CBT exercises: 29 guided self-help techniques
These are the 29 exercises in ThinkGO, each based on a well-known CBT technique and grouped the way the app groups them. Each card says what the exercise is for, how long it usually takes and how far into CBT it goes.
Not sure where to start?
Find your situation in the table below, or start with a thought record. It is a common first exercise.
Thought work
Check a thought against the facts
- Thought recordA step-by-step way to catch a thought that upset you, look at the facts on both sides, and find a fairer way to see it.
- ABC recordA quick record of what happened, what you told yourself about it, and how you felt and acted.
- Socratic questionsA quick way to check one thought: a few short questions look at it from different sides, then you put it in your own fairer words.
- Double-standardMany of us talk to ourselves far more harshly than we'd ever talk to someone we care about.
- Sleep thoughts checkLying awake, it's easy to think the worst about sleep and about tomorrow, and those thoughts can make it harder to settle.
- Self-compassion breakWhen something hurts, many of us push harder or tell ourselves off.
- Inner critic and kind voiceMost people have an inner critic.
- Compassionate letterYou write a short letter to yourself from the point of view of someone who knows you well and wishes you well.
- Anger logAnger usually starts with something that happened and a hot thought about it, then shows in your body and in what you feel like doing.
Activities
Doing something first, so the feeling can follow
- Activity monitoringSee how what you do links to how you feel.
- Activity schedulingPlan one small thing that matters to you, pick a time, and guess how it will feel.
- Behavioural experimentTest a belief in real life instead of only on paper.
- Wind-down planA wind-down is your own way of moving from the day towards sleep.
- Time-out planA time-out is a planned pause: you notice the early signs, say a few calm words, step away, settle, and come back to finish the conversation.
- Assertive messageSaying what you need, clearly and calmly, often works better than holding it in or letting it out all at once.
Exposure
Face a fear one step at a time
Beliefs
The beliefs under thoughts that keep coming back
- Downward arrowTake a thought that upsets you and ask: if that were true, what would it mean?
- Core belief logOld beliefs filter out what doesn't fit them.
- ContinuumAll-or-nothing labels like “failure” leave no middle ground.
- Responsibility pieWhen you blame yourself for something, list everyone and everything else that played a part, give each a share of the pie, and see how much is left for you.
Worry and problems
Give worry a time and a place
Daily
Small, every day
Calm
For anxious moments
Starter, Core and Deeper show how far into CBT an exercise goes, not how hard it is.
Which exercise when
A quick guide from situation to exercise. Times are what each exercise usually takes in the app.
| When | Try | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| A thought keeps bothering you after a hard moment | Thought record | 6–10 min |
| You're much harder on yourself than you'd be on a friend | Double-standard | 3 min |
| The same “what if” worries come back all day | Worry time | 1 min |
| You feel flat and nothing seems worth doing | Activity scheduling | 2 min |
| You feel anxious right now and want to slow down | Paced breathing | 1–5 min |
| You avoid something you'd like to be able to do | Fear ladder | 10 min |
| A real problem, and no clear place to start | Problem solving | 5–10 min |
| You blame yourself for how something turned out | Responsibility pie | 5 min |
Exercises for facing fears go step by step. If the fear feels overwhelming, stop and talk to a professional. Get help
Thinking trapsThe 13 common thinking patterns the exercises help you spot.