Automatic Thought Diary

One of the key tasks of CBT is working with thoughts.

After all, automatic thoughts are "compact" versions of your beliefs; they reflect the content of deeper levels of your thinking.

However, before working with any thought, it is necessary to first identify and record it.

In this chapter, you will get acquainted with a real tool for self-discovery – the Automatic Thought Diary (also known as the ABC Diary).

The Automatic Thought Diary is the key to understanding the connection between what happens around us (situation), what we think about it (thoughts), and how we react to it (emotions, sensations, behavior).

Therefore, it consists of several key blocks:

Event: a description of the event that triggered an emotional reaction.

Thought: the automatic thought that arose in response to the situation.

Emotions: the feelings you experienced at that moment.

Reaction: your behavior or actions in response to these emotions.

Alternative response: a more constructive thought or perspective on the situation that can help change the emotional reaction.

More content in our app

You're only seeing a portion of the content. In the app, you'll find numerous interactive articles. Additionally, there are psychological tests to track your mood dynamics, a daily planner, an automatic thought journal, and much more!

Let’s take a closer look at each block.

In this section, we briefly describe what exactly triggered negative emotions in us.

Here, it is important not just to outline the situation but to be as specific as possible.

For example, the phrase "my mom hurt me" is too vague – it is important to clarify what exactly she said or did.

Or instead of "I worked poorly", it is better to specify a concrete fact, for example: "I made a mistake in the report."

A trigger can be not only an external event but also internal sensations, thoughts, or memories – the main thing is that they are clear.

This block is dedicated to our interpretation of the situation.

To identify your thoughts, ask yourself: "What am I thinking right now?"

Try to highlight the most significant and emotionally charged thought.

If your thoughts seem too broad, make them more specific.

Rate your level of belief in this thought on a scale from 0 to 10.

For example, if in the "Event" section you wrote "I made a mistake in the report", your thoughts might be: "I’ll never be able to do anything well", "I’m a failure", or "Mistakes are stupid."

Choose the thought that resonates most with you, write it down, and rate your level of belief.

Before moving on to this block, ask yourself two questions:

What emotions did I experience? (sadness, anger, anxiety, guilt, fear, shame, etc.)

How intense were these emotions? (0-10 points)

For example, sadness at 9, despair at 7, and gloom at 5.

Here, we record the physical sensations at the moment of negative emotions – how your body reacted to the emotions.

Be as specific as possible: for example, body sensations might manifest as a lump in the throat, cold sweat, or heaviness in the stomach.

Describe your behavior that followed.

What did you do after thinking the thoughts and experiencing the emotions?

Behavior might include actions like crying or yelling at colleagues.

In this column, analyze your thought and try to formulate a more adaptive response.

To do this, answer a few questions:

How realistic is your thought?

What arguments support or refute it?

What are the worst, best, and most likely outcomes?

What will happen if you continue to believe in your automatic thought? And what will change if you reconsider your opinion?

For example, instead of "I’ll never be able to do anything well", you might think: "I’ll fix the mistake and learn from it. After all, everyone makes mistakes."

Additionally, with the thought diary in our app, you can track cognitive errors.

Let’s briefly explore this concept.

They prevent us from thinking logically and rationally, distorting reality.

If you’ve managed to notice a cognitive error in your thoughts, note it.

If not – don’t worry, just skip this block for now.

Keeping a diary is the key to deep self-awareness. The diary helps you better understand your emotions, thoughts, and behavior.

By recording your experiences, you can identify patterns that influence your mood and actions.

The process of writing increases awareness.

You begin to notice which thoughts come to mind in various situations, allowing you to better manage your reactions.

Support in therapy (and beyond): The material from the diary is a valuable resource for self-analysis.

It can be useful both during therapy with a psychologist and for independent self-improvement.

Why is it important to make diary entries?

Everything that is not written down is lost in the vast expanse of our memory!

We often delude ourselves into thinking we can keep everything in our heads.

This allows us not only to preserve important ideas but also to deepen our understanding of ourselves.

Secrets of Effective Diary Work:

Consistency is the key to success: The diary is not a magic wand. Miracles don’t happen without your active participation. Fill it out regularly to see real changes.

Catch the moment: Write down thoughts and emotions as soon as they arise. This makes it easier to "catch" automatic thoughts "by the tail" before they hide in the depths of the subconscious.

Progress, not perfection: Don’t strive for perfection. Any result is already a victory. Don’t scold yourself if you can’t immediately identify thoughts or if there are difficulties.

Keeping a diary is a skill, and it takes time to master.

Be patient and give yourself the opportunity to get used to it.