Soon after I began this blog, I wrote about ways I have kept depression at bay for years. I thought people might be interested in ways to treat depression besides meds, although for some cases of depression, drugs are needed.
Then I deleted the post. Like many people, I feared that if I talked about past mental health struggles, people might judge me or think less of me. I’m a positive and happy person today, and don’t want to be perceived as otherwise.
But I realize that if none of us talk about mental health issues, the stigma will never go away.
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The truth is, I’ve had terrible struggles with depression that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
And for the past five years, I’ve not only avoided depression, but I’ve been actually happy, just about every day. Although I was on Prozac for most of my adult life, I don’t take any medications now, and I’ve never felt better.
One thing that helps is my cheesy morning ritual. A fanatical dedication to positive thinking and getting enough sleep have also helped. ASMR videos have been useful for me as well.
But one of the biggest reasons I can stay happy is a smartphone app.
I’m sure there are several mood tracker apps out there, and there are other ways that you can keep a mood log too, such as in a journal. I just think this one is really easy.
Overview of iMoodJournal
With this app, you record your mood level a few times a day. (I do it four times a day, and set alarms to remind myself.)
It’s basically a scale of 1 to 10, from “couldn’t be worse” to “insanely great.” (Perversely, I enjoy having the word “insane” in an app I use to maintain my mental health.)
When you record your mood level, you can put in a couple of hashtags about what’s making you feel how you feel.
Here are some of my positive hashtags, for instance.
Here are some of my negative ones. (“Pirates” refers to book piracy — I haven’t encountered the other kind of pirates.)
And uh… that’s it.
When I started using it, my mood swings were drastic but low on the average, like this:
I had a really hard time pinpointing what was contributing to my mood. If I sat and thought about it for a minute, though, I could figure out something for the hashtag.
As time went on, my mood started to level out a little.
Gradually, it got higher. On most days now, “Good” and “Very Good” are my default level. But good or bad, I always know immediately just what is making me feel that way.
Why It Works For Me
When I identified negative triggers through the hashtags, it made me more aware of them — and more resistant to them.
For instance, I am usually punctual, and whenever I was late for something, it would hit me hard. I had a lot of shame about tardiness. I just wanted to die. Now, because of the app, when something has made me late, I immediately tell myself, “It’s okay. Don’t freak out about it.”
When I encounter many of my negative triggers now, I have these reassuring thoughts that kick in immediately, like white blood cells fighting off an infection.
Because of the app, I’ve also gotten better at avoiding certain things that are pretty much guaranteed to destroy my mood.
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Identifying the positive hashtags was at least as important. Some of the things that never fail to put me in a good mood are frivolous and embarrassing. But hey — they make me happy, so I seek them out more often!
Annoyingly, I always logged a good mood following a workout, so I have to admit that exercise is important to my mental health.
The main reason the app works for me is that I use it consistently. It takes discipline. I doubt it will be helpful unless you use it a few times every day.
Different things work for different people, so I can’t guarantee the app will work for you. I am not recommending it for someone in real crisis — that requires immediate medical attention.
But if you struggle with depression, or would just like to elevate your already-okay mood and learn a little more about yourself, you might want to give the app a try.
Have you ever done mood tracking, or are there other apps that have helped you feel better? I’d love to hear! Thanks for reading!
Thank you for sharing this, I know it must be frightening to put yourself out there! But we do need to talk more about depression in an authentic way. I too have struggled with depression on and off my adult life, and I am always fearful when I have too many “down” days in a row. It’s like a storm cloud always on the horizon. I recently wrote about the ongoing research connecting “gut health” and mood (I’m a science major, so I love knowing the “why” of things). *The digestive tract produces more neurotransmitters than the brain, and our diet, lifestyle, and the micorbiome within all influence our gut health (which is reflected in our mental health). http://seekingjoyfulsimplicity.com/gut-health-12-strategies-for-reducing-inflammation-depression-acne-and-more/
Sorry for the ramble…
I struggle everyday with my mood, and a commenter on my recent post really got me thinking about my habits of thinking. Negative self-talk being one of my bad habits. I am not an “app” person, but perhaps this will help raise awareness and change my habitual ways of thinking. Long way of saying Thank You for sharing Bryn. (I hope you don’t mind my sharing the link.)
Hi Michelle! It’s fine to share a link — I have never heard of anything like that and it’s really interesting!
I work really hard on negative self-talk. I think lots of us struggle with that, and I think it really does have an impact. My positive affirmations in the morning are a way of re-programming my brain 😀
Thanks so much for your comments!
I’ll give it a try.
🙂
I’ve heard of mood journals, and I’m sure they could be helpful, but it would be so much work to keep one! I never thought that there would be apps for it. (Of course there would!)
I’m going to try one. I don’t have a smartphone, so I can’t use this one, but there are some available for PC, and online.
Hi Niel! Yeah, it does make it easy. Haha, there’s an app for everything now, right? 🙂 Nice to see you on my blog 🙂
Thank you for sharing this. I remember you telling me about this app and I forgot to check it out (I had a lot of things going on). I’m about to download it and give it a try. I always enjoy your blog.
Sergio, I’m starting to get embarrassed about how many people I’ve recommended this to! I know that nothing works for everybody, but who knows, you might love it.
Thanks for the kind words! Hope everything is going well with you!
Extremely brave and moving post. Brava!! Thank you for taking the time to share and make this journey possible for others as well. The app will be very helpful for many!!
Aw thank you for that, Shawna 🙂 My blog readers have always been so kind and so insightful, which makes it easier to open up. I’m always grateful. Thanks for commenting!
Not an app, but the book Things Are Going Great In My Absence: How to Let Go and Let the Divine Do the Heavy Lifting helped me a lot. There’s a page that lists different feelings/attitudes. It’s called the Altimeter. You find where you are, and aim a little higher. That way you don’t get stuck in negativity.
There’s also the idea that what you feel is information. It tells you where you need to go. I find that just thinking about feelings this way can be helpful, because right away you’re lifted out of the swamp of self-loathing, and into more analytical thinking. That’s already an improvement. I’d guess the journaling can have a similar effect.
There’s lots more in the book. I’m sure some people need more than changing their thinking to get their moods into a functional range, but I find this book to be a great tool. I do supplement as well.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Maybe I’ll try an app too.
Oh man Rachel, now I want to edit this post, because what you wrote about becoming more analytical is exactly right. “Lifted out of the swamp of self-loathing” — exactly! You explained that so well.
Thanks for the book recommendation — it sounds terrific! I love the title!
I always appreciate your comments so much. You are one of the wisest people I know.
I kept a mood journal for a year trying to understand my depression spikes– it totally helped! I’m a big believer in this. Your brave post reminds about my own emotional maintenance (which has been slacking lately). I’m totally going to check out the app! Thank you!
Thanks for commenting, Stephanie. I’m glad that documenting helped you, too! Thanks for reading 🙂
My depression has been, I believe, largely situational, and right now I would classify myself as “not depressed,” which is great. But … I’m going through a divorce, and although I have been through some tough times—and this was my decision—the ups and downs are something else. I am downloading this now and will start using it today.
Also: shout out to a fellow author in KC! WOOT!
I think divorce must be so difficult, even when it’s definitely for the best! Hang in there, Evelyn. And yay, it’s always great to meet a KC writer!
This is great! Every six months I participate in Track Your Happiness. Have you heard of that? It’s a research study. Learned a few interesting things about myself!
I haven’t heard of that Emily, but it sounds really interesting! I’m going to look it up!
Thank you so much for sharing that. I have been off of my meds for just over 2 years. I was doing great, but a few months ago things started to get sketchy again. It’s begun effecting my work and my overall health. I’ve started to process of getting help. I think this will be a great tool for me. THank you.
Hi Erin! I’m sorry things have gotten more sketchy lately. Good for you for being aware of it now, before it gets worse. I really hope this is useful for you!
I have severe situational depression, sigh, and I am thinking ahead of how to get out of it…not easily at all! But I will try the app, thank you for telling us about this! And I for one am very happy and proud that you found your way out of the wet blanjet, WTG!
Pat, I am so sorry to hear you’re in that kind of situation. I really hope that you’re able to get out of it sooner than you think. I always appreciate your comments so much and I hate for you to be down!
And thank you so much for the kind words! You really made me smile!