Feeling Stressed? Getting to Know Your ‘Glimmers’ Could Help
Your glimmers are the opposite of your triggers, and they’re equally as important to understand.
What makes you feel on edge? What makes you feel relaxed? What makes you feel withdrawn? Every experience you have throughout the course of your day has an impact on your physiology, and, consequently, on your mood and mental state.
Deb Dana, a clinician, consultant, and lecturer specialising in complex trauma, uses the term ‘triggers’ to describe experiences that make you feel anxious or withdrawn - and ‘glimmers’ to describe experiences that make you feel safe and connected.
The concept of triggers and glimmers exists within Polyvagal theory, which was developed by Dr. Stephen Porges in the 1990s. Being able to recognise both triggers and glimmers in your daily life is an incredible life skill and can be a game-changer for your mental health.
Here’s the Science
You may not realise it, but as you walk around in the world each day, your nervous system is constantly scanning your environment for cues: Should I be careful here? Is this a dangerous situation? Is this person safe?
To do this, the nervous system is using something called ‘neuroception’ – a ‘sixth sense’ that operates out of our conscious awareness – to scan situations and people to determine if they are safe or dangerous.
When our nervous system senses triggers - cues for danger - we have a stress response and the fight-flight-freeze reaction kicks into gear. When our nervous system senses glimmers - cues for safety – we enter something called the ‘social engagement mode’, where we feel safe, calm and relaxed.
Identifying Your Triggers and Glimmers
Everyone’s triggers and glimmers are different, and it can take some time to learn what yours are. But once you have the awareness, you’ll be better prepared for the things that send you into a threat response and you’ll be in a position to set up cues of safety throughout your day.
TRIGGERS:
Triggers are people, places, things or situations that create a sense of danger.
Triggers activate the nervous system defenses of fight, flight or freeze.
Everyone has different triggers. Some examples of triggers might include: Raised voices; a bill you can’t pay; watching the news; certain social media posts; deadlines; a worrying thought; being ignored.
Triggers are typically the easiest to identify because they produce very noticeable physiological reactions
It may not seem like we are doing much when we identify our triggers, but it is a very clear way to move ourselves from “this is just how I act and behave” to “I can anticipate and predict my actions when certain things happen to and around me.”
GLIMMERS:
Glimmers are experiences, interactions, or resources that help us feel safe, connected, present and settled.
Glimmers can help calm the nervous system and return us to a regulated state.
Everyone has different glimmers. Some examples of glimmers might include: Comforting words from a friend; a cuddle with a pet; a favourite tv show; the sun on your face; time alone in the morning; listening to music; dinner with your partner.
Glimmers can be harder to identify than triggers because the physiological responses can be subtle and conscious attention is needed to catch them. They can be experienced as feeling safe and peaceful and having a general sense of ‘everything is OK’
The Bottom Line
Identifying your triggers and glimmers won’t stop you from you from experiencing the fight/flight/freeze responses. These systems are beautifully designed to protect us and keep us safe. But being in tune with what sends us into a threat response and what pulls us towards safety and connection can help us feel more in control when the difficult moments inevitably happen.
As Dana says, “Well-being is not simply the absence of problems, but also the presence of strengths.”
