Glimmers of Hope

I read a fantastic article in Breathe magazine this month called ‘Glimmers of Hope’ written by Kerry Dolan.

Each week in my volunteering slot at the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice, I will start out by sharing a few thoughts that are front of mind… there’s normally a story of some sort with a takeaway… or sometimes it’s just a few tales of my adventures that week… before I proceed into a mindfulness meditation for the group.

Well, I shared a few snippets from this magazine article and it was really well received.

Glimmers is a term coined by Deb Dana, a clinician, consultant and lecturer specialising in complex trauma.

“While triggers are widely understood as signals to the nervous system of a potential threat, fewer people have heard of their opposite. Glimmers cue feelings of safety and calm. They are… ‘micro-moments of goodness’”.

Humans are wired to focus on the negative - and the reason for this is to ensure our survival. As a result we’re more likely to be aware of triggers than we are glimmers.

However, “identifying and cultivating [the moments] that best soothe and satisfy you can help to bring moments of calm into even the most chaotic of times.”

If you’re open to journalling, you could have a ponder over these prompts that Kerry included in her article:

Who makes you feel safe and calm?

What activities bring you to a place of bliss? These can be micro-moments, for example, one of mine is slipping into fresh bed sheets!

Where do you experience a sense of awe, magic or peace?

When have you felt pure joy?

Let me know in the comments if you’d heard of the word ‘glimmer’ being used this way before… it was certainly new to me.