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“The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.” ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn

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My life changed the day I began harvesting the power of glimmers.

What are these life-altering glimmers, you ask? Quite simply, glimmers are the micro-moments of joy, peace, safety, or connection we all experience but often fail to notice, acknowledge, or reflect upon in daily life.

Though I happened upon the expression “glimmers” in a viral TikTok video in 2022, Deb Dana first coined the term in her 2018 book The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy, an evolution from her work with distinguished neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Porges who developed the Polyvagal Theory (PVT) in 1994.

Porges’ theory offered a new perspective on how the autonomic nervous system influences behavior, emphasizing the role of the vagus nerve in mediating our physiological responses to safety and threat. He proposed that the vagus nerve is involved in a hierarchical system that regulates our responses to stress and social engagement. Over time, PVT has evolved to encompass various aspects of human behavior and has been applied in clinical settings to help individuals understand and manage their physiological responses to stress and trauma.

Dana, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and renowned expert in applying PVT in therapeutic settings, champions glimmers as “micro-moments that begin to shape our system in very gentle ways.” I’ve unquestionably found this to be the case and now shout from the rooftops about the power of glimmers every opportunity I find.

You see, mental health is a topic near and dear to my heart. I inherited a tendency toward depression from my mother’s side of the family, a trait exacerbated by a less-than-ideal childhood. I’d be the first to admit I’ve struggled to rise above my genetics and environmental influences at times. Still, I’ve always found a way to do just that.

When I first heard the term “glimmers,” I was captivated by the concept and the purported benefits that could be realized by adopting a consistent habit of recognizing, acknowledging, and reflecting on them.

As I tend to do when enthralled by the discovery of new information, I promptly descended the proverbial rabbit hole to learn as much as I could about glimmers, what they are (i.e. micro-moments of joy, peace, safety, or connection), why they’re important (i.e. they help counteract stress and anxiety, shifting the nervous system toward a state of calm and social engagement), and how they affect our nervous system, sense of happiness, and overall mental health (i.e. they engage the parasympathetic response, specifically the ventral vagal complex).

In doing so, it occurred to me that glimmers had been serving me well since long before PVT was put forth by Stephen Porges in 1994 or the term “glimmers” was coined by Deb Dana in 2018. I realized that during the most difficult phase of my childhood glimmers had seen me through.

I’d gotten through those years collecting and reflecting on the glimmers—the sparks of joy, happiness, safety, calm, and so on.

I’d unearthed glimmers in the sense of accomplishment I found in writing, the joy I experienced listening endlessly to music, the happiness I knew would someday be mine once I finally turned 18 and could marry David Cassidy. (If you’re under 50, Google him.) I hit upon them while performing well in school and sports.

Having made that connection, I couldn’t help but wonder what an appreciation of glimmers might do for me as an adult who at times struggles with depression and anxiety. And so it was that, while initially imperfect in my discipline, I began making a conscious effort to look for glimmers as I went through daily life.

Armed with my newfound knowledge, though, I knew it wouldn’t be enough to just find the glimmers. I needed to acknowledge and appreciate them, carry them in my mind throughout the day, and reflect on them at night before bed to gain the full benefits of a glimmer-hunting lifestyle.

So, when I noted a glimmer, rather than letting it fleetingly slip away, I made sure to pause and let the sensation linger a bit, much in the way one might savor that last delicious bite of dessert. In doing so, I extended the positive effects of the glimmer, enjoying the feeling of glee, calm, peace, warmth, or similarly positive emotion for just a wee bit longer than I otherwise would have.

And then I incorporated the habit of glimmer journaling at night. I had a notebook in which I’d scribble down the glimmers I’d found each day shortly before crawling into bed each night. I knew that, based on the research, this element was key if I were to realize the full range of benefits the neuroscience of glimmers offered.

Over time, my glimmer-hunting and glimmer-appreciation practice paid dividends—the neuroscience proved true as noticing, acknowledging, and, critically importantly, writing about my glimmers at night activated the brain’s reward system and strengthened the neural pathways associated with positive emotions.

In closing, I want to be exceptionally clear that, even having adopted a regular glimmers practice and reaped significant mental health benefits therefrom, I periodically continue to avail myself of the services of an amazing mental health practitioner. I’m most assuredly not here to tell anyone that glimmers are a Swiss Army knife for serious mental health issues. But what I do know is that when I set out in the morning with the deliberate intention of spotting glimmers, I am noticeably happier, less anxious, more relaxed, and sleep far, far better at night.

So, what do you think? Are you ready to give glimmer-hunting a try?

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