Thought RecordAn Everyday Insight tool

A thought record, in your browser

A thought record is a CBT worksheet for checking one upsetting thought against the evidence. This one has the same nine steps as the app and the printable sheet, with the feelings wheel and the guiding questions built in. It saves as you type, in this browser on this device only. Nothing is sent anywhere. When you’re done, print it or save it as a PDF.

Rate on a scale of

If this is your first one

Pick one moment from today or yesterday when your mood changed. Something that bothered you, but isn’t the hardest thing in your life, is the easiest place to learn.

Then work down the nine steps in order. Each one has a short prompt and a finished example you can open. Keep the situation and the evidence to the facts. Write the feelings and thoughts just as they came, even if they don’t seem reasonable. Everything saves as you type, so if you have to stop, you can come back and pick up where you left off.

New to thought records? Read how to do one, step by step, or look at a few worked examples first.

Before you begin. This is a worksheet for reflection, not therapy or medical advice, and it can’t tell whether a record is right for your situation. Looking closely at a painful thought can stir up strong feelings for a while. If the thoughts are about a trauma, or the same worry keeps coming back however often you examine it, please work with a professional instead. If you have a therapist, follow their guidance. You decide what to write and how far to go, and you do so at your own risk. Terms of use.

1Situation

See the example

Tuesday, about 2 p.m., at my desk. I asked in the group chat if anyone wanted dinner Friday. An hour later nobody had answered, and it showed that two people had read it.

2Feelings

Feelings usually fit in one word, like anxious, sad, ashamed, or angry. Pick each one and rate how strong it was at the time, from 0 to 100. If it comes out as a sentence, like “I feel like a failure,” that’s a thought for step 3.

See the example

Lonely 75, Embarrassed 55, Anxious 40. Body: Hot face, heavy stomach.

3Thoughts and images

What went through your mind, just as it came, one per line. Include pictures and memories. Write each one as a statement: “What if they laugh?” becomes “They’re going to laugh at me.”

See the example
  • They don’t want to hang out with me.
  • I’m always the one who reaches out.
  • I pictured them in a separate chat, making plans without me.
  • Nobody really wants me around.
If you’re stuck
  • What was I afraid might happen?
  • What did this seem to say about me?
  • What did I think other people were thinking?
  • Was there a picture or a memory in my head?
  • What’s the worst part of this?

4Hot thought

The one most tied to your strongest feeling, or the feeling you most want to work on. If you’re not sure, read them back and notice which one stings most.

Look underneath the thought

Ask what the thought would mean if it were true, then ask again of the answer. This can reach old, painful beliefs quickly. Go only as far as feels okay, and if you land on something big, it’s a good thing to take to a therapist.

    Does it fit a familiar pattern? Optional. Naming a pattern can help you step back. It doesn’t prove the thought wrong. What these mean, opens in a new tab.

    See the example

    Nobody really wants me around. 80

    Thinking styles: Mind reading, Overgeneralizing

    5Evidence for

    Facts that support the hot thought. Be fair to it. Facts are things anyone who was there could confirm. Guesses about what people were thinking don’t count as facts here.

    See the example
    • Two people read the message and didn’t answer for an hour.
    • I organized the last two dinners.

    6Evidence against

    Facts that don’t support the thought, or suggest it isn’t the whole story. Reassurance only counts if something that happened backs it up. This is usually the hardest step. Tap a question for a way in.

    See the example
    • It’s a Tuesday afternoon. Sam and Priya are at work until six.
    • Priya answered within minutes the last time I asked.
    • Sam invited me to his birthday two weeks ago.
    • I read messages at work and forget to answer all the time.

    7Balanced thought

    A thought that takes both lists into account. It isn’t the opposite of the hot thought and it doesn’t need to be positive. It needs to be something you can believe. Many hold two things at once, joined by “and” or “even though.” If the evidence mostly supports the hot thought, write what is true and what you can do about it.

    See the example

    Nobody has answered yet, and that stings. It’s also a workday afternoon, Priya usually answers fast, and Sam invited me to his birthday two weeks ago. A slow reply is more likely about their afternoon than about me. 70

    8Feelings now

    Rate the same feelings again, as they are right now. Any change counts, even a small one, and some feeling usually stays, because the situation still matters.

    Feelings you add in step 2 appear here.

    See the example

    Lonely 75 → 45, Embarrassed 55 → 30, Anxious 40 → 20. Hot thought believed 80 → 35.

    9What I learned

    See the example

    When I’m lonely I read silence as rejection. Writing down what I actually knew took some of the sting out.

    Next: Wait until the evening. If there’s still nothing, text Priya on her own.

    Prefer paper? There are printable and fillable PDFs. Want the reasoning behind each step? How to do a thought record. Want to see finished ones first? Worked examples.

    Feelings wheel

    Start with the family closest to what you felt, then look for a more exact word. Tap a word to add it. Tap it again to remove it.

    Adapted from the feelings wheel by Geoffrey Roberts.