Collecting Glimmers: A Hobby that Supports the Health of your Nervous System

Glimmers are the opposite of triggers. They are the moments we encounter throughout the day that tell us that we're safe, and that help us feel more connected, confident, and at ease.

Seeing a friendly face; listening to a song you love; catching a glimpse of a cute dog; smelling something delicious baking; noticing the beauty of the stars shimmering in the night sky...

Any moment that is pleasing, no matter how tiny, can help our nervous systems move out survival-mode, back toward regulation and resiliency.

Taking time to notice glimmers takes effort. In fact, it takes much more  effort than is required to notice cues in the environment that point toward potential danger. We tend to notice signs of danger much more easily-- and sometimes over-zealously! That's because human beings are biologically wired to have a negativity bias.

As you might imagine, this negativity bias is useful for survival purposes. If we're out strolling around in grizzly country, we want our internal radar to be sharply attuned toward any sign that a bear might be nearby. However, this tendency to notice potential danger can sometimes be overpowering,  making it hard for us to register the cues that tell us when we're safe. If we're not registering cues of safety, our nervous system will be unlikely to let us feel fully at ease-- which paradoxically means that we're even less likely to notice those cues of safety in the first place. It can become a vicious cycle, and this cycle is a defining characteristic of a trauma response. 

However, the more the more we take the time to consciously notice glimmers, the more we interrupt this cycle and strengthen the neural pathways that lead us toward greater regulation.

The more we strengthen those neural pathways, the easier they are to traverse next time.

We can collect glimmers by taking note of them as they occur throughout the day. One possibility is to set a daily goal for how many glimmers you'd like to spot. Set yourself up for success by choosing a goal that's bite-sized and doable. One or two a day is a great place to start.

Moment by moment, one glimmer at a time, we can literally reshape the structure of our nervous systems.