Hey Everyone,

The first of the year is a great time for people who journal and use planners to start a new tracking for the year.  The last couple of years mental health has become a priority for so many.  One of the trackers that I have found is great for mental health is the mood tracker.

What exactly is a Mood Tracker?

Mood Trackers are a tool that can help you better understand your emotional state and improve your mental well-being.  Not only does a mood tracker help with mental health but it can also help you see how your mood might influence your physical health.  When you are aware of your moods, you can make informed health decisions, prevent or avoid trigger of negative moods, be able to better manage your lifestyle choices, and work towards a better quality of life.

What are Mood Tracking methods?

• Regular Journal:  Writing in a journal is like scanning your mind in front of a mirror daily. The journal helps you review your mental health and declutter thoughts in the mind.  A journal can be therapeutic if you can maintain it.
• Mood Chart:  A daily mood chart will note every mood swing and emotion. It can also cover the external triggers for your mood. It is a quick and systematic way to recognize a mood pattern.  This can be done with a planner insert (free fun sample insert below), a bullet journal or even mood stickers, depending on your preference.
• Digital Apps and Mood Trackers:  With the mobile or web apps you can find free or subscription-based models where you can keep track of your frequent mood swings.  Apps or digital trackers are a great choice for the tech person who wants their information on their phones.

Why is mood management important?

Mood tracking is one of the best ways to monitor and leverage a “good” mood to complete important but unpleasant tasks and use a “bad” mood to experience pleasurable activities that may hold the key to happiness and well-being.   It is not surprising, that psychiatrists often recommend keeping a detailed log of moods.  If a person is on medication, it helps the doctor understand the efficacy of the medication and whether to adjust the doses as needed.  It helps doctors monitor your progress.

How often should you track your mood?

It is necessary to track at least once a day. However, you can track your mood two, three or ten times a day if you feel like it.  It is entirely your preference and what works for you.

What moods should you track?

There is no right or wrong mood to track, but the basic ones are:

• Excited
• Happy
• Sad
• Disappointed
• Calm
• Anxious
• Jealous
• Energetic

When should you track your mood?

It does not matter if you start to track your mood early in the morning or if you do it in the evening. Just keep in mind you should feel comfortable about it. To be sure, you can try to track your mood in different times of the day to see what works for you.

What are benefits of using a Mood Tracker?

There are several benefits of mood tracking.  For some, it can be a medium to clear the mind by putting down their thoughts, while for others, it may bring clarity to the different emotions that they experience. It helps in improving mental health. Explore the many benefits of mood-tracking tools and platforms available in the current times.

1.  It clears mind fog:  Understanding your mood involves comprehending your emotions self-analysis.  It is a crucial part of emptying the mind fog. You can gain clarity of thoughts and recognize what makes you happy, sad, uncomfortable, or stressed. Simply put, it helps sort out the feelings and thoughts that are weighing on your mind.
2. Validate emotions and acknowledge feelings:  A mood tracker delivers a medium to jot down your thoughts and reactions to situations.  The lack of emotional acknowledgment can be a prime reason for mood swings.  Validating emotions and prioritizing them can improve your mental health. Self-validating your emotions can help you put words to your feelings and give yourself permission to feel them.  It’s okay to feel how you feel, and you should know that.
   You can confess your feelings and understand them in depth.
3. Recognize your triggers:  When you keep track of your moods every day, you can connect those moods to events that occurred during your day. This activity will help you more easily see what triggers your mental illness. Knowing what triggers your feelings is a great step towards being able to see your emotions coming and understand why you’re feeling that way. Knowing your triggers will allow you to know exactly what situations to avoid or take more caution in.
4. A therapeutic experience:  A mood tracker can be a therapeutic experience to write down your feelings. It clears the clutter in your mind. You can realize what is bothering you by diving deep inside your stressful mind. Even if you do not experience mood swings; it is better to spill out your feelings for the betterment of your mental health.
5. Letting others know how you are feeling:  Are you able to explain why you feel the way you feel?  This is how mood tracking can help. When we recognize our triggers we can communicate how we’re feeling and why we’re feeling it. This improves our connections to others and lets them understand your feelings a little better.  They will understand you, you will feel understood, and everyone is having a much better time. 
6. Practice Practice:  By using a mood tracker, validating how you feel, finding your triggers, communicating, and emotionally self-regulating, you’re on your way to becoming your own emotions expert.  Getting to know your true emotions can help you figure out your career, school, who you should date, or who you become friends with!  When we know how we feel, we know which path to follow in life.

Now that you are more aware of why using a mood tracker is beneficial, please feel free to try out this free sample insert for CHP here.  If you enjoy this freebie as always, join My Life Planners Freebie FB Group and get all sizes of this insert as well as other mood tracker options.

My Life Planners assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this article.  The information on this website is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.  The information provided is for informational or educational purposes only.

 

Happy Journaling,