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My grandpa, Pops, would at all times attempt to make whoever he was interacting with smile. He would typically seize an innocuous alternative to seize my grandmother’s hand, or sing the barbershop tune befitting the second. If my grandfather took the time to understand these interactions—as I think he did—he was unknowingly on the lookout for “glimmers.” What are glimmers? When you haven’t heard of the mindfulness time period taking up social media, right here’s a quick one-liner: Glimmers are small moments that spark optimistic feelings like pleasure, gratitude, and peace. Mainly, they’re the other of a set off.

Specialists in This Article

Stephanie Harrison

optimistic psychologist and creator of New Completely satisfied: Getting Happiness Proper in a World That’s Received It Unsuitable

The concept has gone viral: There are seemingly thousands and thousands of movies on TikTok about “glimmers” (though there’s one other competing glimmer time period surrounding make-up). On social media, therapists, influencers, and common ol’ folks extoll the advantage of the apply. Some posts, like this “little information to glimmers,” acquired a whole bunch of 1000’s of views. Podcast host and TikTokker Madi B. Webb declared 2024 “the 12 months of glimmers,” whereas creator Sweet Parker has revealed a “Each day Glimmers Journal” ebook and created a supplementary TikTok account @DailyGlimmerJour .

Parker says glimmers “can change your life.” So what’s the cope with glimmers, and how are you going to make discovering them second nature? Forward, some suggestions.

What are glimmers?

Glimmers are small, memorable experiences that occur all through the day. They are often really bizarre—and provides us that slight increase of happiness.

A glimmer could be something: sharing a smile with a stranger, the sensation of heat beneath a blanket, the solar shining in your face. What’s vital is that you simply take the time to delight in these moments. For a glimmer to shine, it’s a must to take note of it.

“As a substitute of letting them cross you by—the best way that we are inclined to due to our negativity bias, or as a result of we’re busy—it’s merely making an attempt to stick with it for 10 or 15 seconds, permitting it to seep into your physique, into your coronary heart, into your mind, and actually totally experiencing it,” says Stephanie Harrison, a former College of Pennsylvania teacher within the psychology of happiness, and the creator of New Completely satisfied.

There are different names for this idea. Harrison refers to “savoring” or “positivity resonance,” that are each effectively studied phenomena proven to extend emotions of happiness and wellbeing. Nevertheless, glimmers could also be catching on as a result of the packaging is so efficient. It’s helpful to have a compelling single phrase time period for a bigger thought. Who doesn’t love the phrase “glimmer”?

What are the advantages of glimmers?

On the lookout for glimmers can fill your day with good vibes, injecting happiness into the mundane. It may additionally assist regulate your nervous system, says Harrison. Taking a conscious second may assist you transition from a cortisol-filled state of struggle or flight.

However the results of glimmers are additionally cumulative, which implies there are long-term advantages, too.

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“It helps by constructing your capability for optimistic feelings, particularly in case you’re recovering from trauma or navigating troublesome experiences,” Harrison says. Noticing one glimmer may also help you discover the subsequent one, and the subsequent one. In terms of your temper, all boats rise collectively.

So whereas glimmers are all about dwelling within the second, it’s a apply that may influence your life as a complete. It’s a short-term funding that pays dividends for long-term happiness.

How do you practice your self to search for glimmers?

When you’re not somebody accustomed to on the lookout for the optimistic, discovering moments of pleasure to savor won’t come so simply.

“It’s a aware option to search for the nice or what’s going proper, and that may be actually powerful, particularly in case you’re coping with a whole lot of challenges or dealing with ache out of your previous,” Harrison says. When you occur to note that the climate is sweet, permit that thought to scrub over you and bloom into appreciation of your environment.

Moreover, despite the fact that glimmering is a phenomenon that’s risen to prominence on social media, you don’t must share these glimmers on-line. Don’t let posting about your glimmer rob you of its results.

Past beginning small and easy, Harrison has just a few different methods she likes to make use of. One is considering what her future self would inform her in that second. What would her future self level out that’s nice about her life?

One other thought is paying it ahead. Like my grandpa Pops, Harrison says that making an attempt to make others pleased will come again to you. She recommends asking your self how one can infuse on a regular basis interactions with compassion and love, even for strangers. You may simply discover that you simply’ll depart these moments glimmering.