CBT Worksheet
Identifying Cognitive Distortions
Recognise the thinking traps that shape your emotions and behaviour — and begin to see them for what they are.
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Spot the Traps
Learn to recognise the 13 most common cognitive distortions and how they show up in your thinking
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Know Your Patterns
Identify which distortions you use most often — awareness is the essential first step to change
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Catch Them Early
Recognise your personal warning signs so you can notice distorted thinking before it takes hold
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Think More Clearly
Understanding how your mind bends reality helps you respond with more balance and accuracy
How to use this worksheet
Work through the list of cognitive distortions below and tick any that you recognise in your own recent thinking — be honest, and don't filter. Then use the reflection section to identify your most frequent traps and the early warning signs that a distortion is starting. You may be surprised how many feel familiar.
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Identify Your Thinking Traps
Read each distortion carefully. Click to select any that you recognise in your own recent thoughts — you can select as many as apply.
0 distortions selected
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My Common Thinking Traps
Thinking traps are quick shortcuts the mind uses to make sense of events. They can be helpful in danger, but in everyday life they often distort meaning, intensify emotion, and steer behaviour in unhelpful directions. Identifying your most common traps helps you respond with more balance.
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My Early Warning Signs
What are the first clues that a thinking trap is starting? Early warning signs might be physical (tight chest, shallow breathing), emotional (sudden anxiety, irritability), or linguistic (noticing "always," "never," "everyone," "I can't" appearing in your thoughts).
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What This Tells Me
Now that you have identified your most common thinking traps and early warning signs, take a moment to reflect on what this means for you.
🌿 Remember: Noticing a thinking trap does not mean your thoughts are wrong or that you are broken. It simply means your mind is doing what all minds do — taking shortcuts. The more you practise noticing these patterns, the more space you create between the thought and your response to it.
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