How a CBT conversation goes
- What happened? The situation, in plain facts.
- What went through your mind? The automatic thought.
- What did you feel? The emotion, and how strong it was.
- Does the thought hold up? Evidence for and against; what you'd tell a friend.
- A more balanced thought — and one small experiment to test it.
You don't fill in a form: The Coach asks, you answer as briefly as you like.
Common thinking traps the Coach can name
- All-or-nothing thinking — “If it isn't perfect, it's a failure.”
- Catastrophizing — jumping to the worst outcome.
- Mind reading — “They must think I'm useless.”
- Should statements — rules that make you feel guilty.
- Discounting the positive — “That win doesn't count.”
- Emotional reasoning — “I feel it, so it must be true.”
From insight to action
After a few exchanges, tap Suggest action items. The Coach proposes one to three small, specific steps grounded in what you wrote. They appear on your Next steps list, where ticking them off becomes part of your weekly report.
Important
CBT journaling is a self-help practice. DiaryFast is not therapy and doesn't diagnose or treat anything. If your mood is persistently low or you feel unsafe, please reach out to a professional or a crisis line (988 in the US and Canada; Samaritans 116 123 in the UK and Ireland).
Free and Pro
Writing, prompts, mood tracking, photos, weather and your weekly stats are free forever, with 3 AI replies a day. Pro adds unlimited AI, AI reports, encrypted sync and PDF export. Or try everything for a day with the $4.99 pass.
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Journal entries (short posts and long form) | Unlimited, on your device | Unlimited |
| Daily prompts, mood check-ins, mood calendar & year map | ✓ | ✓ |
| Photos, weather and place on entries | ✓ | ✓ |
| Voice to text | 60 seconds per take | Unlimited |
| Voice conversation (replies read aloud, hands-free answers) | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI replies & CBT coaching (Friend, Coach, Mentor, Chronicler) | 3 per day | Unlimited (fair use) |
| Your own OpenAI / Anthropic key (BYOK) | ✓ no daily limit | ✓ |
| Weekly report: mood curve, keywords, streaks | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI weekly & monthly reflection reports | — | ✓ |
| Your month as a PDF book (entries, photos, AI replies) | Preview | ✓ |
| End-to-end encrypted sync between devices | — | ✓ (monthly or yearly) |
| Passphrase lock (AES-GCM) & JSON backup | ✓ | ✓ |
Questions
Is this a replacement for a therapist?
No. It's a structured way to reflect between sessions or on your own. Many therapists recommend thought records; DiaryFast makes them quicker to do.
Do I have to use the Coach?
No. Choose The Friend for comfort or The Mentor for perspective — or turn AI replies off entirely in Settings.
Is CBT coaching free?
Every reply and every coaching turn uses one of your 3 free AI requests per day. Pro makes it unlimited.
DiaryFast is a journaling and self-reflection tool. It is not therapy and doesn't diagnose or treat any condition. If you are in crisis, contact local emergency services or a crisis line (US & Canada: 988).