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BETWEEN SESSIONS – Look up and see the glimmers · Mental Health Matters

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Mental Health Matters.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Between sessions with me, Dr.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Audrey Tang.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: This is a short reflection on the things that have been playing on my mind this week.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: Today's topic is called Look Up and See the Glimmers.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Dr.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Stephen Porgas brought the term glimmers into psychology, and these are small micro moments in the day that calm the nervous system and remind us that we're okay.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: I want to emphasize the word micro because too often I'm seeing packaged well-being on sites such as LinkedIn, where coaches are promising to transformation for you, to live the dream, or they're promising get the life you always wanted, which is at best selling false hope, and at worst it can be harmful.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: And before someone pulls out a tweet that I've posted similar to that from years back, yes, I thought that way once.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: And yes, I've learned since then, and yes, I've changed my opinion and my practice.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because let's get real.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Life, whether you're a jet setter earning millions or like the rest of us, can be a bit shitty sometimes.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: And before well, you say, oh, before you say the millions help, they do, but only to a point.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: Research has shown that beyond a certain amount, and it is around£55,000, happiness plateaus.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: I should add that, admittedly, problems at 55,000 and above may well be different to 55,000 and below, but they are still problems.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Life has ups and downs.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Life is chaotic, it's imperfect, it's a roller coaster.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: And part of living well is that the lows help us recognize the highs.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: It wouldn't be realistic nor sustainable to have life at the highest peak of joy 24-7.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: But what is incredibly possible is micro-mindset shifts and behaviors that can make life feel good or at least okay.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: And okay is okay.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: So let's start with glimmers.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: A glimmer can be feeling the sun, seeing a rainbow, stroking a pet, being smiled at.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: These are not huge.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: They're not marketable.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: But a good life doesn't have to be.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: It does, however, need to be worked at.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: But a glimmer doesn't need a gratitude diary.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't need formality.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: It just needs to be noticed.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: And sadly, if things aren't great, paying out a load more money to clever marketing promising to change your world is not likely going to help.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: But keeping the money in your pocket and seeing that money, that moment, as a glimmer, whilst looking out for the moments where you can just breathe and say, that is nice.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: That's a practical and healthy start.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not saying don't do therapy, that's a very different thing.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: But if thriving is on your to-do list, thriving starts small.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: And on that note, I mean it when I say okay is okay.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: Nice is okay too.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: Somewhere in the overly saturated well-being market, those words have become a bit vilified.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: So my challenge for you today is to start small.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: Micro even.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: And notice those tiny moments that make you smile.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: I personally think it's not about living the dream, but living a life that's good in reality.