The Relentless School Nurse: Coping with Stress – Embrace Glimmers in Challenging Times

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As school nurses, our days are a whirlwind of responsibilities: addressing student health needs, adapting to ever-changing protocols, and striving to keep everyone safe. Lately, that whirlwind has felt more like a storm—especially after a deeply disappointing presidential election. The combination of professional demands and personal disillusionment left me in a constant state of high alert, overwhelmed by stress and searching for a way to cope.

The Perfect Storm of Stress

Each day brings new challenges, from managing student health concerns to navigating conversations around public health policies that seem increasingly divisive. On top of that, the election results struck a chord deeper than political differences—they felt like a rejection of values I hold dear: gun violence prevention research, equity in education, access to healthcare, and protections for our most vulnerable.

That disappointment compounded the stress I was already carrying, pushing me to a breaking point. Traditional coping mechanisms weren’t enough anymore. My nervous system felt stuck in overdrive, and I needed a way to find calm amid the chaos.

Discovering Glimmers

That’s when I stumbled upon the concept of glimmers. Introduced by Deb Dana through Polyvagal Theory, glimmers are micro-moments of joy, safety, or connection that help us reset. Unlike triggers, which activate stress, glimmers invite us to pause, breathe, and reconnect with feelings of calm and hope. Glimmers aren’t about ignoring challenges or slapping a bandage on pain—they’re about reminding ourselves that even in the darkest times, light exists. For someone like me, who often scans for threats in every corner, glimmers offered a way to start seeking moments of peace instead.

The Basic Glimmer Practice helps you learn to notice and name glimmer moments – to stop and feel the spark of joy a glimmer brings.

See:  What are the cues that you have found a glimmer? What happens in your body that lets you know you are in a glimmer moment? What do you do when you feel that spark of energy? What thoughts arise?  What emotions do you feel? 

Stop:  Now that you know the cues, use them to notice glimmers as you move through your day.  Glimmers happen regularly, but because they are micro-moments you need to be on the lookout for them. Look for predictable glimmer moments in specific places, with particular people, at certain times. Find the ways glimmers routinely appear.  Be open to the unpredictable glimmers that may also appear.  When you recognize one of the cues you identified, stop and find the glimmer. 

Appreciate: Create an easy way to acknowledge a glimmer as it happens. You might repeat a simple phrase or make a small movement (perhaps your hand on your heart or a finger pointing toward the glimmer) each time you find a glimmer. Notice all the different feelings your glimmers bring.   Spend several seconds in appreciation letting the glimmer land in your system.

Remember:  Find ways to keep track of your glimmers.  Experiment with ways to build your collection and create a personal glimmer library. 

Share:  When you share your glimmers with someone else, they come alive again in the remembering and retelling. You might text your glimmers to a friend or make talking about daily glimmers a family ritual. You could find a glimmer buddy or create a glimmer group.

– Deb Dana – Rhythm of Regulation

A Message to My Fellow Caregivers

If you’re feeling disheartened by the weight of your responsibilities or the state of the world, know this: Your stress is valid. Your disappointment is real. But so is your capacity to find moments of peace and hope.

Glimmers reminds us that joy and connection still exist, even amid challenges. By intentionally seeking these moments, we can nurture our mental health, sustain our energy, and continue showing up for our students, families, and communities.

One Glimmer at a Time

This journey isn’t about perfection; it’s about progress. There are still days when anxiety threatens to overwhelm me, but glimmers have become a tool to help me find balance.

Let’s support one another in seeking light during these challenging times. Together, we can build resilience—not by ignoring what’s hard, but by embracing what’s good.

So, what’s one glimmer you’ll notice today?

Let’s keep the conversation going—share your glimmers in the comments below and inspire others to find their own moments of light.