Anyone who has suffered from depression, anxiety, or another kind of mood disorder knows how volatile a mood can be. Just when you think you’ve achieved stability, something can throw you completely off, and there you go down the spiral to panic and sadness again. For this reason, keeping a mood journal can be extremely beneficial.

By keeping a daily log of your emotional temperature, you can start to identify the patterns of behavior and are better equipped to catch a depressive episode before a full-blown relapse happens.

Some benefits of keeping a Mood Journal:
- It helps connect with your feelings.
- It helps process your emotions.
- It helps reset your mood.
- It helps reveal your emotional patterns, triggers, and unresolved emotional issues.
- It helps cultivate inner stability and equanimity.
- It will greatly improve your relationship with yourself and others.
- It keeps a record of your emotional journey.

A mood chart is a chart that has information on your mood, hours of sleep, and medications. Most people use mood charts to understand how their moods fluctuate, and also to recognize the influence of mood on other behaviors, such as sleep, energy, and eating. Charting is the best way to detect mood swings and will give you a tool to use with your doctor to fight disorders, such as bipolar disorder.