Glimmers & Toxic Positivity
Fill the gap:
"After a long, stressful day, I like to ___ by reading or taking a slow walk."
✅ unwind
Guess the phrase by emoji
🍋 ➡️ 🍹
✅ When life gives you lemons, make lemonade
Guess the phrase by emoji
🔔 🤔
✅ (that) rings a bell
Guess the phrase by emoji
📺 🍿 🌙 (all night)
✅ binge-watch a TV show / watch in one sitting
Guess by emoji
🐱 👜 💨
✅ let the cat out of the bag
Paraphrase the highlighted part:
"She kept telling me I was imagining things and remembering it all wrong, until I started doubting myself."
✅ was gaslighting me / undermining my sense of reality
Fill the gap:
"I really wanted to ask for the promotion, but at the last minute I ___ and said nothing."
✅ chickened out / got cold feet
Fill the gaps with our target vocabulary:
"That song has been stuck in my head all day — it's such an ___. So ___ I can't stop humming it."
✅ earworm; catchy
Fill the gap
"For me, photography is an ___ for creativity and personal expression."
✅ outlet
Fill the gap:
"A ___ told me you're getting engaged — is it true?"
✅ A little birdie told me
Finish the sentence frame with your own example and our target vocabulary:
"A small glimmer I noticed recently was ___, and I tried to ___ ."
✅ savor, be (fully) present
Paraphrase the highlighted part:
"It took him a while, but he recovered well after losing his job."
✅ bounced back (from the setback)
Paraphrase the highlighted part "The film kept us on the edge of our seats the entire time — none of us could look away."
✅ gripping / suspenseful / captivating
Finish the sentence frame with your own example and our target vocabulary:
"Don't judge me, but my guilty pleasure is ___. There's something oddly satisfying about ___."
✅ guilty pleasure, there's something oddly satisfying about... (bonus: sleeping in / calling in sick / order takeout)
Paraphrase the highlighted part:
"People who chew loudly annoy me more than almost anything."
✅ get my goat / drive me up the wall / get on my nerves / push my buttons / make my blood boil / make me wanna tear my hair out
Loud chewing noises feel like nails on a chalkboard.
Answer the question:
"What's the difference between toxic positivity and genuine optimism? Give one phrase a toxically positive person might say."
✅ minimizing and dismissing one's emotions;
"Just stay positive!" - they often mean well, but push down emotions
Finish the sentence frame with your own example and our target vocabulary:
"I once hit rock bottom when ___. Looking back, it was a real wake-up call because ___."
✅ hit rock bottom, a wake-up call
Finish the sentence frame with your own example and our target vocabulary:
"A film I'd call overrated is ___ because ___. But one I found genuinely thought-provoking is ___."
✅ overrated, thought-provoking (bonus genres/adjectives: predictable, visually stunning, slow-paced)
Paraphrase the highlighted part
"She's naturally talented at and really good at baking — it just comes easily to her."
✅ has a knack for
Finish the sentence frame with your own example and our target vocabulary:
"Something that really makes my ___ ___ is ___ — it feels like ___."
✅ make my blood boil, nails on a chalkboard
Tell us about a time you (or someone you know) felt the pressure to always seem happy.
Use at least 3: mean well · push away emotions · vent · shut down feelings · feel ignored
✅ feel the pressure to always seem happy, push away emotions, vent, shut down feelings, feel ignored
Make a question to ask another team about learning from mistakes. It must contain phrases a stepping stone and own your mistakes." (Then that team answers.)
✅ use ... as a stepping stone to, own your mistakes (+ also possible: learn the hard way / have the guts)
Example: "Can you tell us about a time you had to own a mistake at work or school, and how you turned it into a stepping stone to something better?"
Explain these three music idioms and use each in a sentence: face the music · play it by ear · change your tune
Answer the question: How do hobbies benefit our wellbeing?
Use at least 3: foster creativity · keep the mind sharp · step away from daily pressures · combat feelings of stress · think outside the box.
✅ foster creativity, keep the mind sharp, step away from daily pressures, helps combat feelings of, think outside the box
Make a question for the opposing team, using two of these phrases: talk behind someone's back · mind your own business · it's a double-edged sword · keep your nose out of it.
(Then they answer.)
Possible questions: "Is gossip always a bad thing, or is it a double-edged sword? And when someone starts to talk behind a friend's back, do you join in or tell them to keep their nose out of it?"
Possible answer: "I think gossip is a double-edged sword. It helps people bond and share information, but it can also hurt someone if you talk behind their back. Personally, if a friend starts gossiping about someone I care about, I usually change the subject or tell them to mind their own business."