
The professionals here create an environment that is supportive and affirmed, informed by an understanding of trauma. At Anchored Counseling Co., there’s a shared belief in the fundamental worth of each person, and therapy is delivered with warmth and empathy. The therapeutic philosophy here is built on the premise that every client has the natural ability to enact meaningful and enduring change in their life.
To connect with a therapist who aligns with your unique needs, please contact our office at 615.510.3797 or contact us here.
If you are exploring glimmers because you are navigating anxiety, trauma, depression, grief, body image concerns, OCD, or another mental health concern, Anchored Counseling Co. offers therapy in Brentwood and the greater Nashville area, with online therapy available throughout Tennessee.
