It’s easy to chart those massive, joyous moments in your life. You land the job you really, really wanted. You go on holiday and see a truly beautiful landscape. You get married.

But the reality is that the majority of our days are not spent on these big momentous things. As a result, we can’t let our happiness depend on big moments of joy alone… otherwise, we’d spend most of our time feeling pretty miserable. Instead, we need to look out for microjoys and spend time really appreciating them. But not just microjoys – also moments of calm, quiet and comfort.

These are ‘glimmers’, a term that you’ve likely seen popping up all over social media. A ‘glimmer’ is a concept coined by Deb Dana, a social worker, and essentially describes the opposite of a trigger. While a trigger kicks off negative thoughts and emotions – fear, anxiety, depressive spirals – a glimmer sparks positive ones. You might see a glimmer and feel happy, comforted, safe or calmed.

Glimmers are small but have a big impact on your mental health – here’s how to spot them