INSPIRATION
You Deserve a Glimmer Factory
Dogs Are the Key
As a student of life I am constantly thinking about why we do what we do. Not surprisingly, as a dog person and a dedicated dog dad, why we welcome dogs so willingly and completely into our homes is a particular head scratcher.
Dogs are loud, dirty, and often smell like a bag of Fritos…or worse. So why do we not only surround ourselves with them, but many times incorporate them into every aspect of our lives?
I found the answer in the study of triggers and glimmers. According to Theodora Blanchfield, “When the brain is triggered, it associates past traumatic events as if they’re happening right now, leading to the brain and body being on high alert. Symptoms like rapid heartbeat might occur within the body as the flight-or-fight response occurs.”
In other words, triggers are those experiences that can send our day down an aggravating spiral. Think back to your last bad mood, and you can probably link it to at least one trigger.
Glimmers, on the other hand, are miraculous seratonin boosters. They elevate your mood, making you feel more connected to the world and happier with and more in control of your role in it.
According to Rebecca Graves, “Glimmers can be defined as any positive experience or stimulus that generates feelings of joy, happiness, or overall well-being. They act as powerful emotional and psychological catalysts, counterbalancing the negative impact of triggers and stressors in our lives.”
Unlike triggers, which we can trip over at every turn, it takes some work to identify glimmers. Fortunately for us dog lovers though, petting a dog (or cat) is one of the most universal glimmers. Dogs exist to boost our serotonin, and with the possible exception of an amazing sunset, they do so better than just about anything.
When you live with a dog, you live in a glimmer factory. Every dirty carpet, smelly bed, and torn up pillow is counterbalanced by their inherent ability to improve your outlook on the day ahead.
Perhaps the best news is that if you don’t live with one, they’re everywhere. Take a walk, touch a dog, and you’ll have experienced the first glimmer of a suddenly better day.
