8 Free CBT Anxiety Tools I Built in Vanilla JS

I've been building free, privacy-first CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) tools for developers. No signup, no backend, no tracking — just pure vanilla JS running in your browser.

Here are 8 tools I've built that you can use right now:

1. Thought Record State Machine

The thought record is the foundation of CBT. I built a state machine that guides you through the process step-by-step:

• Situation → What happened?
• Emotion → What did you feel? (0-100% intensity)
• Automatic Thought → What went through your mind?
• Distortion Check → Identify the cognitive distortion
• Rational Response → What's a more balanced thought?
• Re-rate → How do you feel now?

The progressive disclosure UI prevents overwhelm by showing one field at a time — crucial when you're already anxious.

Try it: CBT Thought Record

2. Cognitive Distortion Checker

A real-time distortion checker that identifies patterns in your thinking:

• All-or-Nothing Thinking
• Overgeneralization
• Mental Filter
• Disqualifying the Positive
• Jumping to Conclusions
• Magnification/Minimization
• Emotional Reasoning
• Should Statements
• Labeling
• Personalization

Type your thought and get instant feedback with reframing suggestions.

Try it: Distortion Checker

3. Anxiety Tracker with Mood Chart

Track your anxiety over time with a simple mood chart:

• Daily check-ins (0-10 anxiety scale)
• Trigger tracking
• Coping strategy effectiveness
• Weekly/monthly trends
• Export to CSV (your data stays in your browser)

Try it: Anxiety Tracker

4. Breathing Pacer (Box Breathing)

A visual breathing pacer for acute anxiety:

• Box breathing (4-4-4-4)
• 4-7-8 breathing
• Custom intervals
• Audio cues
• Fullscreen mode for minimal distraction

Try it: Breathing Pacer

5. Safety Behavior Detector

Safety behaviors keep anxiety alive. This tool helps you identify them:

• Avoidance patterns
• Reassurance seeking
• Escape behaviors
• Safety signals
• Subtle avoidance

Rate each behavior's impact and create an exposure plan.

Try it: Safety Behavior Detector

6. Worry Postponement Timer

Schedule worries for later instead of ruminating:

• "Worry Time" scheduling
• Worry journal
• Postponement techniques
• Review and reframe

Try it: Worry Postponement

7. Exposure Hierarchy Builder

Build exposure hierarchias for phobias and anxiety:

• Step-by-step hierarchy creation
• SUDS (Subjective Units of Distress Scale) ratings
• Progress tracking
• Journal for each exposure

Try it: Exposure Hierarchy

8. Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Guided PMR with visual cues:

• Full body scan
• Muscle group highlighting
• Custom timing
• Audio guidance

Try it: PMR Tool

Why Vanilla JS?

I chose vanilla JavaScript for a reason:

1. Privacy — No backend means no data collection. Everything runs in your browser.
2. Speed — No API calls, no loading states. Instant interaction.
3. Simplicity — Easy to audit, easy to modify, easy to self-host.
4. Accessibility — Works in any browser, no dependencies.

Open Source

All tools are open source on GitHub:

github.com/alexcoledev/cbt-toolkit

Feel free to:

• Use them yourself
• Contribute improvements
• Self-host for your own clients
• Suggest new tools

What's Next?

I'm working on:

• CBT for Perfectionism (targeting all-or-nothing thinking in code reviews)
• CBT for Imposter Syndrome (for developers)
• CBT for Social Anxiety

Follow me here on Dev.to for updates.

Disclaimer: These tools are for educational purposes and are not a substitute for professional therapy. If you're struggling with anxiety, please reach out to a licensed therapist.

Resources:

• CBT Toolkit Landing Page
• GitHub Repository
• Gumroad: Complete CBT Toolkit Bundle ($4.99)