We all carry biases in life. It's helpful to know what they are. But today we'll focus on confirmation bias, one of the most commonn logical fallacies. Definition:"the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one's existing beliefs or theories" It happens when we focus on information that supports our existing beliefs while ignoring or discounting evidence that challenges them. We also take neutral input as something favoring 'our' side. **We give special weight to information that allows us to come to the conclusion that we want to reach** This mental shortcut feels comfortable but can lead to distorted thinking, poor decisions, and missed opportunities for growth. ✨ What It Looks Like in Real Life - 📰 News Consumption: Only reading articles or following social media accounts that agree with your views or discounting opposing/differing views. - 💬 Conversations: Seeking out people who validate your opinions while avoiding those who disagree. - 🔍 Decision Making: Interpreting neutral evidence as proof you were “right all along.” Why Confirmation Bias Happens - We dislike cognitive dissonance—holding beliefs that are challenged causes discomfort, so we avoid it. - Beliefs feel more certain because we’ve already invested trust or identity in them. Letting them go feels like loss. (Remember the sunk cost fallacy from earlier? This definitely plays into this!) - We often have selective exposure: we choose what to read, who to listen to, what to trust—allowing bias to reinforce itself.--the bubble effect/echo chamber effect is real here. 🎯 Why It Matters When we only see what confirms our beliefs, we risk reinforcing biases, polarizing relationships, and making errors in judgment. Studies show that confirmation bias can strengthen false beliefs over time, making it harder to change our minds. 🌱 How to Break Free from Confirmation Bias 1️⃣ Actively Seek Opposing Views: Read or listen to perspectives different from your own. ALL change begins with being honest! 1--be aware of the biases you may have and 2--be OPEN to being proven wrong (intellectual humility is a flex! Use it!)

Ever kept putting time, money, or effort into something because you’ve “already invested too much”? That’s the sunk cost fallacy at work. It’s one of the most common thinking traps in everyday life, affecting decisions in careers, relationships, business, and even hobbies. 🧠 What It Is The sunk cost fallacy happens when we continue with a decision or project simply because of what we have already spent, rather than evaluating future benefits objectively. Once time or money is spent, it’s gone. Yet our minds dislike “wasting” it, so we keep investing even when it no longer makes sense. Sunk costs are costs that have already been incurred and can no longer be recovered. It is associated with commitment bias--where we continue to support our past decisions in spite of new evidence that no longer supports the old decision. 📋 Examples You Might Recognize - Staying in a job you dislike because you’ve been there for years - Holding on to an underperforming investment because you “already put so much into it” - Continuing a streaming subscription you barely use because you paid for a whole year - Remaining in a project or relationship that no longer aligns with your goals - Staying in a religion or denomination even when there's evidence that seeking further/going in a different direction is more aligned ; or not believing something in spite of evidence - Governmental programs that are no longer working/didn't work 🛠 How to Address It Pause and evaluate future value 📝Ask yourself: “If I weren’t already involved, would I start this today?” Reframe the investment 🔄Recognize the time or money already spent as a lesson or tuition for growth. The true waste is continuing something that isn’t working. Set clear decision points ⏳Use check-ins or deadlines to reassess whether to continue. This makes it easier to step back without guilt. Seek objective feedback 👥Friends, mentors, or colleagues can offer perspective free from your emotional investment. 🌱 Takeaway Letting go of sunk costs frees up time, money, and energy for opportunities that actually serve you now. By spotting this bias early, you can make clearer, future-focused decisions.

If nothing shifts in your routine between now and December… where do you think you’ll be? And more importantly, how do you want to feel by then?

I really really have a soft spot for IFS 'parts work'. It has helped me conceptualize things differently and has helped quite a bit both personally and in work with clients. Have you guys seen the movie "Inside Out"? This is a nice move depiction of what's at play :) Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy views the mind as a system of different “parts,” each with its own role, feelings, and goals. These parts are not bad or good; they are protective and adaptive. At the center of this system is your Core Self, which embodies the 8 C’s: Calm, Curiosity, Clarity, Compassion, Confidence, Courage, Creativity, and Connectedness. By connecting with your Core Self,you can help your parts heal and work together. Sometimes the parts will push back because maybe they don't trust the core self/each other due to past experiences or how certain things have been handled. I really really appreciate the approach with IFS because instead of pushing away/numbing/fighting with the maladaptive behaviors /thoughts that come up, we engage with them with curiosity to see what they're underlying motive is (which is good, even if their expression is hurtful) and then movement can happen in a way that is proactive. ***if you were to do some 'parts work', I would recommend doing a little bit more reading up on it and possibly even talking it through with a therapist/someone that is familiar with this. *** 🧩 The Four Main Elements of IFS 💙 The Core Self The Core Self is your true center, the part of you that is naturally calm, curious, clear, compassionate, confident, courageous, creative, and connected. It is not a part but the leader of your inner system. When you are in Self, you can listen to your parts without judgment and guide them toward healing. 🛡️ Managers Managers are proactive protectors. They try to keep life organized and prevent emotional pain from surfacing. They often show up as planners, perfectionists, or inner critics. Their job is to keep things under control and to avoid situations that could trigger pain from the past.

Emotional reasoning happens when we believe our feelings are facts. Instead of checking reality, we assume that because we feel something, it must be true. This distortion can quietly shape how we see ourselves, others, and the world around us. We don't want to dismiss/ignore the feelings, but we don't want to let them override decision making either. (this is similar to the idea of emotions as informers rather than CEOs). I thought we'd bring it back because it's one that's fairly common! ✨ Examples of Emotional Reasoning: - 😔 “I feel worthless, so I must not have any value.” - 😨 “I feel anxious about this situation, so it must be dangerous.” - 😡 “I’m angry at you, so you must have done something wrong.” - 😩 “I feel overwhelmed, so I can’t handle this.” 💡 Why it’s a problem:Emotions are powerful, but they are not always accurate signals of reality. They can signal/inform us about something, but they could be mistaken in their target. Emotional reasoning can lead to unnecessary fear, self-doubt, and conflict. It traps us in a cycle where feelings reinforce distorted beliefs, making it harder to break free. 🌱 Healthier Perspective:Feelings are information, not proof. We can acknowledge them without letting them dictate the truth. By pausing and asking, “What evidence do I have that supports or challenges this feeling?”, we create space for balance and clarity. By asking, "What are you actually trying to tell me?" , we can get beneath the first layer and actually address what's going on. 🌱 Overcoming Emotional Reasoning It’s natural to trust our feelings, but when emotions start to dictate reality, we can fall into the trap of emotional reasoning. The good news is that with awareness and practice, we can create healthier patterns of thinking. Woo hoo!! :) :) ✨ Practical Strategies: - 🔍 Reality Check: Ask yourself, “What are the facts that support this thought? What evidence goes against it?” - ✏️ Write It Out: Journaling helps separate feelings from facts. Seeing thoughts on paper makes them easier to challenge. I've done this many times and it is effective! Saying it out loud and recording it and playing it back can do something similar. - 💬 Talk It Through: Share your feelings with a trusted friend, mentor, or therapist who can offer perspective. :) - 🧘 Mindfulness: Notice emotions without judgment. Remind yourself, “This is a feeling, not a fact.”--we talked about cognitive defusion previously; we can do some similar things with feelings as well! - 🎯 Reframe the Thought: Replace “I feel like I can’t do this” with “This feels hard, but I’ve overcome challenges before.” - 🕰️ Pause Before Reacting: Give yourself time to calm down before making decisions when emotions run high. It can be challenging to want to pause (sometimes we go into fight/flight) and want to resolve an issue right away or flee from it. A pause can give some space to breathe and allow room for other things to come through too!