# RESOURCE: A mood diary in action



## yeah_yeah_yeah (Mar 27, 2007)

One from my very own private reserve ....


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## MouseWithoutKeyboard (Oct 18, 2007)

*Re: A mood diary in action*

Interesting! Thanks for the info.


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## ctsa (Aug 23, 2006)

*Re: A mood diary in action*

Wow, thats awesome. Thats definitely a practice Im going to start doing right away. I almost feel bad for not structuring my bad thoughts into a journal like that sooner - thanks for posting this!

edit-I just say your cbt post now, very well done


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## yeah_yeah_yeah (Mar 27, 2007)

*Re: A mood diary in action*

Glad its of use CTSA. For me its one of the most powerful mood altering tools I've used - barring alcohol  Docs should presribe a sheet of this and some photocopying money IMO ... :lol

Make sure you put it in print view so you can see the instructions. If you want further ideas and new personal philosophies to help you view your thoughts in new ways, and to find hundreds of techniques for altering your mood, check out Feeling Good by David Burns and Ovewrcoming Social Anxiety and Shyness by Gillian Butler. Truly awesome CBT books - its an insult to call them 'self-help' because they are far more than that.


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## mserychic (Oct 2, 2004)

I can't seem to see the instructions. This is def something I want to try. Thanks


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## yeah_yeah_yeah (Mar 27, 2007)

Hmm :con On my version of Word (2002) I put it in print layout view and they pop up. Other than that maybe we have got different versions or something. If you cant find it I will cut and paste the instructions into this thread


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## mserychic (Oct 2, 2004)

Nope it doesn't come up. I have office 2000 so maybe that's the problem. I love the Natalie in yr sig! Have you seen the bananadog one? My all time fav :lol


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## yeah_yeah_yeah (Mar 27, 2007)

Hehe I like the one where they are on the swearing show. "Bi*ch sh*t!" makes me rofl. I will look up bananadog! Pigdog is funny too ... "I love you pigdog!". Oh and the aggressive cupcake  So glad you introduced me to that site - its awesome!!

Okies instructions!

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*Situation:* Put here the events, places and people. E.g. "was in Pub and a girl laughed at me".

*Moods*: Put here how you are feeling / felt e.g. Anxious (70%), Depressed (80%)

*Auto Thoughts / Images*

What was going through my mind just before I started to feel this way?
•	What does this say about me if it is true?
•	What does this mean about me, my life, my future?
•	What am I afraid might happen?
•	What is the worst thing that could happen if this is true?
•	What does this mean about how the other person feelss o r thinks about me?
•	What does this mean about the other person / people in general?
•	What images or memories do I have in this situation?

*Evidence that supports the hot thought*

The things you feel confirm the feelings you have and the thoughts in your mind.

*Evidence that does not support the thought*

•	Have I had any experiences that show this thought is not completely true all the time?
•	If my best friend had this thought, what would I tell them?
•	What would they say to me? What eveidence would they point out to show that this thought is not 100% true?
•	When I am not feeling this way, do I think about this kind of situation differently? How?
•	When I have felt this way in the past, how have I made myself feel better?
•	Have I been in this type of situation before? What happened? Is there anything different between this situation and previous ones? What have I learned from prior experiences that could help me now?
•	Are there any small things that contradict my thoughts that I might be discounting now as not important?
•	Are there any strangths or positives in me or the situation that I am ignoring?
•	Am I jumping to any conclusions in columns 3 & 4 that are not completely justified by the evidence?
•	Am I blaming myself for something over which I do not have complete control?

*Alternative / Balanced thought*

Based on the evidence I have listed in columns 4 & 5 of the thought record, is there an alternative way of thinking about or understanding the situation?
•	Write one sentence that summarizes all the evidence that supposrts the hot thought (col 4) and all the evidence that doesn't (5). Does combining the two summary statements with the word 'and' create a balanced thought that takes into accounbt all the information I have gathered?
•	If someone I cared about was in this situation, had these thoughts, and had this information available, what would be my advice to them? How would I suggest they understand the situation?
•	If my hot thought is true, what is the worst outcome? What is the best outcome? What is the most realistic outcome?
•	Can someone I trust think of any other way of understanding this situation?

*Moods*

Rerate your moods!!

Any questions give me a shout. Another user here, Tomcoldaba, used the sheets for a month every day and had a great experience with them! Tom may be able to give some thoughts on how to use them 

Ross


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## daaaaave (Jan 1, 2007)

How do I utilize these? Should I print out the sheets and carry them around so I don't forget to write down my thoughts?


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## yeah_yeah_yeah (Mar 27, 2007)

I tend to use them at the end of a day, or at least as soon as possibkle after a negative event. I use the computer format personally, but you can also just geta blank piece of paper and draw it out, once you have some practice at what goes in the columns.

Follow the instructions above as well as you can. Alternatively a great book for this is Greenberger and Padesky's Mind Over Mood. Much more detail.


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