[Captinbipolar]

Been recommended and seen it in a lot of books that I should keep a mood chat. I've been doing it for about a half a month now and can't see a trend other then hey get some sleep, you have bad anxiety, and your going manic. All things I know with out them. I wanted to know who here keeps one and if anyone knows any good mood chart templates? Also what benefits do you on get from them? As always thanks for reading and your support

[Victoria'smom]

I I do an event /thought / mood chart. it helps me see when I'm overreacting or under reacting to stand in line so whether I'm up or down. it also contains what hours I slept and if I took my medicine. I can send it to you if you want me to.

[Captinbipolar]

Yes if its not to much trouble I would like that. The one I have now was off the depakote website. I don't like it at all. Thanks for the time and the response

[Mrs. Mania]

I just started keeping one two weeks ago. I'm not all that thrilled with the one I'm using, but already like having one. I agree with you Captinbipolar on the fact it's telling me what I already know, but for me it's good to see how drastic the change is in comparison with sleep/meds missed. I know my sleeping is all over the map- but seeing it is shocking?! I've already used it to help get better sleep and have an easier time waking.

[Captinbipolar]

Lol yes my sleep page is scary when I see I get 2-6 hours a night. I need to work on that. What have you tried for sleep mrs. Mania that has helped you so far? My doctor won't give me sleeping pills...I overdosed when i was younger. They don't work anyways lol

[Toodles333]

I was told to do one of these. I'm just logging sleep, activity and general (changes in) mood. Hopefully it helps.

[Captinbipolar]

I'm with you toddles I feel it's pointless now but I know a chart I can look back on for improvements, helpful changes and whatnot should help. Wish you the best!

[teleea]

Yes. As part of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, I chart my moods. More importantly, I chart the triggers and corresponding specific anxieties. I have indeed seen trends and patterns - like catasrophic thinking, etc. The charting has allowed me to recognize the main triggers and those anxieties my therapist can concentrate on. The glaring examples in my own mood chart are the ringing phone, and being in public.

[Victoria'smom]

Here

[Captinbipolar]

Thank you so much Miguelsmom!

[iaem85]

Yes, and it has been helping me. It's giving more insights about my mood switches. I've also download an app called imoodjournal. It sends an alert 3 times a day (morning, afternoon and evening) and you have to kind "rank" your mood in a scale of really bad to insanely great. While ranking your mood you can also put some key words with hashtag. It compiles the words you use during good day and bad days. So I could start seeing a pattern now. This mood app combined with the mood chart have been very helpful and unraveling for me, they're def helping me become more accepting of my illness and self-aware of the signs either when depression of hypomania are stirring

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[teleea]

I do not find the mood tracker apps to be suitable for me. I may record in my log up to two dozen entries in a day. I track my mood by assigning a value. I maintain a graph highlighting the average and peak highs/lows day by day and take this graph with me to my monthly psychiatrist visits.

Traditionally, I have kept one, but haven't been since... Ummmm.....Ah, right, that's one big reason for doing it-- I have no idea. I *think* it was fall, but it might have been a year ago. I have a really bad memory, especially in regards to time. I even have trouble remembering stuff at night of the very same day(!) (Was that *today*? Or just draw a total blank. Sad, I know!)

So, I'll go to an appt.. "How are you doing?" Well, she's not just asking about RIGHT NOW is she? And unless I've been relentlessly severely depressed, or something VERY major happened, I'll have a hard time answering it. (Only to maybe remember things that should've be mentioned after the appt..)

Even if there was a really significant shift, I can be way off on timeframe. (Took a big upswing. It's been about 3 days. What?! A week and a half?! That actually happened and I was charting at the time, lol! I'm not one to question every little variation, so by the time I decided that for sure it was no mere blip...It'd probably bumped up a notch by that point. I think it was giving a thorough scrubbing out of garbage, recycling and compost bins that weren't even mine that finally clued me in. )

My sleep pattern is also quite disturbing. It's probably my biggest everyday struggle.

[iaem85]

Originally Posted by Innerzone

Traditionally, I have kept one, but haven't been since... Ummmm.....Ah, right, that's one big reason for doing it-- I have no idea. I *think* it was fall, but it might have been a year ago. I have a really bad memory, especially in regards to time. I even have trouble remembering stuff at night of the very same day(!) (Was that *today*? Or just draw a total blank. Sad, I know!)

So, I'll go to an appt.. "How are you doing?" Well, she's not just asking about RIGHT NOW is she? And unless I've been relentlessly severely depressed, or something VERY major happened, I'll have a hard time answering it.

Even if there was a really significant shift, I can be way off on timeframe. (Took a big upswing. It's been about 3 days. What?! A week and a half?! That actually happened and I was charting at the time, lol! I'm not one to question every little variation, so by the time I decided that for sure it was no mere blip...It'd probably bumped up a notch by that point. I think it was giving a thorough scrubbing out of garbage, recycling and compost bins that weren't even mine finally clued me in. )

My sleep pattern is also quite disturbing. It's probably my biggest everyday struggle.

Lol!!!
I can totally relate to that! My memory has been like Swiss cheese lately.

When I go to see T, she asks me how was my week and I'm like: eerr...hmmm...sorry cannot really recall it.

Unless like you've mentioned something major has happened, but still I cannot remember if it was like 3 days ago or 5.

I also got to a point of having this very enthusiastic conversation (or should I say monologue?) with my bf in the morning and in the evening having no recollection of what I said. Just that sensation that I was going fast and up up up.
Once my bf refreshed my memory, I was like "whaaaat?nah I did not say that"

Lol it can be funny at times but sometimes it can be very annoying. I sometimes have the feeling my memory is playing tricks on me and I can no longer control it

And I'm still keeping track of my moods in the chart. if in one hand it can give me guidance about my mood switches, on the other hand it does not help me in terms of memory.

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[iaem85]

And in moments when my memory is just blank, the app I've mentioned can come in handy - if I have written enough to describe the day, otherwise I'm clueless

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[Speraia]

I've been told multiple times to track my daily moods and I always found it impossible since I would forget to. Just to see if it would help I decided to find a mood tracker app on my phone and found Moodtrack Diary and I am so glad I got it.

Basically you add one or two words that are or describe a feeling, elaborate in the notes part if you'd like, and then rank your mood on 5 stars that range from 'worst' to 'best'. As you go along it creates a chart (it's really more of a graph I guess) that you can print out. I personally think the best part is that if your mood changes often then you can add however many things you want whenever you want.

I only downloaded it a few days ago but still used it quite a bit and then brought it to my psychiatrist's yesterday. She said it was so helpful to see my different feelings and thoughts throughout the day and actually told me to continue using it.

I don't know if this is what you're looking for, but it's good for me because I always have my phone with me so no matter where, with available wifi or not, I can add things quickly and not have to think about it. And I'm not positive, but I believe the app is actually aimed towards people with bipolar.

[Captinbipolar]

Originally Posted by teleea

Yes. As part of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, I chart my moods. More importantly, I chart the triggers and corresponding specific anxieties. I have indeed seen trends and patterns - like catasrophic thinking, etc. The charting has allowed me to recognize the main triggers and those anxieties my therapist can concentrate on. The glaring examples in my own mood chart are the ringing phone, and being in public.

I'm supposed to start that soon hopefully but that sounds like a great idea. I'll have to try adding that to my chart in the meantime. Thank you for the advice

[raspberrytorte]

I would. But right now I think it would be really boring. Just stable stable stable. With a bad day thrown in here and there, but who knows. Maybe I'd be surprised.

[Captinbipolar]

Originally Posted by iaem85

Yes, and it has been helping me. It's giving more insights about my mood switches. I've also download an app called imoodjournal.

I'll have to find an app and maybe try that out. I was One of the few people who decide a windows phone would be best. It's great but no darn apps lol I regret it only because of that lol I downloaded one hopefully similar to what you were talking about to give it a try!

[Captinbipolar]

Originally Posted by Innerzone

Traditionally, I have kept one, but haven't been since... Ummmm.....Ah, right, that's one big reason for doing it-- I have no idea. I *think* it was fall, but it might have been a year ago. I have a really bad memory, especially in regards to time. I even have trouble remembering stuff at night of the very same day(!) (Was that *today*? Or just draw a total blank. Sad, I know!)

So, I'll go to an appt.. "How are you doing?" Well, she's not just asking about RIGHT NOW is she? And unless I've been relentlessly severely depressed, or something VERY major happened, I'll have a hard time answering it. (Only to maybe remember things that should've be mentioned after the appt..)

Even if there was a really significant shift, I can be way off on timeframe. (Took a big upswing. It's been about 3 days. What?! A week and a half?! That actually happened and I was charting at the time, lol! I'm not one to question every little variation, so by the time I decided that for sure it was no mere blip...It'd probably bumped up a notch by that point. I think it was giving a thorough scrubbing out of garbage, recycling and compost bins that weren't even mine that finally clued me in. )

My sleep pattern is also quite disturbing. It's probably my biggest everyday struggle.

And this is why I'm on mood chart attempt number 3 lol. I have post it notes all over my room reminding me to do it...I'll still forget. I'll be like oh yes I'll do that, then do something else like ill remember when I'm done lol I also have no sense of time. Yesterday is last week, last week was a month ago...no wait I can't remember that far lol it's hard enough remembering what I had for breakfast. Not glad to see others have this too but nice to know I'm not alone with the struggle thanks for the reply!

Originally Posted by Captinbipolar

I'll have to find an app and maybe try that out. I was One of the few people who decide a windows phone would be best. It's great but no darn apps lol I regret it only because of that lol I downloaded one hopefully similar to what you were talking about to give it a try!

Look for Optimism in your apps. They have a platform for windows I believe. It is very customizable and has a place you can journal, etc. if you wish.

[Captinbipolar]

Originally Posted by lolagrace

Look for Optimism in your apps. They have a platform for windows I believe. It is very customizable and has a place you can journal, etc. if you wish.

Found it but I don't think it's what you describe I just has successes of famous people who made them in light of impending failure lol and only like 5 of them at at lol. Oh boy windows phone here we go again lol thanks so much for the suggestion tho I'm sure there's something for my lonely windows phone lol

Originally Posted by Captinbipolar

And this is why I'm on mood chart attempt number 3 lol. I have post it notes all over my room reminding me to do it...I'll still forget. I'll be like oh yes I'll do that, then do something else like ill remember when I'm done lol I also have no sense of time. Yesterday is last week, last week was a month ago...no wait I can't remember that far lol it's hard enough remembering what I had for breakfast. Not glad to see others have this too but nice to know I'm not alone with the struggle thanks for the reply!

Did I write this??!! Totally could have! I exclaimed right out loud with the familiarity of it. Oh, the reminder notes! (And lists) Everywhere! I'll see something, get distracted by something else, thinking, oh, I'll do that thing in a second. Ha! As if that ever happens.
Time-cluelessness, even sometimes to the extent of seasons. One time was driving and had just passed a big bunch of daffodils, so spring, right? And what was I thinking? How I needed some office-y thing and how handy it was that the back-school sales would be going on(!!) Wha?!

Originally Posted by raspberrytorte

I would. But right now I think it would be really boring. Just stable stable stable. With a bad day thrown in here and there, but who knows. Maybe I'd be surprised.

You might be. Sometimes I'll stop mood charting when things are going alright, but the problem is that when it turns otherwise it's fallen out of practice and doesn't tend to get picked back up when it would be most useful. Or enlightening anyway. One time, going through a long and horrid mixed (worst episode of my life, hands down), I still tried to keep on it. There were scraps of paper everywhere, notes written in every direction, half the dates unintelligible or missing altogether. It was an accurate reflection, though it was useless for information.

So there's that. Guess that's a downside of D.I.Y. written charts... Totally customizable, but maintenance can be tricky. Forgot to make copies at the library? Just freehand it and put it in the chart later. Yeah, doesn't happen.

Originally Posted by Captinbipolar

Found it but I don't think it's what you describe I just has successes of famous people who made them in light of impending failure lol and only like 5 of them at at lol. Oh boy windows phone here we go again lol thanks so much for the suggestion tho I'm sure there's something for my lonely windows phone lol

Here's a link to the on-line website that has links to download the app:

Optimism Mental Health Apps for Self-Tracking

[Captinbipolar]

Thank you lolagrace