Since finding out if there is a pattern to your moods and symptoms is such an important first step in diagnosing, mood tracker apps could be beneficial in establishing a pattern. Mood tracking is documenting your emotions day to day to see if there is any kind of noticeable pattern. An app is a very convenient way to do this and there are dozens, if not hundreds, of apps available for both Android and Apple systems.
Different apps approach mood tracking from different angles, and you might want to try a few if you are trying to narrow down a trigger or environmental influence. Daylio is a mood tracker that keeps is simple and versatile. It’s based around a daily micro-diary concept with a simple mood scale and activity tracking.
Different apps approach mood tracking from different angles, and you might want to try a few if you are trying to narrow down a trigger or environmental influence. Daylio is a mood tracker that keeps is simple and versatile. It’s based around a daily micro-diary concept with a simple mood scale and activity tracking.
This is a great starter app if you have never done mood tracking before. It focuses on overall mood at the end of the day. Each day a reminder will pop up in the evening asking how your day was. You give a rating of basically one to five in answer. Since you can only log once a day, I kept my reminders to the evening and did the average of my mood for the day. You then can also select various activities you did throughout the day and type a note for more detailed tracking.
I used Daylio for about four weeks testing it out. The overall feel was quick, easy, and versatile. I was able to start using in less than a minute and keeping up with it was very easy. Your mood data can then be viewed in several different ways, making it easier to spot patterns. There are two graph options and a calendar view.
Both the scale and the activity options are customizable. So, if you are trying to find out if a type of food, activity, certain people, or anything else is affecting your mood its just a few clicks to add those options. I found that customizing the scale to my personality made me more likely to use the app.
Now, while the ease of use and customizability is great, the app does have it's drawbacks. Let's go over the overall pros and cons.
PROS:
CONS:
Overall, this is a good starter app or good if you want to track basics to watch for relapses and escalations. If you are wanting to try mood tracking for the first time, well its free--so why not? If you need detailed tracking or need to be able to share you data with your therapist or doctor, a more advanced app might be necessary.
I used Daylio for about four weeks testing it out. The overall feel was quick, easy, and versatile. I was able to start using in less than a minute and keeping up with it was very easy. Your mood data can then be viewed in several different ways, making it easier to spot patterns. There are two graph options and a calendar view.
Both the scale and the activity options are customizable. So, if you are trying to find out if a type of food, activity, certain people, or anything else is affecting your mood its just a few clicks to add those options. I found that customizing the scale to my personality made me more likely to use the app.
Now, while the ease of use and customizability is great, the app does have it's drawbacks. Let's go over the overall pros and cons.
PROS:
- Easy to use
- Flexible customization options.
- Easy to customize
- Free version has ad support but it is not at all invasive and passed all the virus scans I use on my phone.
- Ad-free version is really cheap.
- Persistent, but not annoying reminder system.
- Multiple statistics views for easy mood pattern spotting.
- Can be locked to keep private.
CONS:
- Only keeps stats for one calendar month.
- Statistics page shows mood stats well but not activity stats effectively.
- Only allows for a single mood note for the day, so wouldn't help if you experience quick, short mood changes.
- Data can't be transferred into a sharable report in free version.
- Only available on Android at this time.
Overall, this is a good starter app or good if you want to track basics to watch for relapses and escalations. If you are wanting to try mood tracking for the first time, well its free--so why not? If you need detailed tracking or need to be able to share you data with your therapist or doctor, a more advanced app might be necessary.
 Meghan Bomberger is a freelance writer from Salt Lake City, Utah. She a "geek" expert as well as a technology guru. She is the owner of Geekery Made. |
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