Thought Record

The core CBT worksheet for a thought that's running you — drawn as a courtroom for the mind. Name the situation, write the exact automatic thought that flashed through, and rate how strongly you believe it, 0 to 100. List the feelings it stirred up and how intense each one was, then do the real work: weigh the evidence the thought is true in one column and the evidence it's not the whole story in the other. With both sides in front of you, write a fairer, more balanced thought — not forced positivity, just the fuller truth — and re-rate how much you believe the original. A hot thought feels like a fact; slowing it down long enough to examine is what loosens its grip, and watching the belief drop even a little is proof the reframe is working. Fill it in to work through a specific spiral, or print it blank and do it by hand — paper is where the thought finally holds still.

• Portrait
• 1 page
• Reflection

Best for: Catching an anxious or self-critical thought and testing it against the evidence, instead of taking it at its word.