Free mood diary template — situation, thought, feeling and behavior in one minute a day, the structured raw material of CBT pattern work.
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Free mood diary template — situation, thought, feeling and behavior in one minute a day, the structured raw material of CBT pattern work.
Disclaimer: this template supports self-monitoring between sessions. It is not therapy or a diagnostic tool; persistent low mood or crisis thoughts should be discussed with a professional promptly.
Content note: column prompts are illustrative — adapt wording to the client and modality.
A mood diary with fixed columns — situation, thought, feeling, behavior — turns journaling into data. Clients spend one minute a day, and patterns that hide in narrative suddenly stack up side by side: same trigger, different thought, opposite outcome. The raw material of CBT pattern work, kept simple enough to actually maintain.
Fillable sample diary preview (live once the app is published).
The four CBT columns and the one-minute daily flow.
Situation, thought, feeling and behavior in one row.
0-10 feelings keep entries comparable.
A next-time line turns diaries into practice.
Entries stack into a reviewable month.
From copy to a maintained mood diary in four steps.
Import the diary into your workspace — free.
One fixed moment per day keeps the habit.
Three minutes max; shorter on hard days.
Scan the month together in session.
Who keeps the diary — clients doing homework or self-guided users.
Homework that produces real thought records.
A gentle first step into cognitive work.
Structure for journaling that stays useful.
What makes this mood diary turn journaling into usable data.
A preview of the real columns — adjust prompts to your client's goals.
