Grateful for the glimmers of goodness

Is North Dakota better off today than it was a year ago?"

That's the question asked by Craig Blumenshine, host of the PBS "Main Street" radio program, to a panel of journalists last week.

"We have no way to go but up," I replied.

The year 2023 was not one of my best, not even close. There were definitely some high points, and I'm grateful for that. Yet, I felt more anxious than I have in years. I'm not alone in that either, as uncertainty about what lay ahead has been all around me lately.

The world is anxious right now. According to the World Health Organization, about four percent of the global population currently experiences an anxiety disorder. In 2019, 301 million people in the world had an anxiety disorder, making anxiety disorders the most common of all mental disorders.

Americans are affected considerably more than the world as a whole. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, anxiety disorders affect over 40 million Americans, or 19.1 percent of the population.

Break the data down by state, and it appears that North Dakota is even higher than the national average. According to Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), an independent non-profit organization focused on national health issues, 30.4 percent of North Dakotans reported symptoms of anxiety or depression in Feb. 2023. That's three out of every 10 people!

While I don't consider myself especially anxious, I do have family members and close friends who live with anxiety and depression. That's why the below quote, which was circulating on Facebook this week, caught my attention.

"Start paying attention to your glimmers. They are the opposite of triggers. They're those little moments of peace or joy that allow our nervous system to feel safe and connected. When you start looking for them, you'll start to find them everywhere."

We are all triggered from time to time, and lately I've experienced more people in my sphere dealing with a variety of triggers. These negative nuggets put us on edge and sometimes cloud our ability to think through tough stuff rationally. It's hard to get past that negativity.

When I find myself under stress and struggling to relax, I typically stick to basic stress-relieving activities. Perhaps you've heard this before: take a deep breath.

I've been doing a lot of deep breathing lately, and apparently even my family has noticed. It's become a part of my daily routine, so I don't even realize when I'm doing it sometimes.

Some people I know diffuse essential oils to help them relax. Some essential oils believed to relieve anxiety are: bergamot, lavender, clary sage, grapefruit and ylang ylang. I love the smell of bergamot, also known as the "prince of citrus." I clean with citrus-scented products because the scent puts me at ease and allows me to appreciate the work I just did.

Many people need medication to alleviate their anxiety, and I'm a firm believer that people need to do what works for them. Yet, did you know that an 8-week program of mindfulness-based stress reduction meditation is known to help reduce anxiety as much as the frequently-prescribed antidepressant Lexapro? That's according to a randomized clinical trial for which results were reported in 2023.

That's why when I saw that quote, it sounded like a technique I could put to use. "Find the glimmers." Readers, it can be anything. A glimmer can be something you do every day to relax, or random things you see or experience that make you smile or relieve your stress. A glimmer can also be something you are looking forward to. It's basically our own personal version of the iHeart Radio program, "Tell Me Something Good." It's one of my favorite radio programs, because it asks listeners to call in and comment about something good in their lives.

In that vein, I asked each person on staff to name one glimmer in their life, and here's what we came up with.

• When my daughter calls me on FaceTime and my two-year-old granddaughter sees me and says, "It's grandma!"

• Looking outside and NOT seeing 2-3 feet of snow on the ground.

• A glimmer for me is when my children are all snuggled up with me after a long day of work.

• A sense of calmness washes over me on a February night, when the frozen roads and yards literally sparkle under the streetlights. It's cold, but that's okay at that moment.

• Coming home to dinner on the table, prepared by my daughter, because she knew it was a busy day for me. I will miss that when she starts her new job next week, which is also a glimmer! Yay for new beginnings.

• My glimmer moments are sometimes found in nature – the beautiful colors in the sunrise and sunset, the frosted trees or a beautiful snow fall in the winter.

Now that's a good start, and I want to hear more. If you see me around town, tell me one of your glimmers. Let's make 2024 one of our best years yet by stockpiling all the glimmers of goodness we find.