A Drawing Journal for Events, Thoughts, and Feelings

Start with an ordinary moment

You send a friend a message about meeting this weekend. By the evening, there is no reply. You notice yourself checking the conversation again and thinking, “They don't want to see me.”

What happened and what you think it means are connected, but they are not identical. A short drawing journal can give each its own space. Choose a manageable everyday situation for this exercise, rather than your most painful experience.

Panel one: what happened?

Divide a page into three areas. Label the first “Event.” Sketch the observable situation: a phone, a message, and a clock would be enough. Add a caption such as, “I sent a message this morning and haven't received a reply by 7 p.m.”

Keep details you can check separate from guesses about someone's intentions. If you do not know whether the message was read, do not add that as a fact.

Panel two: what did I make of it?

Label the second area “My interpretation.” Draw a thought bubble and put your actual thought inside it: “They don't want to see me.” You can use words, symbols, or both.

This is your account of the thought. The drawing does not uncover it automatically. A sharp line cannot prove catastrophic thinking, and a dark patch cannot identify a hidden belief.

Panel three: how did I respond?

Label the third area “My response.” Note feelings, bodily sensations, and actions separately if that helps. For example: “Disappointed and worried. Tight shoulders. Checked the chat several times.”

This layout is loosely inspired by the event–belief–consequence distinction in the ABC framework associated with Albert Ellis's rational emotive behavior therapy. Here it is an informal reflection activity, not a therapy session or a validated assessment. Interpretations can influence responses, but real circumstances, physical health, fatigue, and other factors matter too. Difficult feelings are not evidence that you thought incorrectly.

Add a possibility, not a forced positive answer

Under the panels, write one other explanation you could consider: “They might be busy; I don't know yet.” You do not have to replace uncertainty with “Everything is fine.”

Then choose a practical action. You might wait until tomorrow, send a clear follow-up, or make another plan. If the situation involves repeated mistreatment, recognizing that pattern and seeking support may matter more than finding a kinder explanation for the other person.

You can finish while still feeling disappointed. The useful result may simply be knowing which part is observable, which part is uncertain, and what you want to do next.

Make room for a little drawing

Try an open canvas or a coloring template in MoodMirror, and add a mood journal entry if you feel like reflecting.

Keep exploring

• One Moment, Three Panels