We all have them.
Things that just set us off. And things that light up our soul.
Triggers and Glimmers.
Most of my life I have reacted to triggers. The rest of my life I am choosing to look for the glimmers.
Please don’t think I don’t have triggers. Or that triggers don’t have me. They do. But I have learned something in the last several years about emotions spawned from triggers. Most of my emotional responses are not true. If I take a moment and say to myself, “Why does this make me feel this way? Is this a valid response to what I am experiencing?” Most of the time, the answer is “no.”
I don’t live a life in flight or fear mode anymore, but sometimes my emotional body forgets.
So, I am retraining myself to look for the glimmers of my life. Glimmers are the opposite of triggers. Glimmers bring a sense of joy and safety. I have fewer of these than I do of the triggers, so I have to hunt for them. And when I find one, I immerse myself in the emotions that surround me.
Financial infidelity. Scarcity mentality. Lying by omission. Not following through. Saying one thing and doing another. Anger. Sarcasm. Being used. Being ghosted.
All triggers.
A kind word. A gift. A gracious gesture. Being present. Listening. No-judgement. A smile. Showing up. Lighting a candle. An old quilt.
All glimmers.
I am choosing this year to acknowledge the triggers, but dwell in the glimmers. Easier said than done, certainly. But what if? What if each day we stop being controlled by the negative and started focusing on the positive.
I think that would be lovely.
So, I am going to try.
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