Why Mood Tracking Is Important for Depression And Anxiety


Our moods fluctuate every day. They can be used as a measuring stick for our overall well-being. Sometimes we know exactly why we feel a certain way, but other times it can be difficult to tell. Some feelings like depression and anxiety can seem to pop up without warning. Logging your mood gives you perspective on otherwise seemingly elusive emotions.

Mood tracking is a powerful way for anyone dealing with anxiety and depression to become an active participant in their own well-being. One of the ways anxiety and depression stay in control is by making you feel out of control. Mood journaling with a mood tracker like eMoods is an easy way to reflect on how you felt during the day. This simple activity gives you a moment to connect the events of the day to your emotions. What was today’s most extreme anxiety? Did it have anything to do with that big assignment your boss gave you? Perhaps this stress impacted you more than you thought and caused those anxious feelings while standing in line at the grocery store. By connecting your mood to the events of the day, you’re able to see where these feelings came from. This makes them less out of the blue and gives you more control.

Have you ever tried on a T shirt that was labeled, “One Size Fits All”? How well did it actually fit? What outcome would you expect from anxiety and depression treatment that was labeled the same way? Treating anxiety and depression requires specific and customized care. Since you are the one experiencing these feelings, you know them the best. Your input in the process is necessary. Mood tracking is a great way to identify your own specific triggers and early warning signs. Once you know what makes you anxious or depressed, you can then make the necessary lifestyle changes to avoid these triggers. By tracking my mood, I learned that coffee makes me anxious about four hours after I drink it. I have since cut it out of my diet and switched to tea. Sleep is another important factor in mental health that a mood tracker like eMoods will track. By logging your emotional state and how much you slept the night before, you’re able to see correlations between the two. If you find you’re less anxious with 9 hours of sleep than 6, you now have a data point to experiment with. 

Sharing the data of your mood tracking with your doctor or therapist can provide accurate, detailed evidence for what is working and what isn’t. By dictating your symptoms and needs to your care provider, you become the captain of your ship and not the other way around. This can streamline medical appointments and eliminate the unreliability of memory recall. By giving your doctor this information, they are able to provide you with more precise treatment. In order to accurately log your mood, you need to feel that your privacy is being respected and eMoods does that. No app login is required and your data is not stored online. Managing depression and anxiety is a team effort and with all hands on deck, your chances for success increase. 

Depression and anxiety feed on fear and uncertainty. The more you know about your feelings, the more patterns you begin to see and the less uncertain you will be about them. Mood tracking puts you in control. 


References
This post was written by Jack Pombriant, a contributor to eMoods.  Jack Pombriant is a freelance writer, radio producer and musician.  His website is located at jackpombriant.com.