Tracking your use of coping skills helps you discover which strategies work best for you in different situations. Over time, this log reveals patterns that guide more effective self-regulation. Research on self-monitoring shows that simply recording emotional experiences increases awareness and improves emotion regulation outcomes.

Each time you practice a coping skill, complete one row. Describe the situation that triggered distress, the coping skill you used, and rate your emotions before and after on a scale from 1 (minimal) to 10 (extreme). In the Results column, note any observations about what helped or what you might try differently next time.