Glimmers: Joyful Journaling

If you are looking for a little more hope, joy, and light in your life, journaling about glimmers is a great way to do that.

What is Glimmer?

If you’ve spent any time on the internet you’ve likely heard the term “trigger.” A trigger is something that when we see or hear it, brings up tough feelings. 

A glimmer is the opposite, something that brings up nice feelings and makes us feel good. Warm and fuzzies, if you will. 

Glimmers are important because they remind us the world isn’t a totally awful place.

Here’s an example of a recent glimmer from my life. 

I think its extra important to share this story about my recent glimmer since September is Suicide Prevention Month.

Things have been really stressful the last few weeks. I mean, really stressful. I’ve been struggling. One of my favorite coping skills (in addition to journaling, of course) is reading. My partner had ordered some used books from The Book Haunt (a site that sells used horror, thriller and mystery books that I highly recommend. He offered to let me borrow one since I was looking for a new read. When I opened it up, a very well loved bookmark with tulips on it fell out. 

A used tulip bookmark might seem like such a small thing, but it was exactly what I needed. It brought tears to my eyes.

When I was a teenager I was having a really difficult time and needed to go to the hospital because I wasn’t sure I could keep myself safe. While waiting to be evaluated, an elderly volunteer came into my room and offered me a blanket. He jokingly asked what I was “in for.” I was exhausted and hopeless and I flatly told him that I wanted to kill myself. He paused and thought for a moment, and then asked “why would you want to kill yourself right now? The tulips are out.” 

This was a defining moment for me. He was the only person who hadn’t panicked or shamed me for my feelings. Instead, he offered me his reason for hope. The tulips are out. He gave me a glimmer of hope. I’ve held on to that glimmer throughout my life. I even have a tattoo of a tulip to remind me to have hope. And now here I was having a hard time, and that glimmer came back. A tulip bookmark found its way to me when I needed it. A reminder that not everything is terrible. There are good things in the world, even if they are just tulips.

What do glimmers have to do with journaling? 

If you are anything like me, you probably turn to your journal in times of stress. To be honest, when things are going well, I sometimes forget about my trusty journal and just go about my day. While it’s great to live in the moment and enjoy it, it can be helpful to journal about positives too.

There are 2 ways to journal about glimmers:

1. Write a longer journal entry about something good that happened.

This is a great way to journal about big things that bring you joy.  Here are some prompts to get you started: 

1. What happened? 

2. Who was there? 

3. When did it happen? 

4. Where did it happen? 

5. What did you see? 

6. What did you hear? 

7. What did you taste? 

8. What did you feel? 

9. What emotions did you feel? 

10. What was your favorite part about the experience? 

11. Why do you think it was such a good thing for you? 

12. How has this event affected you going forward

2. Keep a list of glimmers.

This is a great way to journal about the little things that happen that bring you joy.

My partner actually made me a tiny book to keep on my keychain to write glimmers in. That way I always have it with me. You can use a tiny book like this for your list of glimmers, you can start a separate page in your regular journal, or even keep a list in your phone.

Why Journaling About Glimmers Is So Cool.

One of the benefits of journaling your glimmers is that you can go back and read your positive journal entries when you are struggling and they can remind you of the positives. 

Also, and this is super cool; when you write about positive things you are literally rewiring your brain to think more positively. There is research on it! The more positive thoughts you have the more likely you are to have positive thoughts going forward.

We’d love to hear your glimmers! Share positive moments in the comments and brighten someone’s day with your glimmer!

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out. You are not alone and help is available. Here are some resources:

If you are experiencing an emergency call 911 immediately

Call 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to speak with a crisis counselor.

The Trevor Project has great resources, including a hotline, for the LGBTQ community.

You can also check out your local Department of Mental Health Website for local resources. Google your county's name and "Department of Mental Health"

If you are looking for therapy or other support services in New York State, Three Circles Therapy may be able to help.