One of the best things about working as therapist in Conifer is the view from my office. I’m just off Hwy 285, but my window looks out over a mountain meadow, replete with aspen and pine trees and high grasses.
Last Saturday, as I was preparing to close my blinds for a telehealth therapy session I saw a dark shape move behind the trees. I routinely see both deer and birds, but this looked large enough that my first thought was, “Bear!”. As I watched, spell bound, I instead saw a gorgeous female moose appear in the light, followed by a goofy and joyful baby.
Mama Moose!
The sweet baby
When we’re managing mental health concerns like depression, anxiety, or the aftermath of trauma, it can be really hard to notice the positive things around us. In fact, if I’m in one of those states and someone says something like, “Just look at the bright side!” I’m going to probably feel a bit rageful. And yet- nervous system research shows that taking notice of ‘glimmers’ of joy can be deeply healing.
Our nervous system is consistently subconsciously scanning for threats, especially those that remind us of difficult things from our past. It does this automatically to help protect us (if the moose HAD been a bear, I would want my nervous system to notice that!), but it can have the downside of making us pass over just how many wonderful things are out there too. So, it can be helpful to intentionally practice taking note of the small things that bring delight. The smell of coffee first thing in the morning. The way steam looks rising from a mug of tea. Birdsong. And sometimes- a moose appearing out of the wilderness where you’ve never seen one before.
Each of these is a glimmer of safety. A glimmer of joy. A moment that can briefly lift the heaviness of depression, or allow the constant worries of anxiety to fade. A counterbalance to a trauma trigger.
Sometimes they show up spontaneously, like the moose. The more we purposefully seek them out, the more we find them. And the more glimmers we can experience, the more resilience we can feel when the world appears heavy otherwise.