Thought Record

A thought record, in your browser

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.

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

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.

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."

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 that best explains why you felt as strongly as you did. 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.

    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.

    6Evidence against

    Facts that don't support the thought, or suggest it isn't the whole story. This is usually the hardest step. Tap a question for a way in.

    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."

    8Feelings now

    Rate the same feelings again, as they are right now. Any change counts. A drop of 20 or 30 points is a good result, and some feeling usually stays, because the situation still matters.

    Feelings you add in step 2 appear here.

    9What I learned

    Prefer paper? There's a printable PDF, a fillable PDF, and a Word version. Want the reasoning behind each step? How to do a thought record.

    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.