Low mood, anxiety and stress · A few minutes a day
Mood diary
Moods can seem to come out of nowhere, or feel as if they never change. A mood diary is a simple record of how you feel and what was happening at the time. Over a week or two, it can show you patterns that are hard to see from day to day, and the small things that help.
When it can help
- When your mood feels low, flat or up and down, and you're not sure why
- When anxiety, stress or irritability seem to come and go
- When you'd like to see whether sleep, work or time with other people makes a difference
- Before or alongside counselling, so you have something to look back on
How it can help
Spot patterns
Times of day, places, people or events that tend to lift your mood or bring it down.
Notice what helps
The small things that make a difference, even a little, so you can do more of them.
Put feelings into words
Naming a feeling, and how strong it is, can help it feel more manageable.
See change over time
When you're low, it can feel as if nothing ever changes. A diary keeps the better moments too.
How to fill it in
Pick a few moments each day, such as morning, afternoon and evening, or whenever you notice your mood shift. Fill in one row for each. Here's an example of how a row can look.
1: When
The day, and the time or part of the day.
ExampleTuesday, mid-morning
2: What was happening
Where were you, what were you doing, and who were you with?
ExampleAt my desk, working through emails on my own.
3: How you felt
Name the feeling in a word or two, and rate how strong it was, from 0 (not at all) to 10 (the strongest it gets).
ExampleLow 7, tired 6
4: What you noticed
Anything in your body, your energy or your thoughts.
ExampleHeavy and slow. Kept thinking I'm getting nowhere.
5: What you did next
What did you do, and did your mood change at all? Rate it again.
ExampleMade a cup of tea and stepped outside for five minutes. Low 5
A few words in each box is plenty. There are no right or wrong answers, and it's fine to miss a day.
At the end of the week
Take a few minutes to look back over the week. The printable diary has a page for this.
- When did my mood lift, even a little? What was happening?
- When was it lowest? Does a time of day, place or person come up more than once?
- Did sleep, food, movement or time with other people seem to make a difference?
- What helped, even a little, that I could do more of next week?
Helpful tips
- Fill it in close to the time if you can, or at the same time each day so it becomes a habit.
- Include the better moments, not just the hard ones. They're just as useful.
- Give it at least a week or two before looking for patterns.
- Be kind to yourself. You're noticing, not judging.
- Keep it somewhere private. It's yours to share or not, and you're welcome to bring it to a session.
- If your mood has been low most days for two weeks or more, it's worth talking to your GP. It's also something we could explore together in counselling.
A gentle note
These tools aren't a replacement for counselling or medical care. If something here brings up a lot for you, it's okay to stop. You don't have to work through things on your own.
More free resources
The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique
A simple exercise that uses your senses to bring you back to the present when anxiety or panic takes hold.
Box breathing
A steady four-count breathing pattern that helps calm your body when you're anxious or stressed.
Thought record worksheet
A worksheet to help you notice anxious or self-critical thoughts and find a kinder, more balanced view.
You don't have to work through it alone
If you'd like to talk things through with someone, your first 50-minute session is on me, in person in Leigh-on-Sea, online or by phone.