A guided cognitive restructuring exercise to help you untangle a stressful experience, examine automatic anxious thoughts and shift your perspective, one step at a time. Nothing you type leaves your device.
How it works
1
The situation
Describe what happened and rate your distress.
2
Feelings and thoughts
Name your emotions and the thoughts that showed up.
3
Look at the evidence
Spot unhelpful thinking patterns and weigh up the facts.
4
A balanced view
Write a fairer alternative and one constructive next step.
5
Check back in
Re-rate your distress, then print or save your summary.
Anxiety Challenge Tool
Ray's Room Therapy Tools
Cognitive Restructuring Exercise: A safe space to untangle stressful experiences, examine automatic anxious thoughts, and shift perspectives systematically.
Step 1 of 8
The Situation
Describe the specific event, trigger, or situation that caused your anxiety. Stick to the objective facts of what happened.
Initial Distress Level5
0 = no distress at all10 = most distressed possible
Step 2 of 8
Your Emotions
Select the core feelings you are experiencing. Tap to activate/deactivate options below.
Step 3 of 8
Your Thoughts
What automatic negative statements or worst-case scenarios flooded your mind during the trigger? Log them below.
Step 4 of 8
Thinking Patterns
Anxiety often relies on systematic mental blindspots. Check any unhelpful patterns that match your logged automatic thoughts:
Step 5 of 8
Examine the Evidence
Take an objective, clinical look at your thoughts. Separate interpretations from observable realities.
The Reality Check: What hard proof supports this scary thought? Conversely, what historical facts or alternative context points against it?
Step 6 of 8
Alternative Perspective
Based on the balanced facts you just reviewed, write an alternative, realistic processing of the situation.
Reframing Prompt
Consider what a compassionate, clear-headed friend would tell you about this situation. Create a fair interpretation that accounts for the facts without catastrophic thinking.
Belief in this alternative view:50%
Step 7 of 8
Constructive Actions
What constructive, intentional step can you take right now to practice emotional regulation or safely approach the situation?
Step 8 of 8
Re-rate Distress
Now that you have isolated the trigger, audited your patterns, and formulated a balanced thought, check back in with your distress level.
Current Distress Level5
Exercise Completed Successfully
Below is your structured CBT processing session summary. You can print this out or email a secure copy to yourself.
Send Copy To Your Personal Device
Step 1 of 8
This exercise is a self-help tool and isn’t a substitute for professional support.
Want help working through anxiety?
Book a session with one of our therapists. Medicare and private health insurance rebates are available for eligible clients, where applicable.
