Brain Tricks
This bias makes us notice what’s wrong more than what’s improving
What is negativity bias?
Doing things even when you don’t feel like it is this type of progress
What is behavioral progress or behavioral activation?
True or False: Progress in mental health is linear
What is false?
Progress means showing up, not this
What is perfection?
This animal's noise is believed not to echo.
What is a duck?
This mental habit focuses on evidence that supports old beliefs about ourselves
What is confirmation bias?
Catching a negative thought (even if you still believe it) is a sign of this
What is increased awareness?
This type of change often happens before emotional improvement
What is behavioral change?
Progress is responding differently, not eliminating this
What are emotions (or symptoms)?
This is the only continent without deserts.
What is Europe?
Your brain prefers this over accuracy, which is why it clings to old identities
What is consistency?
When distress still happens but doesn’t last as long, this is improving
What is recovery time?
Becoming more aware of your thoughts can feel like this, even when it’s growth
What is getting worse?
Doing things without this is actually a sign of growth
What is motivation?
This everyday condiment was first sold as a medicine.
What is ketchup?
This shift happens when progress becomes “normal,” so we stop noticing it
What is baseline shift?
Feeling emotions more strongly after being numb can actually mean this
What is emotional reconnection?
This type of conflict creates tension between old habits and new awareness
What is internal conflict?
Progress is often this (i.e., less anxiety, less avoidance), not more happiness
What is subtractive?
Butterflies use this body part to taste.
What is their feet?
This cognitive distortion makes people believe they’re either fully better or not at all
What is all-or-nothing thinking?
Pausing before reacting, even briefly, is an example of this
What is interrupting a pattern?
This phrase describes doing better before you feel better
What is “feeling vs. doing gap”?
Shorter emotional reactions don’t mean failure—they mean this
What is improvement (or regulation)?
Triskaidekaphobia is the fear of this number.
What is 13?