Is there such a thing as a mood journal?

[rh456]

Hi there!

Trying to be positive but my confidence is taking a hit every day. I sometimes feel that I can do/say nothing right and feel that I am always the one that apologises or making the concessions. My mum always brings up the "I can never ask you/I am unsure/scared to ask you/its the tone/i am not the only one who notices" etc etc so I feel I am in the wrong again/a bad person and that I seem to get negative comments all the time. Dont worry we get along but when things to get tense, I feel that I am always in the wrong.

Is there any where that I can write a mood journal or something like that where I can express confidentially what I am thinking/feeling? I feel this might benefit me. I am going through a tough time at the moment, with not much work (I work only casual 10-15 hours a week) and my confidence in all things is taking a hit each day. Together with the above, I feel that I am not good enough.

One thing is my health - I am cancer free 4 years which is a bonus I suppose. I guess the general stereotype of depression/mental health is still taboo in a lot of areas and I am thinking that I may need to get some help - at least the first step is going to my GP. Is there a test or questionnaire out there that can determine the level of help i may need?

Cheers for the advice.

RH

[White_Rose]

Dear RH

Thanks for telling us your story. It can be difficult when we are depressed to respond to others in a way that does not make the other uncomfortable. It can be hard work and unfortunately when the other has not had experience of depression it seems perfectly reasonable to expect a a polite/reasonable/enthusiastic answer. Not that I am saying it cannot be done and is obviously the ideal. Some days may well be diamonds as John Denver used to sing, but some days are definitely stone.

There is a depression checklist on the forum. Look under The Facts at the top of the page and click on the depression/anxiety checklist K10. It's by no means a diagnostic tool but it does give an indication of where you are. Print it out when you have completed it and also your result. Take it to your GP when you go. I think it will be a help in deciding the best course of action for you.

A journal for anything is good. You can keep a file on your computer and add to it as you go. I always say it's better to handwrite your journal. All you need is an exercise though buying something a little more substantial is good. Date each entry to see if there is a pattern in the days which are good or not so good.

Does your family know much about depression or mental ill health? Again going to The Facts drop down list follow the links to see what information is available. Send for any of the booklets you feel will be useful. No charge. Download any of the fact sheets. It may be useful to give them to your mom as a way of telling her how you feel. If it goes on to a discussion you may find you can both talk about how you always feel in the wrong.

Congratulations on being cancer free for four years. That's a huge success. Long may it last.

Mary

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi RH,

Thank you for your post. It's great to hear that you're looking to see a GP and thinking about starting a mood journal - both of these are really great steps and I hope that you have some luck with the GP.

Mary recommended the K10 which is often where people start, but it doesn't really determine 'how much help you need'. I'm not sure that any questionnaire can do that because it's really about you and 'how long is a piece of string'. You may even find that if you see a psychologist you could start to feel better sooner rather than later, where as others may take a while to start to see changes.

With mood journals, there are so so many out there, depending on how you're feeling, what you'd like to write down and how much you want to write down. Some people prefer things such as trackers, which can include anything from hours of sleep/exercise, rating their mood on a scale of 1-10, etc. You may find that a simple notebook is what you need, or even an app.

I hope that you find what's best for you and all the best with your GP.

RT

[Alana_H]

Hi RH

Thanks for posting. I'm sorry that things are feeling rough at this time and that you are not getting the support you need. I think it's a really good thing that you are going to the GP and like Mary said they will probably give you the K10 and put you on a mental health plan (10 free/low-cost sessions with a psychologist). It's great that you are thinking of keeping a thought/mood diary as this will be something that your psychologist may ask you to do do anyway! It can be a little book you carry around and you write things down as they happen: normally what happened, what your thought was and how you felt (mood/body ect.)

It must be really hard to feel like you can't talk about things with your mum right now when you feel you need support. Mum's can be so tricky because sometimes they are so tangled up or "invested" in our lives they can't see when they are being unhelpful! Try and be kind to yourself and remember that she has her own anxieties and unhelpful ways of thinking about things, these are most likely affecting the way she is with you so don't take it too personally (easier said than done).

Feel free to jump back on here and let us know how you go with the GP.

Alana_H

[White_Rose]

Hello rh

Sorry if you felt I mislead you about the K10 checklist. I said It's by no means a diagnostic tool but it does give an indication of where you are. GPs and other doctors find it useful as an initial overview of where you are and it gives them a place to start from.

I also said, Take it to your GP when you go. I think it will be a help in deciding the best course of action for you. Clearly a ten minute checklist is not the be all of diagnosis. It's a useful place to start. It may also surprise you to see what is happening as we often downplay our feelings to stop any anxiety or hide what is happening, even to ourselves.

Love to hear how you go with the GP.

Mary

[quirkywords]

Rh,

Welcome to the forum and thanks for your thread,and your question.

You have received many helpful replies.

i have used a mood journal just simply by writing down how I feel each day and date it and time and write what happened before .

As a mum I know I worry about my children and both you and your mum have been through a lot .

I think chatting to your doctor is a good start.

Thanks for your honesty and sharing your insights into your thoughts.

Quirky

[milhouse]

hi, not sure if this is still relevant to you or if you've found something to help but I keep a journal for my thoughts as well as a bullet journal. these journals can be super artsy or as minimalistic as you like but I keep a mood tracker in them. I write my thoughts in detail and then keep my moods logged in one space. there's a lot of examples on Pinterest and google if your interested. hope this helps