A Therapy-Style Weekly Review helps you track triggers, patterns, and wins with clarity and compassion!
A Therapy-Style Weekly Review: Track Triggers, Patterns, and Wins is about slowing down just enough to actually understand yourself—without turning reflection into another overwhelming task.
Why This Weekly Review Works
1) It trains the skill CBT relies on: monitoring thoughts + emotions
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most researched and widely used evidence-based therapies. The American Psychological Association describes CBT as an effective treatment approach for a range of problems.
- CBT tools frequently include structured monitoring—because tracking helps you connect the dots between what happened, what you thought, what you felt, and what you did.
- The Beck Institute’s worksheet materials describe tools that help clients monitor thoughts and emotions and respond more adaptively.
learn.beckinstitute.org
2) Putting feelings into words literally calms the brain
UCLA’s neuroimaging research on “affect labeling” shows that naming emotions reduces threat reactivity. In a UCLA Health release about this work, Matthew Lieberman explains that when you put feelings into words, you activate a prefrontal region and see a reduced amygdala response—like “hitting the brakes” on emotional reactions.
That’s why a weekly review isn’t just reflection—it’s regulation.
3) You can’t “think” your way into change—skills require action
DBT pioneer Marsha Linehan is widely quoted for this core idea:
“You can’t think yourself into new ways of acting; you can only act yourself into new ways of thinking.”
This weekly review ends with tiny experiments—so you’re not just analyzing your week, you’re actively shaping the next one.
4) It builds self-compassion without turning into “soft talk”
- Kristin Neff defines self-compassion as being made up of mindfulness, common humanity, and self-kindness.
- A weekly review helps you practice those three pillars with structure—so it doesn’t become vague “be nicer to yourself” advice.
Who This Weekly Review Is Perfect For
This printable is for you if you:
- Feel “on” all day and crash at night
- Use screens, sugar, caffeine, or alcohol to regulate
- Get weekend dread (Sunday scaries)
- Feel emotionally reactive at work, then ashamed later
- Have family triggers that flare during holidays and celebrations
- Say “I don’t know what I feel”—but your body clearly does
How to Use This Weekly Review (10–15 Minutes)
- Best time: Sunday evening or Monday morning
- Rule: Keep it honest and short. This is data, not a diary.
- Goal: Identify 1–2 patterns and choose 1–2 practical supports for next week.
Printable: Therapy-Style Weekly Review (Copy/Paste)
Page 1: The Weekly Snapshot (5–7 minutes)
1) My Nervous System Weather This Week (circle one)
Green (steady/safe) | Yellow (wired/anxious) | Red (reactive/overwhelmed) | Blue (shutdown/numb)
What pushed me into this state most often? (check all that fit)
☐ Work deadlines / workload
☐ Money stress / bills / inflation pressure
☐ Family conflict / caretaking
☐ Poor sleep / insomnia
☐ Social overload / events
☐ Health anxiety / pain / fatigue
☐ Too much caffeine / sugar crashes
☐ Alcohol / hangxiety
☐ Doomscrolling / news overload
☐ Travel / holiday chaos
☐ Other: ___________________
2) My Top 3 Triggers (be specific, not general)
Trigger #1: ____________________________
Facts (what happened): __________________
Body signals (tight chest, jaw, nausea, etc.): __________________
Emotion (name it): ______________________
My automatic thought/story: ______________
What I did next: ________________________
Trigger #2: ____________________________
Facts: ____________________________________
Body: _____________________________________
Emotion: __________________________________
Story: ____________________________________
Behavior: _________________________________
Trigger #3: ____________________________
Facts: ____________________________________
Body: _____________________________________
Emotion: __________________________________
Story: ____________________________________
Behavior: _________________________________
3) Patterns I Noticed (pick 1–3)
☐ Sleep → mood (bad sleep = higher anxiety/irritability)
☐ Skipping meals → emotional reactivity
☐ Social events → crash the next day
☐ Criticism/authority → panic/perfectionism
☐ Overcommitting → resentment
☐ Avoiding one task → whole day spirals
☐ Screens → numbness / insomnia
☐ Alcohol → next-day anxiety
☐ Movement helps me stabilize
☐ Other: _______________________________
4) The “Put It Into Words” Minute (this is the calming part)
Instead of “stressed,” I felt:
☐ anxious ☐ overstimulated ☐ lonely ☐ ashamed
☐ resentful ☐ disappointed ☐ griefy ☐ trapped
☐ powerless ☐ frustrated ☐ numb ☐ other: _______
One sentence that tells the truth:
“I feel __________ because __________________________.”
(That “feelings into words” step is supported by UCLA research on reduced amygdala response.)
Page 2: Wins, Repairs, and Next Week’s Plan (5–8 minutes)
5) Wins (small counts—especially small)
List 3 wins from this week:
One win I’m tempted to minimize (but won’t):
6) What Helped Me Regulate (circle all that applied)
☐ walking / movement
☐ sunlight / outside time
☐ protein + steady meals
☐ hydration
☐ breathing / grounding
☐ talking to a safe person
☐ time alone without screens
☐ therapy tools
☐ sleep routine
☐ journaling
☐ prayer/meditation
☐ other: _______________________________
7) What Didn’t Help (no shame—just information)
☐ doomscrolling
☐ skipping meals
☐ caffeine as survival
☐ alcohol to “take the edge off”
☐ overworking through stress
☐ isolating too long
☐ arguing while dysregulated
☐ other: _______________________________
8) One Repair That Will Create Peace Next Week
(Repair = fix the leak, not just the mood.)
My repair: _________________________________________
When I’ll do it: ____________________________________
Examples:
“Clarify expectations with my manager.”
“Schedule a doctor appointment.”
“Set a boundary with a family member.”
“Cancel one obligation.”
9) Self-Compassion Check (structured, not cheesy)
Mindfulness, common humanity, and self-kindness are core elements of self-compassion.
Right now, I need:
☐ rest ☐ support ☐ structure ☐ reassurance
☐ movement ☐ nourishment ☐ alone time ☐ connection
☐ less stimulation ☐ a boundary ☐ professional help
☐ other: _______________________________
10) My Reset Plan for Next Week (keep it small)
Pick one focus:
☐ sleep
☐ food/blood sugar stability
☐ movement
☐ boundaries
☐ emotional processing
☐ reducing overstimulation
☐ connection/co-regulation
☐ alcohol-free reset
☐ other: _______________________
Two tiny daily actions:
Daily action #1 (2–5 minutes): _____________________
Daily action #2 (5–15 minutes): _____________________
My “When I’m triggered” plan (one sentence):
“When I notice __________, I will __________.”
(DBT emphasizes action-based skill-building, not just insight—Linehan’s work is often summarized with “act yourself into new ways of thinking.”)
11) One Boundary That Protects My Nervous System
This week, I will: ______________________________________
Examples:
“No work email after 7 PM.”
“Leave the party early.”
“One screen-free hour at night.”
“Say no to one thing.”
12) The Closing Line (honest, simple)
This week taught me: ____________________________________
Coping Methods That Create Peace and Harmony (So the Review Turns Into Relief)
A weekly review works best when it leads into regulation strategies you actually use. Here are practical methods you can rotate based on what you notice.
If your pattern is anxiety + overstimulation
- Exhale longer than you inhale (signals safety)
- Reduce sensory load: dim lights, fewer screens, quieter environment
- Short walks without audio (let your nervous system “settle”)
If your pattern is shutdown + numbness
- Gentle activation: sunlight + movement + music
- One small social connection (text/call one safe person)
- Warm shower + nourishing meal (body-first regulation)
If your pattern is irritability + reactivity
- Physical discharge: brisk walk, wall push-ups, stretching
- Pause before conversations (don’t process in the peak)
- Repair scripts: “I’m activated. I need 20 minutes and I’ll come back.”
If your pattern is burnout + depletion
- Protect sleep and meals like medication
- Build “non-negotiable decompression” time after work
- Do one thing daily that’s restorative, not productive
If this weekly review helps you spot your triggers and patterns, the next step is turning those insights into a daily reset routine that’s realistic in American life—busy schedules, family demands, work pressure, and all. For more details and step-by-step protocols, you can buy our Nervous System Reset Blueprint here.
