Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Workshop

The Difference Between Thoughts and Feelings

Before we start filling out an Automatic Thought Record, it is important to make a distinction between thoughts and feelings. It’s quite common to mix these up a bit, and doing so will make it difficult to use an Automatic Thought Record effectively.

To start, thoughts tend to be phrases of two or more words we say to ourselves, while a feeling is generally one word. For example, I might think, “My job is too stressful.” While there is a feeling word in my thought (stress), this is really a thought I have about my job. The feelings I might have in association with this thought could include “stressed,” “anxious,” “sad,” “overwhelmed,” etc.

Take a look at the charts below and notice the differences between thoughts and feelings. You might even refer back to this page if you need some help identifying which feelings you have about a thought.

Sample Thoughts

Sample Feelings

Frightened		Ashamed		Angry		Sad
afraid anxious apprehensive dread edgy horrified nervous overwhelmed panicked scared tense		embarrassed guilty humiliated insulted invalidated regretful remorseful shamed		annoyed disgusted enraged frustrated grouchy hatred hostile irritated jealous mad outraged resentful		abandoned alone defective dejected depressed despair disappointed discouraged empty grief helpless		hopeless inadequate incompetent inferior insecure isolated lonely neglected rejected unhappy worthless

Automatic Thought Record

Step #1: Record Info