Stressed? Anxious? All of the above? The good news is that there are endless glimmers of hope to look for throughout the day. Coined by licensed clinical social worker Deb Dana, “glimmers” refers to small, ordinary moments that spark feelings of happiness and joy — and, consequently, an inner sense of peace. To learn more, we spoke to Dana ourselves. Here’s what she had to say…

Q: What was your last glimmer? 

I have a hummingbird that keeps coming to my deck. And I was sitting there this morning with my coffee, feeling a bit overwhelmed by my day, when the hummingbird came by for a visit. He came and went, but that was a glimmer for me. 

Q: How did you come up with the term?

My clinical work was always with trauma survivors. And in therapy, we spend a lot of time working with the activating events — or, the events that bring our clients to treatment in the first place. It’s something which we certainly should be focused on. But it felt like we were missing the moments of okayness or the moments of feeling regulated, which also happen for all of us, even those with the most trauma-saturated lives.

Q: What are some of the benefits of noticing glimmers?

Glimmers are all around us, but we miss them if we’re not on the lookout for them or if we can’t recognize them. I want to be [clear] that finding glimmers doesn’t discount the challenges in your life … It doesn’t [just] take care of all that … But it does help. As we spot glimmers, we have a tendency to look for more of them. They come in, they find a landing spot, and they begin to accumulate … And we begin to have a sense that other things are possible, that maybe the world isn’t as dark a place as I imagine it to be. 

Q: As you probably know, glimmers have become pretty popular on social media. Why is it resonating right now?

It’s something that feels accessible to everyone. It’s not a big, long practice. It’s something that’s easy to find in your world ... Plus, from my 9-year-old granddaughter to my colleagues, glimmers span all ages. So maybe that’s also why — it’s not limited to any group. Not to mention that our world is a pretty challenging place. And there’s [this] experience that anyone can access, regardless of who they are and where they live.