What Are Triggers and Why Should We Understand Them?
So I am going to make an assumption here, but I am guessing that we all know what a trigger is?! If not, put simply, a trigger is something that prompts an internal and perhaps external state of distress. Triggers are personal to each of us, largely shaped by previous life experiences and relationships. They can vary in strength in terms of the amount of distress they trigger and therefore the impact that they have on our moment-to-moment life.
The reason why something becomes a trigger is because our brain wires a stimulus with the corresponding negative experience we had and forms a neural pathway between what that stimulus personally represents and the parts of our brain responsible for our emotional reactions. Some examples include hearing a particular tone of voice, which may remind you of a distressing situation with someone in the past; smelling a smell that was present during a traumatic event; a particular story line in a TV show that is resonant of an unpleasant experience from your past, etc.
Understanding your triggers can be empowering in taking back a sense of ownership over your reactions, and a great way to start doing that is by applying curiosity to your internal and external experience whenever you feel triggered. Try asking yourself:
‘What am I reacting to?’
‘What am I noticing in my body?’
‘What does this situation remind me of, from an earlier time in my life?’
‘How can I soothe myself in this moment?’
These questions are a great start for building greater self-awareness around your triggers.
Whilst understanding your triggers and learning how to manage your reactions to them is vital in maintaining good well-being, this blog post isn’t about triggers…it’s about glimmers!
What Are Glimmers and Why Are They Important?
Have you heard the term glimmer before, in relation to mental health? Is this brand new to you? If so, welcome along, you’re about to learn how to start making micro shifts in your mental health that will add up to much bigger changes.
So, let’s get into it.
What is a glimmer?
A glimmer is the opposite of a trigger. Instead of it prompting an internal state of distress, it prompts an internal state of safety, joy, happiness, love, presence, and/or hope. A glimmer is a small moment, situation, or experience that happens very easily in your day-to-day life.
Why are glimmers important?
Well, simply put, to help us find balance. Our nervous system is biologically programmed to scan every part of our environment for signs of threat or danger, with the sole purpose of keeping us alive. Whilst we can be grateful to our nervous system for this very adaptive function, unfortunately, our brain isn’t great at deciphering the difference between actual threat and perceived threat.
What this means is that even if we are not literally in danger, if our nervous system has come across a trigger, our entire system will react as if we need to do what is necessary to stay alive, likely with a fight-or-flight reaction powered by a rapid release of stress hormones. However, if you are not able to physically discharge the excess energy in your body that the stress hormones produce, your internal experience will be one of anxiety or panic.
For any of us who have struggled with high levels of anxiety, perhaps anxiety attacks or panic attacks, you will know just how debilitating it can be. If this is something you struggle with, there is a myriad of ways of treating, managing, and potentially resolving this, and I would recommend you seek the advice of a qualified mental health professional such as one of our highly qualified psychologists or psychotherapists here at The Bodart Practice (shameless plug, I know!). However, there is something you can do right now that will begin making a difference… becoming more familiar with and tuning in to your glimmers.
Finding and Connecting with Your Glimmers
If you are still unsure what a glimmer is, let me give you some common examples:
The smell of freshly brewed coffee
A clear blue sky
The sound of birdsong
A happy dog loving the simple pleasure of a good stick
Hearing your favourite song
Seeing an old couple walking hand in hand
A stranger smiling at you
A toddler in an adorable rain jacket and wellies splashing in the puddles
A full cherry blossom tree
The stunning colours of autumn
Hearing a loved one’s laughter
…I could go on forever! What from this list do you resonate with? What would be on your list of glimmers? Are you even aware, or do you busily rush through life, with the function of just getting through the day?
If so, the consequence is likely often feeling wired but tired, your mind feeling full, and you looking to what is next on the to-do list rather than being present to what is happening now. These are key signs that there is no balance within your system.
So, let’s start bringing in some balance, starting right now. Wherever you are, take a look around and ask yourself what brings you even the tiniest sense of joy, safety, happiness, love, presence, or hope. Spend a moment sitting in that positive experience, allowing yourself to connect with where in your body you experience it, before continuing to look around to find your next glimmer.
I challenge you to find at least one glimmer no matter where you are…this can even be done on the tube (for those of us living in London, you will know how much of a drag the tube can be!).
Now that you have done that, how do you feel? Do you notice any reduction in stress/anxiety levels, any enhancement in pleasant sensations in your body, any positive shift in your perception? Note this, no matter how small it feels, because to reference a very well-known supermarket, ‘every little helps.’
A Challenge to Embrace Glimmers
Do you want your little shifts to cumulate into big changes? If so, take on this experiment:
For the next 3 days, no matter what environment you are in, set yourself the challenge of listing between 3–5 glimmers.
Make sure to take the time to sit with the pleasurable experience of attending to a glimmer long enough for your system to experience an internal shift.
At the end of those 3 days, review how you are feeling within your well-being compared to before those 3 days.
Let us know how you get on by getting in touch via social media and share with us what your glimmers are!