Mood Diary

Similar to the Body Scan, the mood diary helps you recognise how you are feeling and teaches you to observe your ‘states’ as you negotiate your days.

Although journaling is recognised these days as a good way to manage your psychological distress, a mood diary is a bit more focused. What you do is keep a notebook [and yes writing is better than using an app] with you and when you feel something in relation to an event or thought write it down. It can be as simple as noting:-

• This happened and I felt like …. which is a recognition of your triggers and how you react to them. Again you are learning how to negotiate small emotions because you become aware of what bothers you. When you do this you can do something about it rather than hold onto it during the day thus making you more likely to over react or become distressed or angry.
• I felt like …. and that happened. There is a concept that we can create our days by how we are feeling before something happens to us. Think about those days when you wake up grumpy and everything bad happens, you stub your toe as you get out of bed, you run late … and so it goes on. BUT if you create in yourself a positive mood even though sh!t happens in your day you are more likely to negotiate those events more calmly thus reducing your likelihood of feeling overwhelmed. Reflect on this and see for yourself.

So, by becoming more observant of your states and creating a gap between the trigger and your behaviours or attitudes, you give yourself space to respond to events rather than react. This is a powerful state and can be a lifetime skill.