Glimmers of hope
Glimmers, unlike triggers, bring you joy and help find happiness in everyday life. We ask people what their daily glimmers are.
By : Kakoli Mukherjee
Update: 2025-01-02 07:52 GMT
The dictionary describes 'glimmer' as a faint, wavering light, but in mental health parlance, it could be the difference between a good day and a bad one. Glimmers are brief moments of pleasure or positive feeling that come from everyday experiences. While daily triggers can affect your mood adversely, glimmers do the opposite. They help redirect a negative state of mind into a positive path, and help one find joy in the mundane.
One for the road
Cozy in camper van
My camper van is my source of glimmer. For me, it was a fulfillment of my childhood dream. It helps me bond with nature and live a minimalist life on the road. I had this dream of having a house on the roads for 12 years. Whenever I feel stuck or am in need of a change in air, I hit the roads with my van. This is something that never fails to lift my mood, and it helps me look at the bright side of life. It took me seven months to put together this vehicle that has all housing and transportation facilities, and it is worth every minute I put into it."
- Harshvardhan Rane, actor
Driving to happiness
"Whenever I feel low or need a break, I take my bike or car and drive without any particular destination in mind. I make pit stops wherever I like and let my mind guide me. My favourite places to wander in are the Western Ghats, Nallamalla, and a few forest areas in Godavari district. My seemingly directionless escapades on the road help me reorganise my thoughts and come back home in a positive frame of mind. Driving, indeed, is my glimmer."
– Ram Miriyala, singer and songwriter
Mindful joy
Whatever we focus on becomes our reality, be it positive or negative, because our nervous system reacts to what we pay attention to. Being mindful increases the chances of bringing into awareness those fleeting moments of joy.
For me, when clients come with their children, their smiles and innocence instantly make me smile. Those are glimmers for me. Similarly, I enjoy looking at the changing colours of the sky, the shapes of clouds, and flowers in my garden, and feeling the morning breeze
If I am in an environment that is otherwise unpleasant, I try to search for things that are different. A child playing in the dirt immediately brings up the thought that one can be happy anywhere; a passerby whistling an old melody, a well-dressed woman, they are all glimmers for me.
If I am in an environment that is otherwise unpleasant, I try to search for things that are different. A child playing in the dirt immediately brings up the thought that one can be happy anywhere; a passerby whistling an old melody, a well-dressed woman, they are all glimmers for me.
– Dr Jyoti Kapoor, Senior Psychiatrist, founder-director Manasthali - Mental Health and Wellness Services