The Moods-Behaviors Tracking Challenge: A Writing Therapy Exercise

Back on March 21, 2023 in my blog post, entitled Fast-tracking the Journaling of Your Moods and Behaviors, I indicated that I would be working on a moods-behaviors tracking sheet that would be used to help us . . .

. . . identify WHY and WHERE our personal makeups need some fine-tuning, so we can move right on into that personal identity placement we’re meant to fulfill.

Yes, that is the aim and that is the goal. And, we’re getting ready to hit the one-month mark since I declared my allegiance to this “writing therapy” cause. But, I finally have the moods-behaviors tracker ready for you — hot off the online press. You can check it out by clicking on the attachment below:

Moods-Behaviors Habits Tracker

Okay, wait a minute. Please go back and take a quick peak at the tracker before reading on (if you haven’t already).

Now, let’s proceed.

So, what do you think? Looks pretty elementary, doesn’t it? In fact, you’ll notice that it’s not a complicated document at all. No frills. No bells and whistles. It’s pretty basic and gets straight to the point on what needs to be captured within it.

That’s totally what I was going for with this design. Just something simple that’s not overwhelming in any sense — something that won’t infringe on your energy and time constraints.

Simplifying the writing therapy. That’s what I was aiming for with this tracker.

SO!

Here are a few simplified instructions to help you fill out the “Daily Moods-Behaviors Tracker”:

• Enter the date you’re tracking on the upper right-hand side of the document.
• Event = an important happening or occurrence in the day.
• Mood in one word = what your overall feeling was after the event took place.
• Before = what was going on (activity-wise) before the event took place.
• After = how you responded/reacted (behaved) after the event took place.
• Use your “Notes” page (second page) to capture the important stuff that’s listed in the second bulleted section below.

THE CHALLENGE IS THIS: to see if you can go at least a full weekday week (Monday through Friday) recording memorable daily events that take place, where recognizable shifts in ways of being occur. And then, record those instances with moods and behaviors identified.

You would fill out a separate tracking sheet for each week day you record, so you should have 5 sheets per week. (Or more, if you need multiple sheets in a day.) And at a minimum, I would love for you to track at least one full weekday week (Monday through Friday period) to get some tracking momentum. But, it would be lovely if you could get multiple weeks in, if at all possible.

Once you conclude your weekly tracking period(s), you’re going to:

• take your individual tracking sheets and review them.
• note any patterns (common themes) of moods and behaviors you experienced and write down your findings.
• note the specific events that brought about the favorable moods and write down your findings.
• note the specific events that brought about the unfavorable moods and write down your findings.
• note how you responded/reacted (behaved) while in the moods that were favorable and write down your findings.
• note how you responded/reacted (behaved) while in the moods that were unfavorable and write down your findings.
• note any connections between what was going on before the event took place and how those “before-the-event” activities could have affected your mood and resulting behavior. And . . . write down your findings.

Hey, did you notice that there’s a whole lotta note-taking going on with this writing therapy exercise?

Hmmmm. Good thing I’ve got you covered on that front. Because you’ll notice that the second page of your printable includes a note-taking sheet. And, guess what you’re going to do with it?

Well, I’m going to imagine that you responded with . . . “I’m going to use it to note-take on all those bullet points Jana just laid out for me.”

And you’d be correcto!

You’re going to use the note-taking sheet for one week at a time — to break the patterns down in more manageable chunks.

Then, you can compare your weekly “Notes” sheets and combine patterns to see overall moods and behaviors and what brought them about.

In actuality, what you’re trying to do here is to increase those ways of being that are positive in your life and to decrease (and, eventually, eliminate altogether) those negative ways of being that are in your life. And therefore, it’s important to track moods and behaviors as they occur, so you’re consciously aware of them happening in the first place. And once you’re aware that certain moods-behaviors patterns are occurring in your life, then you can begin to HANDLE THEM strategically and constructively.

Hence, the underlying purpose behind the tracking process.

I do believe this is an exercise, challenge, worth taking. And, I’ll be going through this weekly weekday challenge myself, starting Monday, April 24, 2023. Length of this personal undertaking is yet to be determined.

Are you game?