Finding glimmers of good even when life feels heavy

Why do we struggle to celebrate the small wins?

by Sahira Dharamshi, Freelance writer and Founder of A Blog For Days

So often, we’re quick to overlook our daily achievements. We put ourselves down and convince ourselves they’re not a big deal, or not something worth celebrating. We move from one step to the next without pausing to acknowledge our progress, always focused on the bigger goal. Even when we finally reach it, the satisfaction might be short lived before gearing up to start pursuing the next milestone. 

But imagine how much more meaningful each achievement would be if we allowed ourselves to appreciate all the steps (big and small) we had to take to get to where we are. If a friend shared their achievements, we’d be quick to celebrate and recognise their progress. Perhaps it's time to

show ourselves the same compassion, and enjoy all the little moments life has to offer.

That’s why I started my new Substack series ‘Well, On The Brightside’. Every week, it prompts me to recognise the little wins, or little glimmers as I like to call them. Six to seven things or moments that made me think, “Maybe it’s not been such a terrible week.” "Maybe I am still making a little progress." It's also said that looking for the good can help us cope with stress, better our overall wellbeing, and many more benefits.

It all began when difficult days turned into woeful weeks, where even minor inconveniences were knocking me off balance. Eventually, I found myself stuck. I was caught in a constant negative spiral and viewing the world through a bleak lens. That's when I thought, enough is enough. I needed to shift my thought patterns.

It’s normal to get deterred. We all get knocked off track and say to ourselves, okay, it’s fine I’ll get back up. Then it happens again, and this time we let out a sigh of frustration as we pick ourselves up, thinking, I’m really being tested. Until some other unfortunate event occurs and we lose all hope of a productive week, counting down the days for the weekend...and it’s only a Tuesday. 

We might write the week off entirely, simmering in frustration, and if you’re anything like me, the inner critics are running rampant! But what if we reframed our thinking? What if we acknowledged that our plans might have been completely derailed, but we’re still going to make the most out of the week by appreciating the little moments (no matter how hard we need to search for them)?

Maybe it’s a great cup of coffee, catching up with a friend, or tackling even part of your to-do list. Whatever it is, recognition is important. Recognition of the hidden beauties around us, and within ourselves.

Who knows, it might even push you to try new things and carve out time for joy during the week. I know it certainly has for me. I’ve started my tennis classes again, and I now applaud myself for stepping away when overwhelm starts to creep in. When I feel like everything is going wrong, taking the time to find these six or seven glimmers, shifts my perspective. It’s often in these moments I realise so much has also gone right. 

Don’t get me wrong, things aren’t always radiating positivity, nor is everything sunshine and golden. While it's important to focus on the good, it’s just as important to allow yourself to feel the emotions that come with setbacks and disappointments. Don’t hide from them or push them away, but also, don’t let yourself stay stuck. If you look closely enough, you’ll find a key takeaway or important lesson waiting to be acknowledged and celebrated.  If the grey clouds are hovering too long, ask yourself to find three bright spots. You might just see the sunlight starting to peek through.

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