CBT Cards
Structured journaling versus free-form journaling
Free-form journaling can be useful when you want space to write without a fixed structure. A CBT-style journal is different: it separates parts of an experience so you can look at the links between a situation, thoughts, emotions, physical reactions, and behaviour.
The structure is not there to produce a “correct” answer. Its purpose is to make the sequence more observable and to create room for an alternative thought or next action when that is useful.
What you might record
- Situation: what happened, where, and with whom.
- Thoughts: words, predictions, meanings, memories, or images that appeared.
- Emotions: what you felt and, if useful, how intense it felt.
- Body reactions: physical sensations you noticed.
- Behaviour: what you did, avoided, delayed, or wanted to do.
- Alternative thought: another interpretation that fits the available information.
- Outcome: what changed, what did not, and what you want to remember for next time.
In CBT Cards
The CBT Cards journal uses this kind of structured entry and also supports tags. Entries are stored locally in the app according to the current privacy documentation. CBT Cards does not read an entry and return a diagnosis or clinical interpretation.
Related guide
If you want a narrower exercise focused on examining one thought, see the CBT thought record guide.
Sources
Last reviewed by the CBT Cards project: 18 August 2026. This page is educational and does not provide individualized therapy or medical advice.