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Self-Monitoring & Awareness Lesson 2 of 10
Check in with your mood three times a day. Track your ratings and what was happening, then use the weekly graph to look for patterns.
Objective: Build emotional awareness by noticing mood shifts in real time. Track three times a day for one week.
Time per check-in: ~1 minute
Decide on a 0–10 scale where:
Pro-tip: Stick with the same scale format all week so you can compare days easily.
Schedule three check-ins per day (e.g., morning, mid-afternoon, evening).
- Use phone alarms labeled “Mood Check”
- Or tie them to daily routines, like brushing your teeth or walking the dog.
Pro-tip: Pairing mood checks with habits makes them automatic.
When your cue goes off, pause and rate your mood with a single number from your scale.
Pro-tip: Don’t second-guess it. Your first instinct is usually accurate.
Write a few words describing what’s happening or just happened:
Pro-tip: These quick notes help uncover what influences your mood over time.
At the end of Day 7, take your data and create a simple line graph.
- X-axis: Days
- Y-axis: Mood ratings
Pro-tip: Visual trends can highlight emotional highs and lows you didn’t notice in the moment.
Ask yourself:
0/10 lessons completed
Next up: Timeline Mapping
Some emotional reactions seem sudden, but most follow a predictable build-up. Tools like the Automatic Thought Log help track the thoughts that fuel emotional shifts, while others teach how to interrupt them once they’ve started. But before you can shift a response, it helps to notice the earliest signs, and that begins with learning to track your mood as it rises and falls throughout the day.
Emotions rarely explode out of nowhere. Like a thermometer rising degree by degree, your mood usually gives early hints. If you’re paying attention. The Mood Thermometer teaches you to spot those subtle shifts, so you can intervene long before the frustration, sadness, or anxiety peaks.
Think of it as taking the emotional weather report three times a day. With just a week of data, patterns often leap off the page: low-energy mornings, post-lunch irritability, or evening spikes tied to social media scrolling. Once you see the curve, you can choose skills to flatten it.
The following self-monitoring exercise can help you to be aware of when an emotion may peak. We will learn what to do when this happens later.
What if I miss a check-in?
No problem. Just resume at the next one. This isn’t about perfection; it’s about noticing patterns over time. Even partial data is valuable.
How do I choose my mood number?
Use your gut instinct. Don’t try to calculate or justify it. Just pause, check in with how you feel, and write the number that comes to mind first.
My ratings jump around. Is that bad?
Spiky curves aren’t “bad”; they’re information. In later exercises you’ll test whether sleep, meals, or thought patterns drive the swings
Do I need to write a cue every time?
It’s recommended but not required. Cues like “argued with mom” or “went for a run” help identify what affects your mood. Even one or two words can make a big difference.
This lesson is an educational practice resource, not a substitute for professional assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Discuss behavioral health questions or concerns with a qualified healthcare professional.
These resources explain the background approach. They do not validate this worksheet as a standalone treatment or its suggested practice schedule.
Notice how your thoughts react to situations. Capture one and see what it is telling you.
Track how your mood shifts across the day. Snapshots help you spot patterns before they take over.
Map a recent stressful situation in time order. Notice how triggers, thoughts, emotions, and actions connect, then identify a point to practice a different response.
Break down a tricky moment into its parts. What happened, what you thought, and how you felt. Clarity starts here.
Notice and record physical sensations, such as tension or warmth, without needing to change or interpret them.
Notice a thought and name its type—worry, memory, or planning—to create a little distance from it.
Take one minute to notice your breath, thoughts, and surroundings. Gently return your attention when it wanders.
Settle your mind by coming back to your senses. Noticing what you see, hear, feel, smell, and taste brings you into the present.
Pause and ask what matters most right now. Let your next step reflect your deeper values, not just your immediate emotions.
Record a positive or meaningful moment and why it mattered, while making room for difficult feelings too.
Mood Thermometer
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