Daily anger log: a free printable worksheet
An anger log is a short written record of the times you got angry or frustrated: what happened, how strong it got, what else was going on, what you did and what came of it. You fill it in afterwards, then look back over a few weeks of entries for what repeats. The one below is a single page for one day, and it asks five questions.
Daily anger log
One page for one day.
Date
Time I’m writing this
1. What did I get frustrated about today?
Big or small, anything counts. If nothing did, write that and skip to question 5.
2. How frustrated did I get, at the peak of it?
Your numbers are your own. And what did I notice in my body?
3. What else was going on?
Tick any that fit, then add your own.
- Slept badly
- Hungry
- In pain or unwell
- Work
- Money
- Family or partner
- Running late
- Had a drink
4. What about the circumstances upset or frustrated me?
What did I expect that didn’t happen?
5. How stressed am I in general today?
Not the moment, the whole day.
What I did, and what came of it
Good or bad. Include anything I tried that helped.
It’s one of the free worksheets on this site. A log helps you notice things. It isn’t treatment.
Where do anger logs come from?
I couldn’t find out who first used an anger log. I can show how established programmes use one.
The anger management manual from SAMHSA, the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, sets out a group programme for adults with substance use and mental health conditions. It describes its model as a combined cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approach using relaxation, cognitive and communication skills.
The manual calls its version an “anger awareness record”, not an anger log. It has six columns: Situation, Anger Cues, Anger Meter Rating, Behavior, Consequences (positive or negative) and Strategies Used. The group reviews it at a weekly check-in. The participant workbook adds a daily line for the highest number you reached on its 1 to 10 “anger meter”.
Other reputable versions are similar. The US Department of Veterans Affairs has a Learning Log with a 1 to 10 rating. An NHS trust’s workbook prints an anger diary rated 0% to 100%, and a thought diary in NHS inform’s anger guide has no rating. The University of Alberta’s counselling service is the one that says “anger log”.
How this log differs from SAMHSA’s record
This anger log uses the five questions the Kettle app asks, plus a last field for what I did and what came of it. That’s my design choice, and I’m not claiming the questions are validated.
| On this log | Nearest SAMHSA column | What’s different |
|---|---|---|
| Date and time of writing | None | Added |
| 1. What I got frustrated about today | Situation | Mine says “frustrated” |
| 2. How frustrated at the peak, 0 to 10, and what I noticed in my body | Anger Meter Rating, and Anger Cues in part | SAMHSA’s runs 1 to 10 |
| 3. What else was going on | None | Added |
| 4. What upset me, and what I expected that didn’t happen | Anger Cues, in part | SAMHSA’s asks what I was thinking. Mine asks what I expected |
| 5. How stressed I am in general, 0 to 10 | None | Added |
| What I did, and what came of it | Behavior, Consequences, Strategies Used | Three columns in one field |
On SAMHSA’s meter a 1 is “a complete lack of anger or a total state of calm”. This log runs 0 to 10 so a calm day can be a zero. None of the versions above uses a 0 to 10 scale, though the NHS trust’s diary does start at 0%.
SAMHSA’s anger cues include physical ones, the way your body responds. This log gives them one line under question 2. The anger thermometer has more room for them.
How to fill in the anger log
- Write the date and the time you’re writing.
- Question 1: write what frustrated you today, big or small. Keep to what happened. If nothing frustrated you, write that and skip to question 5.
- Question 2: mark 0 (calm) to 10 (furious) for the peak. The SAMHSA manual says the numbers are personal: “What may be a 5 for one person may be a 7 for someone else.” On the line under the scale, note anything you felt in your body.
- Question 3: tick anything that fits, such as slept badly, hungry or had a drink, and add your own.
- Question 4: write what about the circumstances upset you, and what you expected that didn’t happen.
- Question 5: rate your stress for the whole day, 0 (relaxed) to 10 (overwhelmed).
- Last field: write what you did and what came of it, good or bad, including anything that helped.
I’d suggest writing it at the end of the day, once you’ve calmed down. That’s a practical suggestion, not an evidence claim.
A filled-in example
This entry is made up. It isn’t mine or any real person’s.
| Field | Example entry |
|---|---|
| Date and time | Tuesday, 9.30pm |
| Question 1 | A colleague moved our meeting ten minutes before it started. |
| Question 2 | 6. Tight jaw, hot face. |
| Question 3 | Ticked: slept badly, work. Added: deadline on Friday. |
| Question 4 | I’d rearranged my morning for it. I expected to be told sooner. |
| Question 5 | 7 |
| Last field | Sent a curt reply. Walked round the block, which helped. |
Does an anger log work on its own?
The evidence is for whole programmes, not for an anger log on its own. I’ve read these studies as abstracts only.
A 2018 review of meta-analyses concluded that anger treatments “have consistently demonstrated at least moderate effectiveness”. In SAMHSA’s programme the record is one part among several. What the workbook claims for monitoring is awareness of your patterns, not less anger.
On self-study, the manual says: “Although there has been no research into the validity of this use of the manual, anecdotal reports indicate that individuals have had success with it.” That’s about working through the whole manual and workbook alone. A one-page log is a smaller thing, and there’s no research on that either.
For monitoring alone I found two studies. In 60 Australian veterans with problem anger, symptoms fell significantly across 10 days of repeated self-monitoring. There was no control group, and the authors say only that its potential as an intervention “needs to be explored further”. In a randomised study of 110 adults trying to quit smoking, 94 of whom were in the mood analyses, more frequent self-monitoring went with lower anger and lower positive mood, in people who weren’t seeking help with anger.
I found no controlled trial of a paper anger log used alone, which isn’t proof that none exists. I can’t tell you this log will make you less angry.
What to do with a few weeks of logs
A few weeks of entries is what the NHS trust workbook suggests before you look for patterns. Lay them out and look for:
- the same ticks under question 3 on your worst days
- the same expectation in question 4
- high peaks on high-stress days
- what the last field says on days that ended better
A pattern in your own notes is a hint about what to try. It doesn’t prove a cause. If the same situations keep coming up, sort them on the anger triggers worksheet. There’s more on writing as a habit in journaling for anger.
If the log shows your anger is hurting you or the people around you, that’s a reason to talk to a professional. Only a professional can assess what’s going on for you, and Get help lists where to start.
Kettle, the daily anger journal I built for iPhone, asks the same five questions, and it isn’t on the App Store yet.
References
- Anger Management for Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health Clients: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Manual.
- Anger Management for Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health Clients: Participant Workbook.
- Anger & Irritability Management Skills (AIMS): Learning Log Assignment Worksheet.
- Understanding and Managing Anger workbook.
- Problems with anger self-help guide.
- Anger management.
- Anger and aggression treatments: a review of meta-analyses.
- Using an ecological momentary assessment protocol to understand problem anger in veterans.
- An experimental investigation of reactivity to ecological momentary assessment frequency among adults trying to quit smoking.