Diary Cards
Daily tracking tool for emotions, urges, and skill use.
The diary card is a daily self-monitoring tool used in DBT. You fill it out every day and review it weekly with your therapist or skills group.
What You Track
- Emotions — Rate intensity of key emotions (sadness, anger, shame, joy, etc.) on a 0–5 scale
- Urges — Rate the intensity of any urges to engage in target behaviors (self-harm, substance use, etc.)
- Actions — Did you act on any urges? Yes/No
- Skills used — Which DBT skills did you practice today?
- SUD rating — Overall subjective distress level (0–10)
Why It Works
The diary card does several things at once:
- Builds self-awareness — you start noticing patterns you'd otherwise miss
- Creates accountability — tracking skill use motivates you to actually practice
- Guides therapy — your therapist uses it to know what to focus on each week
- Measures progress — over weeks and months, you can see change happening
The diary card isn't homework to be graded — it's a tool for you. Even filling it out halfway is better than not at all. The act of noticing and recording is itself a mindfulness practice.
How to Use It
- Fill it out at the same time each day (many people do it before bed)
- Be honest — the card is only useful if it reflects reality
- Don't overthink the ratings — your first instinct is usually close enough
- Bring it to every session or group meeting