Anger Diary
Anger builds silently, outside of awareness. This diary helps you spot your personal triggers and warning signs — so you can catch your anger while it's still small enough to manage.
How to use this diary
Anger has a tendency to build like the hum of a refrigerator — you can hear it, but you don't notice it until it's grown too big to manage. Keeping an Anger Diary helps you understand the pattern: what sets your anger off, what it looks and feels like as it builds, how you react, and what happens as a result.
Start by completing Part 1 (your personal warning signs) and Part 2 (your anger thermometer). These help you build self-awareness before using the diary. Then complete a diary entry after each anger episode. After a few entries, review them for patterns using the Reflection section at the end.
Term
Definition
Examples
Trigger
Something that sets off your anger
Getting laughed at, dirty dishes left out, a dismissive comment, not getting a job offer
Warning Signs
The feelings, sensations, and behaviours that tell you your anger is building
Feeling irritated, clenching your fists, wanting to argue, raising your voice, getting defensive
Response
Your reaction when your anger is at its peak
Swearing, yelling, saying something hurtful, storming out, going silent
Outcomes
The result of your anger response
Scaring people around you, damaging a relationship, feeling guilty afterwards, getting fired
After completing a few entries, ask yourself:
- Do you notice any patterns in your anger triggers? Are certain situations, people, or times of day more likely to set it off?
- Which warning signs best indicate that your anger is growing — and which appear earliest, while you still have time to intervene?
- What coping skills could you use to stop the anger from escalating? (The Four Ds worksheet can help with this.)
"Anger is not the enemy. The challenge is catching it early enough to choose what happens next."
1
My Anger Warning Signs
Anger starts small — a quiet simmer you might not notice until it's already boiling. These are the physical sensations, thoughts, and behaviours that signal your anger is building. Select the ones that apply to you, paying special attention to the earliest signs — the subtle ones you experience when you're only slightly irritated. Those are the ones that give you the most time to act.
Any others not listed above?
2
My Anger Thermometer
Anger rarely jumps from cold to hot in an instant — it builds gradually. On the scale below, 5 = enraged (the angriest you could ever be) and 1 = slightly irritated. For each level, describe the warning signs — thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, or behaviours — that you experience at that stage. The earlier you can spot the anger, the easier it is to manage.
5
Enraged — the angriest you could ever be
4
Really angry — intense, hard to think straight
3
Angry — clearly angry, but still some control
2
Irritated — bothered, noticeably on edge
1
Slightly irritated — barely noticeable, early hum
Entry #1
Anger intensity
3 / 5
Entry #2
Anger intensity
3 / 5
Entry #3
Anger intensity
3 / 5
3
Patterns & Reflection
Once you've completed a few diary entries, review them together and look for patterns. The questions below will help you make sense of what you've recorded — and work out where to focus your coping efforts.
Send to your inbox
Enter your email address and we'll send you a PDF copy of your completed diary to keep.
Read more about Anger Management.