Things You'll Need:
- One small notebook
- A writing utensil
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Step 1
Mood journals are used to define patterns in your life. It's helpful to know if you have bad days after eating massive amounts of chocolate of if you get grumpy after not sleeping. This is good for everyone to know, but if you have a chemical imbalance, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, panic attacks or a mood disorder, it may help with your treatment as well.
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Step 2
Buy a small notebook. This doesn't have to be anything fancy. A 99 cent notebook will do.
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Step 3
Commit to writing in your mood journal everyday. Set aside a time of night, after the day is done. You'll only need a few minutes a day, so finding that kind of time should be easy.
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Step 4
Write down today's date. List the major moods you went through today, leave a few lines between each. These can be moods such as "happy", "sad", "angry", etc.
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Step 5
Go back. Below each mood, list the time of day. No need to be exact. Morning, noon, afternoon and night will be fine.
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Step 6
Next, list the triggers for the mood. If you were happy, was it out of nowhere or did someone give you a flower? If you were angry, what made you angry?
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Step 7
If you had an anxiety attack or a panic attack, be sure to write down if there were any triggers. If there were none, then at least try to write down a detailed description of the situation, you may see clues later on.
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Step 8
Underneath the last event of the day, list two things: what you ate and drank for the day and how much sleep you got the night before.
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Step 9
If you had an anxiety attack or a panic attack be sure to write down if there were any triggers. If there were none, then at least try to write down a detailed description of the situation, you may see clues later on.
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Step 10
Continue this daily for several months. Re-read your journal after every month. Try to find patterns. You may discover that you have triggers that cause bad moods, irritability, or euphoria.
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Step 11
If you are in treatment for any sort of mood disorder or undergoing therapy, then show this journal to your mental health-care provider. You may be able to isolate triggers, foods, or situations that cause you mental anguish. This has been very helpful in treating mood swings and bipolar disorder as well.
Comments
hollie1974 said
on 1/25/2009 Very good information and tips! TY!
FrazzledNanny said
on 1/25/2009 I need to do this. Thanks for the idea. 5* RRC
KuanShiYin said
on 1/14/2009 Good article - and thanks for adding the tips and warnings. It would be helpful for anyone suffering from depression or insomnia to do this.
pepper0617 said
on 12/21/2008 This is a great idea, especially for those that have a lot of mood ups and downs. Thanks
RachelMoore said
on 12/21/2008 Cool article.