Daily Mood Log

Let me discuss an example.

If you’ve ever kept a log of things completed tasks throughout the day, and later come back to the same list a while later, you’ll likely have noticed that probably much more was accomplished than what you thought. It can be quite encouraging. By tracking things in this manner you have a reference point to see what you have accomplished. This can be very encouraging to see how you have improved.

You see we often don’t realize that our moods are improving when they are. We don’t often note when our anxiety levels are decreasing even when they are because we want to see everything in absolutes. Remember (discussed in various pages concerning Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) seeing things in absolute terms is a Cognitive Distortion called Black and White Thinking.

Something called a Daily Mood Log allows you to have a reference point for your emotions.

A Daily Mood Log will often also show you certain times in the day and throughout the week when you are more anxious and possibly sometimes point to environmental factors as well as situational factors that can contribute to your anxiety. In some cases you can eliminate unnecessary triggers in your environment, sometimes you can’t, but you can always come up with a strategy.