Glimmers for mental health
You've heard of a trigger, something that can cause extreme distress, sadness or anxiety, but have you heard of a glimmer?
We have all heard of the term trigger or to be triggered. A trigger is a person, place, thing or a situation that can elicit an intense or unexpected emotional response. An example of this could be music. Hearing certain music or an artist could remind you of a past trauma that can trigger a really emotional response such as overwhelming sadness.
We all seem to understand triggers but what about their opposite - glimmers? Glimmers are the absolute opposite of triggers in that they are small moments that spark opposite emotions to triggers such as joy, peace and safety. So as opposed to triggers, a glimmer will have a positive impact on our mental health and wellbeing.
Some common things that act as glimmers for people could be:
- petting or cuddling a pet
- a specific smell, such as flowers or a favourite fragrance
- a moment in nature, such as seeing a rainbow or smelling freshly cut grass
- hearing a favourite song
- eating a favourite food
While triggers can make us feel that we have lost a bit of control, a glimmer can remind us that not being in control is not necessarily a bad thing all the time. You may not recognise at the moment what your personal glimmers are, but try to remind yourself of times when you felt calm, relaxed and what happened at that time or where you were when you had those feelings so you can revisit them.
If we can recognise those small positive glimmer moments, then they can have a beneficial impact on our mind and health and balance out some of the triggers.
The WR team has Conversation Packs for practice managers and owners to help normalise mental health conversations, with all proceeds from the sale of the packs going to support R U OK? prevention of suicide. You can contact us via phone (07) 3872 2222 and email support workplacerelations@amaq.com.au.