You blow things out of proportion (a headache is a brain tumor) or shrink the importance of your positive traits (your promotion was just "luck").
| Day | Bad Thought | Distortion | New Thought | Mood Shift (1–10) | |------|-------------|------------|--------------|--------------------| | Mon | … | … | … | +3 | | Tue | … | … | … | +2 | | … | … | … | … | … |
Bad Thinking Diary is a popular South Korean Girls' Love (GL) manhwa written by Park Do-han and illustrated by Rangrarii. It is primarily known for its high-quality artwork and explicit adult content, often characterized by fans as a "guilty pleasure" due to its dramatic and sometimes "toxic" plotlines. Synopsis
The story follows two best friends, Kim Minji and Kang Yuna, who have been inseparable since high school. Now in college, their platonic bond begins to shift after Minji experiences a vivid, erotic dream featuring Yuna. This spark ignites a series of "bad thoughts" that lead to a complicated, steamy, and often messy romantic relationship. Main Characters Bad Thinking Diary
Part I: The Vent Maya starts the diary after a terrible week. Simon steals her design for a community center, and Elena ruins Maya’s rare Friday night off by bringing home a date who mocks Maya’s apartment. Maya writes her first entry. It’s petty. “I wish Elena would just choke on her own self-absorption. I hope Simon’s building falls down (without anyone in it, maybe).” It feels good. She sleeps better than she has in years. The diary becomes an addiction. Every time she swallows a rude comment or forces a smile, she rushes home to transcribe the ugly truth. She begins to feel lighter, sharper, and more confident. She thinks she has found a healthy outlet.
Part II: The Manifestation The "coincidences" begin. Maya writes: “I wish Simon would just slip and fall off his pedestal.” The next day, Simon misses a crucial meeting because he slipped in the gym and broke his ankle. Maya writes: “Elena doesn’t deserve that promotion. She’s lazy. I wish they’d see her for what she really is.” Two days later, an email leak exposes Elena’s time fraud at work, leading to her firing. Maya is unsettled. She tries to tell herself it’s just luck. But the power is intoxicating. For the first time, her life is running smoothly. Her obstacles are removing themselves.
Part III: The Escalation With Elena unemployed and depressed, she becomes clingy, leaning on Maya harder than ever. Maya feels trapped again. The "good girl" instinct wants to help, but the "diary brain" wants her gone. Simon returns to work early, bitter and vindictive. He targets Maya for a harsh performance review. Maya writes a new entry, fueled by wine and rage: “I hate them. I hate how they drain me. I wish they would just disappear. I wish they were gone forever.” You blow things out of proportion (a headache
Part IV: The Twist The next morning, both Elena and Simon are missing. Police arrive at Maya’s work and home. They are asking questions. Maya is terrified—not just of the situation, but because she realizes she might be responsible. She rushes to burn the diary. But when she opens the book to tear out the pages, she finds new handwriting that isn't hers. The entries detail a physical attack on Simon and Elena. The handwriting is messy, erratic. Maya realizes she has been sleepwalking. Or rather, the diary has been writing itself through her. The "bad thoughts" weren't manifesting magically; they were commanding her subconscious body to act. She wasn't releasing the anger; she was training a attack dog inside her own mind.
Part V: The Climax The police close in. Maya finds evidence in her own closet—the "disappearance" was orchestrated by her own hands during a blackout state. She has trapped Elena in the basement storage unit and sabotaged Simon’s car. She is faced with a choice: Call the police and turn herself in, saving her friends but destroying her life... or write one final entry to "fix" it.
Epilogue: Maya sits in an interrogation room. She looks calm, polished—the "good girl" again. She tells the police she has no idea where Elena is. She claims she was home all night. The detective leaves, frustrated. Maya asks for a notepad to write down her statement. She clicks the pen. Her inner monologue is silent. She doesn't need the diary anymore. She is the diary now. Bad Thinking Diary is a popular South Korean
In the age of self-improvement, we are often told to "journal our feelings." We buy beautiful leather-bound notebooks and expensive fountain pens, ready to pour out our souls. But for many of us, something strange happens when the pen hits the paper. Instead of manifesting gratitude and clarity, we begin to document a trial. We list our failures, obsess over conversations we had three years ago, and rehearse arguments that haven’t happened yet.
If this sounds familiar, you aren't keeping a diary. You are keeping a Bad Thinking Diary.
A "Bad Thinking Diary" is not a product you can buy; it is a cognitive habit. It is the mental record of cognitive distortions—the irrational, negative thought patterns that play on loop in our minds. This article explores what a Bad Thinking Diary is, the psychological science behind why our brains create one, and the practical steps to burn that diary and write a new, more rational narrative.
To destroy the Bad Thinking Diary, you must recognize the ink it is written with. Psychologists have identified several specific cognitive distortions that fuel negative thinking. If you recognize these in your internal monologue, you are looking at pages of your Bad Thinking Diary.
