MOOD JOURNALING AS AN EFFECTIVE SELF-THERAPY TOOL

Dear journal, today I…” — this probably doesn’t sound like you and it shouldn’t. Describing how your day went is only one way of journaling among many other approaches. So if you are looking for a tool to understand your feelings and give your emotions an outlet, mood journaling is worth a try.

BENEFITS OF WRITING DOWN

Wondering why you hear about journaling from every corner? The answer is right in front of you. It’s a no-cost therapeutic tool accessible to just about anyone. Don’t take it from us, take it from mental health specialists, who rely on journaling during every counseling session.

According to research, journaling is useful for (2):

• managing anxiety and stress;
• dealing with depression;
• navigating challenging times;
• recognizing emotional triggers and self-regulating;
• gaining self-awareness;
• developing self-compassion.

WHY MOOD JOURNALING

Mood journaling is an approach that focuses on tracking day-to-day emotions and stressors. You log mood changes and their context to form a bigger picture and see patterns you can act on. Obviously, a big life change or a traumatic experience impacts the mood, however, small things that pile up make you feel overwhelmed and confused about the source of a mood change. It’s all about pinpointing them!

HOW TO ORGANIZE A MOOD JOURNAL

Mood journaling is not writing down “I’m sad” or calculating the percentage of happy days in a month, but rather finding out the WHY behind it all.

Here are some strategies to do just that:

• Free-Writing. Stream of consciousness” type of entry can be used for mood journaling, too. You can just sit down and pour it all out on a page. Just remember to identify the circumstances that might have made you feel a certain way. This approach is less structured, but you can revisit your entries once a week to identify and write down the patterns.
• Visual Journaling. If you have free time on your hands or at least a bit of inspiration, try expressing your emotions through drawing or doodling. Pick a page, let your inner artist come out and play, then spill all your thoughts out on the page right next to your masterpiece.
• Color-Coding. Identify your most frequent emotions and assign a color for each. Then make a table for a week (7 rows) or a month (31 rows). Now on one side you mark a circle/square/blob with a color corresponding to your emotions and note down the context on the other side of the table.
• Column setup. Divide your page into four columns. The first two are to log the date and time and the emotion you experience. The other two — for external and internal factors. External can include place, events, or people, around which the mood change took place. Internal has to do with any memories, fantasies, or thoughts you had at the time. (1)

With either strategy, after some time, you’ll be able to make cause and effect connections, thus, avoiding the stressors and encouraging thoughts, activities, and people that make you happier.

ANALYZING YOUR MOOD JOURNAL

Okay, you’ve started a journal, now what?

Discover connections. Even in a week or two, you can start writing down connections: “I feel _______, when I do/see/remember/hear _______”.

Ask yourself if it’s an appropriate or preferable way to react to such a situation. Would a person you want to react in the same way? Do you want to change anything?

Set goals for the next few weeks or a month. You can try meditating after work if that’s your stressor, and turn your phone off if notifications lead to unwanted emotions at your leisure. Yet, if you see that your mood fluctuates for no apparent reason and it makes you uncomfortable, you can make plans to see a therapist or counselor.

TIPS FOR A QUICK MOOD BOOST

Emotions are natural reactions that are neither good nor bad. It’s important to recognize them and get to the root cause (with the help of your mood journal). Yet, there are a few things you can try to lighten the mood when you don’t want to dwell in anger or sadness:

• Meditate for 5-10 minutes;
• Declutter and organize your space;
• Have a quick workout;
• Get outside for some fresh air and sunshine;
• Give yourself a massage;
• Listen to your guilty-pleasure song;
• Talk to someone you love.

FAQS

SHOULD I KEEP MY JOURNAL PAPER OR DIGITAL?

Use whatever feels more convenient. You can try a paper notebook, a text editor, or a spreadsheet.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I JOURNAL?

Ideally, it’s a daily practice. You can designate 10-15 minutes in the evening to reflect on your mood or make an entry every time you experience a significant mood change.

HOW DETAILED SHOULD MY ENTRIES BE?

The more details, the easier it is to remember how you felt at a particular moment. Your goal is to highlight nuances that usually slip away.

I AM NOT A GOOD WRITER, SHOULD I TRY ANYWAY?

Your journal is private and you don’t need to show it to anyone. Don’t be scared of grammar errors or imperfect sentence structure. You can also try more visual approaches and use symbols and colors to mark emotions.

DO I HAVE TO FOLLOW A SPECIFIC STRUCTURE?

You can come up with your own way to mood journal or tweak existing strategies so that journaling becomes an anticipated part of your day.