Triggers vs Glimmers: How to tell the Difference?

We’ve all heard of triggers. It could be the tone of someone’s voice or the expression on someone’s face that instantly makes your stomach drop. Or the specific smell that takes you straight back to a painful memory. Triggers are those moments when your nervous system goes, “Alert! Not safe!” and suddenly you’re tense, guarded, maybe even spiraling before you know it.

But what about their much softer, gentler opposite? That tiny spark of peace when sunlight warms your face? The comfort of your dog curling up beside you? The sound of birds chirping? The way a stranger’s smile makes you breathe just a little easier? Those are glimmers.

If triggers pull us out of calm and into survival mode, glimmers guide us back—reminding our body that safety, joy, and connection still exist, even in small doses.

The funny thing is, most of us can name a long list of triggers, but when I ask people to describe a glimmer, they pause. It’s not because glimmers are rare—it’s because they’re often so subtle we overlook them. We take them for granted. And yet, they’re one of the most powerful tools we have for rewiring our nervous system.

What Are Triggers?

Let’s start with the one most of us already know all too well: triggers.

A trigger is anything—big or small—that sets off an intense emotional or physical reaction. Sometimes it’s obvious, like being criticized by your boss. At other times, it sneaks up on you, like a smell, a sound, a specific expression on someone’s face, or even just a single thought.

Here’s the key: a trigger isn’t just about the present moment. It’s your nervous system linking what’s happening now to something that felt threatening then. It’s like your body saying, “We’ve been here before, and it wasn’t safe.”

That’s why triggers can feel so overwhelming and sometimes even confusing. Your logical brain might be thinking, “Why am I overreacting? This isn’t a big deal.” But your body is already in survival mode—heart racing, breath shallow, muscles tense—because it believes you need protection.

There’s nothing negative about being triggered. It’s a calling to heal our wounds. It’s a calling to self reflect + to get curious about the reaction we are having.

Dr. Nicole LePera

I remember having a strong bodily reaction several times while walking near a place where I had met my ex before. I was shaking just at the thought of seeing him again. At the same time, I felt sick in my stomach and was shivering from my toes to the top of my head. 

This is just an example of how ‘only’ a thought connected to a past event and place (emotion) can trigger such a strong reaction.

Some other common examples of triggers:

Remember that triggers aren’t inherently “bad.” They’re signals from your nervous system meant to protect you. But when they happen often, or your response feels more intense than necessary, they can leave you feeling drained and disconnected.

The good news? If your body can respond strongly to triggers, it can also react to their opposite glimmers.

When a trigger pulls you into survival mode, thinking your way out rarely works. Your body needs support first — which is why I shared practical tools in Somatic Exercises At Home: Simple Daily Practices For Balance to help you regulate your system from the inside out.

What Are Glimmers?

If triggers are the storm clouds, then glimmers are those gentle rays of sunlight that break through.

A glimmer is a small, often fleeting moment that sends your nervous system the message: “You can relax. Life is good right now.” They are cues of safety and joy—sometimes so subtle you might miss them if you’re not paying attention.

Think of the tiny things that make you exhale without realizing:

Glimmers don’t shout for your attention. They invite it. And when you notice them—really pause and let yourself feel them—they can calm your nervous system just as powerfully as a trigger can set it off.

The beauty of glimmers is that they don’t have to be big or dramatic. In fact, they rarely are. They’re hidden in everyday life, waiting for you to notice. The more you practice searching for them, the easier they are to find.

A Little of Science

According to Polyvagal Theory, your nervous system is constantly scanning your environment for cues of danger and safety. Triggers are cues of danger. Glimmers are cues of safety. Both are real, both are valid, and both are part of being human. But in a world that trains us to pay attention to what’s threatening, we often miss the tiny sparks that remind us we’re okay.

That’s why noticing glimmers is such a powerful practice—it’s not about denying pain or pretending everything is fine. It’s about training your nervous system to recognize that alongside the hard stuff, safety and joy also exist.

How to Shift Toward Glimmers

Here’s the truth: you can’t avoid every trigger in life. Stressful moments will happen because that’s life. But what you can do is strengthen your ability, your container to notice glimmers—so that your nervous system has more balance, more safety, and more joy to draw from. Think of it like building a “glimmer container.” The more you use it, the bigger it gets.

1. Notice One Small Glimmer a Day

Start simple: commit to noticing just one glimmer each day. It could be the way the light falls on your desk, the smell of dinner cooking, or your child’s laughter. Pause, let yourself feel it, and even whisper: “This is a glimmer.” Naming it helps your brain register the moment, rather than letting it slip away.

2. Engage Your Senses

Triggers often hijack the body through your senses—so why not use the same pathway for glimmers? It gets easier to focus once we engage our senses.

Ask yourself throughout the day:

• What feels soft or comforting to touch?
• What do I see that’s beautiful or calming?
• What sound makes me smile or exhale?

Your senses are the doorway into glimmer-awareness.

3. Keep a Glimmer Journal

At the end of your day, write down 2–3 glimmers you experienced. They don’t have to be profound—sometimes the tiniest ones are the most powerful. Over time, this builds a personal library of joy and safety that you can look back on when life feels overwhelming.

5. Balance Triggers With Glimmers

When you notice yourself becoming triggered, try to follow it up with a glimmer. For example:

• After a stressful conversation, step outside and feel the air and sun on your skin.
• After a triggering memory, listen to a song that helps you feel grounded.
• After tension in your body, place a hand on your heart and breathe slowly.

Over time, your nervous system learns that stress isn’t the end of the story—safety always follows. Grounding yourself in the present moment and engaging your senses can be very helpful. The idea is to gradually retrain your brain to see that even on difficult days, sparks of safety and joy are still available.

Sometimes recognizing your triggers leads to a deeper question about your capacity, which is why I wrote Am I Too Sensitive or Is My Nervous System Overloaded? for those moments of self-doubt.

✨ Bring this into your daily life
Noticing glimmers becomes easier when you write them down. I’ve created a simple printable Glimmer Journal page to help you capture those small moments of joy and safety each day.

➡️ [Download your free journal page here – ENGLISH]

➡️ [Download your free journal page here – CROATIAN]

The Takeaway

Triggers will always be part of the human experience. They’re your body’s way of saying, “Pay attention—something doesn’t feel safe.” You don’t need to erase them, nor should you feel ashamed of having them. In fact, they’re showing us that our body and mind need attention and healing.

But alongside the heaviness of triggers, glimmers are always present too. They’re the subtle sparks that remind you: “Right now, in this moment, I am okay.” When you learn to notice glimmers—even the smallest ones—you start creating a balance inside yourself. Life isn’t just about managing stress and dodging discomfort. It becomes about savoring joy, connection, and safety, even in fleeting doses.

The shift doesn’t happen overnight. It’s like teaching your brain a new language—at first, you only catch a word here and there. But with practice, you begin to understand more, until one day you realize you’re fluent in noticing beauty, comfort, and safety all around you.

So here’s your gentle invitation: today, look for one glimmer. Pause long enough to feel it in your body. Name it. And tomorrow, look for another.

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