Self-Help Worksheets

Do not use these worksheets like a scoring test. The aim is not to earn points, classify yourself, or reach a diagnosis. The aim is to make how your situation works a little more visible. Fill in each page at a calm moment, focusing on one topic if possible. What you write does not need to be perfect. A few words are enough. If you find it hard, take a break. If these pages are making you more anxious, working together with a professional may be more appropriate.

What symptom has been hardest for me in the past few weeks? When does this symptom begin? How long does it last? In what situations does it get worse? In what situations does it lessen? How do I feel in my body? What thoughts accompany it in my mind? What do I do when this symptom arrives?

One of the best ways to understand a psychological difficulty is to see the cycle. Most problems continue through the links of trigger, thought, emotion, body, behavior, and outcome. Triggering event. What happened? Thought that crossed my mind. How did I interpret this? Emotion. What did I feel? Body. What changed in my body? Behavior. What did I do or what did I avoid? Short-term outcome. Did this behavior ease me in the moment? Long-term outcome. Did this behavior reduce the problem or sustain it?

Reassurance seeking and avoidance behaviors are very common in anxiety, OCD, panic, health anxiety, and phobias. These may bring short-term relief but can feed the problem over the long term. What do I check most often when anxiety comes? From whom do I seek reassurance? Which situations or environments do I avoid? What happens in the short term when I avoid? What do I lose in the long term when I avoid?

Recurring patterns in relationships sometimes make a person's core needs and fears visible. This page is meant not for finding fault, but for understanding the cycle. What situation recurs most often in my close relationships? What emotion do I experience most in that situation? What am I afraid the other person will do? How do I try to cope with that fear? Does this behavior bring the relationship closer or push it further away? What might a healthier boundary or way of expressing myself look like?

What are three signs that make me think I need support on this? Which area of expertise might be appropriate? Psychotherapy, psychiatry, a medical evaluation, or a process that combines them. What is the main topic I want to describe at a first appointment? What questions do I want to ask? If there is an urgent risk, who is my safe person or which institution is my point of contact?

Change most often begins not with large decisions but with small, repeatable steps. What is a small and realistic step I can take for myself this week? On which day and at what time will I take this step? What obstacle might challenge me? If an obstacle arises, what is my alternative small step? How is this step connected to my values?