Mood Journaling: A New Year\'s Journey to Track Emotions

Abstract

Mood journaling is a relatively new terminology that tracks the emotions, feelings, and patterns related to particular mindsets and environmental contexts with or without triggering factors. It is considered a powerful tool for raising self-awareness, coping with negative and unexpected emotions, and healthily living a life. Mood journaling helps us to learn stress-handling techniques, break down the barriers of emotions, shift perspectives, and improve concentration. Mood journaling is a reflective practice where one can document emotions, thoughts, and experiences to understand oneself better. It can help you recognize patterns, triggers, and ways to improve your emotional well-being. Mood journaling involves regularly recording the emotional state, what influenced it, and any insights one gains. It encourages self-awareness and can be therapeutic for managing stress, anxiety, or other emotional challenges. 1 The practice of mood journaling, though modern in its formalization, has roots in historical traditions of self-reflection and emotional exploration. Philosophers like Marcus Aurelius (Roman emperor, AD 121-180) in his meditations wrote daily reflections on thoughts and emotions, practicing what we now call stoic journaling. With the rise of Sigmund Freud and psychoanalysis, journaling was recognized as a way to access the subconscious mind, helping individuals understand their deeper emotions and motivations. In the early 20th century, psychologists began recommending writing as a therapeutic tool for managing emotions and reducing anxiety. Dr James Pennebaker in the 1980s demonstrated that writing about emotions and traumatic experiences could improve mental and physical health. 2 Mood tracking became integrated into mental health therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), helping patients monitor emotions, identify triggers, and develop coping mechanisms. The digital age introduced mood-tracking and journaling apps, making it easier for individuals to record their feelings consistently. Apps like Daylio, Moodpath, and Reflectly use artificial intelligence (AI) and user input to help individuals log and analyze their emotions. 3 Mood journaling today combines ancient practices of introspection with modern psychology and technology, offering a versatile tool for self-care and emotional well-being. To start mood journaling, one has to choose a format like, a notebook or journal, digital apps or mood-tracking apps, simple templates (e.g., bullet points, charts, or paragraphs), etc. Thereafter, one has to pick a consistent daily routine (e.g., morning or evening) to reflect and write. The writing must be without fear of judgment. There are different moods journaling techniques like-• Daily mood logging which records mood using a likert scale (1-10) with emojis or descriptive words with triggers and reflections • Highs and lows which denote the best and most challenging parts of the day and reflect what went well and how to handle the difficulties • Gratitude sections ending with each entry with 2-3 things that the individual is grateful for • Emotional wheel which identifies nuanced feelings (e.g., overwhelmed, content, hopeful) • Trigger analysis which reflects moments and asks what happened and how did that happened • Visualization create mood graphs and track emotional trends over weeks or months • Themed prompts with self-compassion statements and creative expressions 4 There are many benefits of mood journaling, e.g. (i) identifies emotional triggers and patterns, (ii) encourages mindfulnesss and self-compassion, (iii) enhances emotional regulation skills, and (iv) helps clarify thoughts and feelings. Mood journaling has many benefits, but it's also important to consider potential risks and drawbacks to ensure a balanced approach. Here are some of the possible challenges: (1) over-focus on negative emotions, (2) emotional overwhelm, (3) perfectionism, (4) triggers for anxiety or trauma, (5) potential for rumination, (6) privacy concerns, (7) dependency on journaling, (8) time commitment, (9) self-criticism, (10) lack of structure. While mood journaling can be a valuable tool for self-reflection, it's important to approach it mindfully. Balance honesty with self-compassion, set boundaries to avoid overwhelm, and seek professional support if challenging emotions arise. Mood journaling applications are digital tools designed to help individuals track their emotions, reflect on their experiences, and gain insights into their mental health. 5 Here are some of the best mood journaling apps available, along with their features and benefits, as shown in Table 1. Mood journaling can be a powerful tool for self-reflection and emotional growth. Here are some techniques to help you get started and make the most of the process: • Daily mood tracker: By using simple emojis in a likert scale (1-10) or using color codes to log mood daily. Reflecting the feelings © The Author(s). 2025 Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and non-commercial reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.