[OPINION] The concept of glimmers help us find joy and hope in the everyday, but can we rely on them to truly change our lives?

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To put it simply, “glimmers” refer to the experience of small moments of joy and positivity in everyday life. As each experience puts us in a state of peace and happiness, when they accumulate over time, they move us towards hope and a sense of overall well-being.

@shaynateresetaylor I love the idea of focusing on these throughout your day 🤍 what glimmers have you noticed recently? #foryou #glimmer #glimmers #smallmoments #slowliving #slowlivinglifestyle #romanticizeyourlife #intentionalliving #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthawareness ♬ Bird Song – Nature Sounds and Music for Sleep and Relaxation

Glimmers “could be seeing a friendly face, hearing a soothing sound, or noticing something enjoyable in the environment,” clinician and social worker Deb Dana writes in her book Polyvagal Practices: Anchoring The Self in Safety. Glimmers could be laughing with your friends, feeling your pet cuddling up to you, watching a beautiful sunset, or belting out your favorite karaoke song.

Introduced by Dana, “glimmers” is a relatively newly-identified concept rooted in finding hope in the mundane. But why is it suddenly making the rounds on social media? And what do “finding our glimmers” really achieve?

WHY PEOPLE ARE EMBRACING GLIMMERS

@yourmillennialpsych Alam niyo ba ang opposite ng triggers? #LearnItOnTikTok #triggers #glimmers ♬ original sound – Riyan Portuguez, RPsy, RPm

The concept of glimmers has been spreading across social media, among the many concepts relating to health and well-being that make their way into the collective consciousness of the chronically online and even beyond—for better or for worse.

Dana writes that people pay more attention to negative events than positive ones, but being introduced to the concept of glimmers allows us to be aware of them and their possibilities, and in turn, we start to look for more. As stressors increase in our ever-so-chaotic world, it makes sense that we cling onto things that can make the days just that much brighter.

HOW GLIMMERS CAN HELP OUR WELL-BEING

@realtalk.therapist Replying to @Mary Petrie have you heard of TRAUMA GLIMMERS? #traumatok #traumatiktok #couplestherapy #therapytok #healingtok #therapistsontiktok #traumatized ♬ CUFF IT – Beyoncé

The more we are made aware of the glimmers, the more we look for them, and the more they can, albeit slightly, change our days. They can help, and they can heal. Glimmers can remind us that in this difficult life, there are still good things. It’s a beautiful sentiment, really. Finding joy in the small things helps us keep going. You could say you had a good day simply because something funny happened to your friend, or because you took a walk and the sunshine made everything golden.

Glimmers ground and bring us to what Dana calls a “ventral state,” in which life seems more manageable: “We see options, have hope, and hear new stories. We connect to ourselves, to others, to the world around us, and to Spirit. We are regulated and ready to engage.” This aspect of glimmers implicitly highlights the inherent connection we have to things beyond ourselves.

Finding glimmers, holding them close, allows us to find the good and face our days with a strength rooted in hope.

A SOLUTION TO EVERYTHING?

@jodie.melissa Some wellness trends that it’s time to deinfluence… #deinfluencer #deinfluencing #toxicwellnessculture #toxicwellness ♬ original sound – jodie.melissa

These days, more and more concepts surrounding well-being are being identified and embraced on social media in attempts to find genuine joy and peace during a time when everything just feels like it’s falling apart.

There are, of course, arguments against the ever-increasing concepts of wellness in favor of criticism and action against systemic issues. On one hand, prevalent skepticism in TikTok health and wellness culture is perfectly understandable. Discussion has even sparked on if wellness culture, exacerbated by social media, is going too far. The lack of infrastructure for health and well-being also forces us to find our own ways to go on with our days.

Further, the onus of well-being often falls on the individual—we just have to accept that life is hard. We just have to stay resilient. Isn’t that such a familiar sentiment? But for how long can we accept things as they are and not collectively try and make things better?

MOVING US FORWARD

@theholisticpsychologist Glimmers ☀️ #selfhealers #glimmers #healingtiktok #healingjourney ♬ Chill Day – LAKEY INSPIRED

On the other hand, many also argue in favor of pursuing mental wellness and well-being. You can’t ignore your mental and psychological well-being and live in despair, burning yourself out trying to change a world seemingly wanting to bring you to your knees.

It’s difficult to think of it as an either-or situation. We can’t expect finding glimmers will cure our mental illnesses or solve the problems of someone who’s trying to make ends meet, but we also can’t live out our days believing there’s no hope left. Dana even tells Newsweek that glimmers don’t take away the trauma or the suffering, but it’s a reminder that our biology can hold all that pain and still, we can experience sparks of joy.

There’s no harm in finding and experiencing glimmers, and there’s no harm in using all that hope to carry us forward.

As social media, in particular, lays bare the complexity of humanity, there is definitely a space in the world for us to find our glimmers and find joy in our days, while still refusing to take things as they are and pushing for something better.

Continue Reading: What Viral Game Monopoly GO! Has Taught Me About Humanity

Monopoly GO! is revealing quite a bit about people with the way they play the game.

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If you’ve been sent a link that says “Play MONOPOLY GO! with me” and completely ignored it because of how scammy it looks, you’re not alone. But don’t worry, it’s legit. And if you give the game a chance, we guarantee you’ll find yourself rolling dice, collecting stickers, and leveling up buildings for hours on end.

WHAT IS MONOPOLY GO?

@monopolygo #rollforriches #monopolygo #monopoly ♬ original sound – monopolygo

Monopoly GO! is a recent viral game adaptation of the classic board game Monopoly and just as fun—if not more. Essentially, you get dice rolls to spend on trying to earn enough money to level up “landmarks” on each level or board on the map (there are over 100 boards!).

You can land on all the classic Monopoly tiles like the street property tiles, where you earn a certain amount of money, “chance” tiles where you get certain advantages, the “Go To Jail” tile where you have to roll doubles to get out or you lose money, the Railroad tiles where you can either destroy someone else’s landmark or steal money from their bank, and more.

@monopolygo how to play #monopolygo #monopoly #gamingtips ♬ original sound – monopolygo

The game is well-made with stunning art and clever themes. It’s also interactive enough to begin and end friendships, what with the various features that allow players to play with each other, whether or not they’re in-game friends, such as being able to collect and trade “stickers”—art cards of various rarities used to complete sticker albums for prizes.

In the months I’ve played and seen my friends and strangers online play, I’ve learned quite a few things about people. And while they might just be biased observations or sweeping generalizations, I’ve gained an interesting look at humanity through how Monopoly GO! has permeated our lives.

We love being rewarded.

@monopolygo how to do it fa$t #monopolygo #luxurylifestyle #rollforriches ♬ original sound – monopolygo

It’s a given. But a large part of why Monopoly GO! is so addicting is the amount of rewards to be earned—large sums of money, dice rolls, and collectible stickers among others. Successful games are those that make players continue to play because there’s always something to look forward to, whether it’s new themes or more rewards.

So, when we’re given a goal with sure rewards, we most likely will do anything to complete it—even spend actual money. I haven’t done it, but I’m sure so many have. The game is pretty generous with its rewards, never too little that you want to stop playing, but never too much that you think it’s easy. Plus, it lets us live out our dreams of being rich enough to buy and renovate properties.

We enjoy a bit of friendly competition (and revenge).

@monopolygo betrayal deep! #monopolygo #monopoly ♬ original sound – monopolygo

A genius feature Monopoly GO! introduced is being able to interact with other players. Tap-and-win games like this one don’t usually have such interaction. When a player lands on a Railroad tile, they can either “Heist” from a player the game chooses and steal their money, or attempt to wreck the landmark of a player they choose (which they then have to fix with game money).

It’s a lot of fun when you’re the one committing the offense, but when someone I knew from high school targeted my landmark fifteen times in a row, it wasn’t as fun. It’s hilarious to do it to someone else, though. Maybe we’re all just predisposed to harmlessly messing around with each other.

People have very different perspectives on how to play the game.

@alyssabsharma Its rough out here yall 😩 #monopolygo #scammers #stevecarrell #games #capcut #monopoly #stickers ♬ ROCKSTAR – DaBaby, Roddy Ricch

In my early days of playing, giving away stickers for free if someone needed it was a no-brainer. Then one day, when I needed a four-star sticker (stickers range from 1 to 5 stars), I asked my friend and to my surprise, they said, “How badly do you want it?”

They eventually promised the sticker to me free of anything in exchange if I didn’t get it from the game after a certain time, but it was the first out of many moments that led me to realize how self-serving we can end up being as people. Even I have fallen victim to thinking that I need something equal or equivalent in exchange for a sticker or else I gain nothing.

People have been selling virtual stickers for up to P300, and that’s just locally. People have also been scammed out of a trade by not sending over a sticker after someone else has sent theirs. An economy of stickers has emerged from this game, and it’s making me wonder if we need to reexamine our values and the mindset we put ourselves in that we have to get to the next level or win the big rewards without having to lose anything, not even the fewest stars. Because what does that say about us as a society, truly?

But when it gets down to it, we do like helping each other.

@monopolygo PSA ! #monopolygo #psa #rollforriches #monopoly ♬ original sound – monopolygo

There is an official Monopoly GO! trading group on Facebook, and countless trades and gifts have occurred across all social media platforms. I’ve had people send me several stickers I needed all at once with no expectation of anything in return, and I enjoy simply giving what someone needs when they need it. A community has risen out of a single-player game, and while we can complete albums and build our empires alone, it’s easier and far more fun to work together.

Try it out for yourself: download on iOS or Google Play and get started on collecting the newly-released album of stickers! Who knows, you might end up being an angel who gives stickers freely or a ruthless, by-any-means-necessary type of tycoon. And then maybe ask yourself what the way you play says about you.

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