Last Updated: July 2026 | By: Rachel Smith, DipBSoM (Qualified Meditation Teacher)
Quick Answer
The best guided journal for tracking emotions is one with a visual emotion guide on each page, helping you get specific about what you're feeling, while reassuring you that no emotion is permanent or defines who you are.
Top recommendation: The Give Yourself Kindness Journal includes an emotional awareness tool on every page, 90 varied prompts, and is rooted in research showing that naming emotions reduces their intensity.
"A warm invitation to make friends with your emotions and yourself!"Dr. Chris Germer, PhD Clinical Psychologist, Harvard Medical School
Full disclosure: I'm Rachel, and this is my journal. After recovering from mental illness through Compassion-Focused Therapy, I created the emotion tracking tool I wish existed. Clinical psychologists from Harvard and Oxford recommend it, but I'll show you the other options too, so you can choose what's genuinely right for you.
What to Look ForComparison TableDetailed ReviewsWhich Is Right for You?How to Track EffectivelyFAQ
"Naming or labeling difficult emotions helps us to disentangle, or 'unstick,' from them. If we can say, 'This is sadness' or 'Fear is arising,' we get perspective on the emotion rather than being engulfed by it. Name it and you tame it."
Kristin Neff, PhD Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Texas at Austin | Co-developer of Mindful Self-Compassion
Excerpt from Being With Difficult Emotions on the Give Yourself Kindness blog, adapted from Fierce Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff, PhD, and shared with permission. → Read the full piece
This is exactly why a visual emotion guide matters when you're choosing a journal: naming what you're feeling, specifically, is the first step to working with it rather than being overwhelmed by it. Here's what else to look for.
What to Look for in an Emotion Tracking Journal
Before comparing specific journals, here's what research and clinical psychology tell us actually works:
It's a very normal struggle to identify emotions beyond basic categories. A visual tool, like an emotion wheel or feelings chart, gives you specific vocabulary and distinguishes between similar emotions (anxious vs. worried vs. restless vs. overwhelmed). The more specific, the better.Red flag: journals that just ask "How do you feel?" with blank space. This is really hard to do without support.
Identifying an emotion is step one. Understanding where it comes from and how to respond to it is step two. Look for prompts like "What emotions can you notice today? With curiosity and kindness, try to explore reasons behind the emotions you've noticed."Red flag: journals that stop at identification. Repeatedly writing "today I felt sad" doesn't build emotional intelligence.
The same question every day puts your brain on autopilot. You stop actually engaging with your emotions and start filling in the blank mechanically. Look for prompts that approach emotional awareness from different angles: gratitude, challenges, self-talk, needs.Red flag: identical daily prompts. The initial appeal wears off within a week.
Research by Dr. Kristin Neff shows that responding to difficult emotions with kindness is more effective than analysing or trying to "fix" them. Look for prompts like "What would you say to a friend feeling this way?"Red flag: journals that frame emotions as problems to solve, or that push forced positivity when you're genuinely struggling.
Emotion tracking can be done in a way that reinforces rumination rather than building awareness. Look for journals created with input from psychologists or based on established therapeutic approaches, like Compassion-Focused Therapy, DBT, or self-compassion research.Red flag: generic journals with no psychological foundation, or ones that encourage excessive focus on negative emotions without tools for regulation.
Emotions come in waves. Some days you'll track them, other days you won't. Dated journals create guilt and pressure, the opposite of what helps emotional regulation. Look for undated pages that welcome you back whenever you're ready.Red flag: dated journals where missed days stare back at you.
Emotion Tracking Journals Compared
| Journal | Visual Emotion Guide | Varied Prompts | Research-Backed | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Give Yourself Kindness Journal ⭐ Created by Rachel |
✓ On every page | ✓ 90 unique | ✓ Affect labeling + self-compassion research | Most people tracking emotions |
| DBT Diary Card | ✗ Numbers only | ✗ Same daily | ✓ DBT protocol | People in DBT therapy |
| Mood Tracking Apps | ~ Basic emoji | ✗ Repetitive | ~ Varies | Quick data tracking |
| Blank Journal | ✗ None | N/A | ✗ No guidance | Experienced journalers with strong emotional vocabulary |
Detailed Reviews
📖 The Give Yourself Kindness Journal
- Most people wanting to track emotions
- Building emotional awareness and vocabulary
- Anyone who struggles with "How do you feel?" blank pages
- People who found other journals repetitive or unhelpful
How Emotion Tracking Works in This Journal
Every single page includes an emotional awareness tool. A visual guide that helps you identify specific emotions beyond just "good" or "bad." You can identify multiple emotions at once, because feelings are complex.
Sample emotion tracking prompt:
"What emotions can you notice have arisen for you today? With curiosity and kindness, try to explore reasons behind the emotions you've noticed."
This approach follows the research: identify the emotion (affect labeling), explore with curiosity (emotional intelligence), and approach with kindness (self-compassion).
90 unique prompts prevent mechanical tracking. Each entry approaches emotions from a different angle: gratitude, challenges, self-talk, needs, values, relationships. Your brain stays engaged rather than going on autopilot.
Based on clinical psychology research. The emotion tracking approach integrates affect labeling research with self-compassion principles. Not just my ideas, evidence-based practices used in therapy.
Dr. Chris Germer, PhD
Clinical Psychologist, Harvard Medical School
"A warm invitation to make friends with your emotions and yourself!"
Professor Willem Kuyken, PhD, DClinPsy
Ritblat Professor of Mindfulness, University of Oxford
"The journal is rooted in state-of-the-art research that emphasizes the importance of understanding our emotions in order to lower stress and lead a happy and meaningful life."
What's Inside
- Emotional awareness tool on all 90 pages
- 90 unique prompts that help you identify and explore emotions
- Self-compassion prompts integrated throughout
- 50+ gentle reminders ("The way you speak to yourself matters")
- Undated format (no guilt for missed days)
- Cloth-bound, premium 120gsm paper
- Printed in UK, FSC-certified
- Used by therapists with clients worldwide
✓ PROS
- Most comprehensive emotion tracking tool
- Visual guide on every page, not just once at the front
- Never feels repetitive or mechanical
- Helps you explore why you feel emotions, not just name them
- Evidence-based approach
- Expert-recommended by Harvard & Oxford psychologists
- Beautiful, premium quality
✗ CONSIDER IF
- You prefer completely blank pages
- You want only emotion tracking (this also includes gratitude, self-compassion, etc.)
- You're in DBT and need a specific DBT diary card format
📊 DBT Diary Card
- People currently in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Those who prefer numerical data over narrative
- Tracking specific target behaviors with a therapist
How It Works
DBT Diary Cards ask you to rate emotions (anxiety, sadness, anger, etc.) on a 0 to 5 scale. You also track urges, behaviours, and skills used. It's a very structured, data-focused approach.
What it does well: if you're in DBT therapy, this is what your therapist will ask you to use. It provides quantifiable data to track progress and identify patterns.
Limitation for emotion tracking: rating "anxiety = 4/5" doesn't help you understand the texture of that anxiety or develop emotional vocabulary. It's data collection, not emotional exploration.
✓ PROS
- Standard tool in DBT therapy
- Quick to fill out (5 minutes)
- Provides trackable data over time
- Free printables available online
✗ CONSIDER IF
- Not in DBT therapy (might feel clinical without context)
- Want to explore emotions, not just rate them
- Prefer narrative writing to numbers
- Want to develop emotional vocabulary
Bottom line: if your therapist uses DBT, use this. If you're not in DBT, a guided journal will likely serve you better.
📱 Mood Tracking Apps (Daylio, Moodflow, etc.)
- Quick daily check-ins (under 1 minute)
- People who love data and graphs
- Tracking mood patterns over months
How It Works
Most mood apps ask you to select an emoji or icon representing your mood, then optionally add activities or notes. You get charts showing mood trends over time.
What they do well: convenient (your phone is always with you), provide pretty graphs, can track patterns easily, and show correlations (for example, "I feel worse on days when I don't exercise").
Limitation for emotion tracking: most use very basic emotion categories (happy, sad, angry, anxious). You're selecting from pre-defined options rather than developing your own emotional awareness and vocabulary.
✓ PROS
- Very quick (30 seconds to 1 minute)
- Always with you (on your phone)
- Reminders to check in
- Pretty charts and trends
- Often free or low cost
✗ CONSIDER IF
- Oversimplified emotion categories
- No guidance on exploring emotions
- Can become mechanical (just tapping icons)
- Screen time before bed if tracking at night
- No physical, tactile experience of writing
Bottom line: apps are great for tracking patterns but weak for building emotional awareness and vocabulary. Consider using both: an app for daily data, a journal for deeper exploration weekly.
📓 Blank Journal (No Prompts)
- Experienced journalers who know what to write
- People with strong existing emotional vocabulary
- Those who find prompts restrictive
How It Works
Blank pages. You decide what to write, how to structure it, which emotions to track, and how to explore them.
What it does well: complete freedom. No structure to follow or prompts that might not fit your situation. It's also the cheapest option.
Limitation for emotion tracking: most people stare at blank pages thinking "I should know what to write" but don't. Without guidance, it's easy to either skip it or just vent without actually tracking or understanding emotions.
Why blank pages are hard for emotion tracking
Most people lack a framework to explore emotions effectively without guidance, so they'll write "I felt anxious today" without developing the awareness or vocabulary to understand what type of anxiety, what triggered it, or how to respond to it compassionately. That gap is exactly what affect labeling and emotional granularity research addresses, and exactly what a blank page doesn't provide.
✓ PROS
- Complete freedom and flexibility
- Inexpensive
- No structure constraints
- Can use any system you create
✗ CONSIDER IF
- No guidance for emotion tracking
- No visual tools or emotion vocabulary
- Blank pages can feel overwhelming
- Easy to skip or write without purpose
- Doesn't teach emotional awareness skills
Bottom line: if you already have a strong emotion tracking practice and just need paper, go for it. If you're learning to track emotions, you'll benefit from structure.
Which Journal Should You Choose?
→ Give Yourself Kindness Journal
Visual emotion tool on every page, varied prompts, research-backed approach. Best for most people.
→ DBT Diary Card
Your therapist will likely ask you to use this specific format.
→ Mood tracking app (plus a journal for deeper work)
Apps are convenient for daily data; add journaling weekly for exploration.
→ Blank journal
You already know what works for you and just need paper.
→ Start with Give Yourself Kindness Journal
The guidance and tools will teach you how to track emotions effectively. You can always move to blank journals later once you've developed the skills.
How to Track Your Emotions Effectively
Having the right journal is step one. Using it effectively is step two. Here's what research shows works:
⏳ 1. Track when emotions are moderate, not at their peak
During intense emotions, your prefrontal cortex (reasoning brain) is offline. Wait until the emotion has decreased from 8/10 to about 4-5/10, then track. You'll be able to think more clearly.
🎯 2. Be specific with emotion names
Instead of "I feel bad right now," try "I feel disappointed right now" or "I feel frustrated right now" or "I feel embarrassed right now." Research shows the more specific your emotion label, the better your brain can regulate it. This is called emotional granularity.
🔍 3. Notice patterns without ruminating
After 2-3 weeks, review your entries to notice patterns. "I feel most anxious on Sunday evenings" or "I feel most energised after exercising." This builds awareness without getting stuck in rumination.
🌤️ 4. Track positive emotions too
Don't only track when you feel bad. Notice joy, contentment, peace, excitement, gratitude. This builds a complete picture of your emotional life and trains your brain to notice positive states.
🌱 5. Be consistent but compassionate
Daily tracking is ideal, but don't be hard on yourself for missing days. Emotion tracking should reduce stress, not add to it. Pick it back up whenever you're ready.
Common Questions About Emotion Tracking Journals
How is emotion tracking different from regular journaling?
Regular journaling is free-form writing about your day, thoughts, or experiences. Emotion tracking specifically focuses on identifying, naming, and understanding your emotional states. It's more structured and has a specific goal: building emotional awareness and regulation skills.
Can emotion tracking help with anxiety or depression?
Research shows emotion tracking (especially affect labeling) can reduce emotional intensity and improve regulation. However, it's a supportive tool, not a replacement for therapy or medication if you need them. If anxiety or depression significantly impacts your life, please speak with a mental health professional.
How long until I notice benefits from tracking emotions?
Most people notice improved emotional awareness within 2-3 weeks of consistent tracking. You'll start recognising patterns, catching emotions earlier, and responding to them more effectively. The skill builds over time.
What if I can't identify what I'm feeling?
This is exactly why visual emotion guides are so helpful. When you can't name what you're feeling, looking at an emotion wheel gives you options. "Am I frustrated? Disappointed? Overwhelmed? Oh, I think it's actually exhausted." The guide helps you develop vocabulary.
Should I track emotions in the morning or evening?
Either works, choose what fits your routine. Morning tracking sets intentions and notices how you're starting the day. Evening tracking reflects on the day's emotions and can improve sleep by processing before bed. Many people do both: a brief morning check-in, a longer evening reflection.
Why are you recommending your own journal?
Because I created it specifically for emotion tracking after my own experience with emotional dysregulation and anxiety. I couldn't find a journal with a visual emotion guide on every page, so I made one. Clinical psychologists from Harvard and Oxford reviewed it and recommend it to their clients. Now I want you to feel the benefits too.
Start Tracking Your Emotions
Emotional awareness is a skill. Like any skill, it improves with practice and guidance.
The right journal gives you the tools to develop that skill: visual guides to identify emotions, prompts to explore them, and a research-backed approach that actually works.
Most people tracking emotions benefit from:
- Visual emotion guide on each page (not just at the front of the journal)
- Varied prompts that help explore emotions, not just name them
- Self-compassion integration (responding to emotions with kindness)
- Research-backed approach (affect labeling, emotional granularity)
- Undated format (no guilt for missed days)
Ready to start?
Explore The Give Yourself Kindness Journal → Read Expert Reviews →Related reading:
About the author: Rachel Smith (DipBSoM) is a qualified meditation teacher and creator of Give Yourself Kindness. She created evidence-based emotion tracking tools now recommended by Dr. Chris Germer (Harvard Medical School) and Professor Willem Kuyken (University of Oxford), and used by therapists with clients across the UK, US, and Canada. She is not a clinical psychologist. She is someone who learned what works through evidence-based therapy and built tools that clinical experts now validate.
“By far my favourite guided journal that I’ve used!”
There's a lot of journals out there. Most of which include tools that can be repetitive, boring or unhelpful. Give Yourself Kindness is about creating something new.
