I'm hitting the app early these days

I'm developing a new routine in which I review My Experiences in my car when I get to work.  I just find it easier to do in my car rather than at my desk.  I work in a cube and don't want people to see me "playing" with my phone when I'm at my desk.  Also, because I'm pretty busy these days I tend to jump right into work when I boot my computer and working the app can take me off task.  This new routine is working pretty well, as long as I remember to put on my glasses.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Upcoming Changes

I've mentioned that I have some changes in the works.  I'm adding 4 new tools to Mood Sentry.  Because the Tools list started getting large, I decided to break it in two.  I'm classifying the tools as either Journaling tools or Thriving tools.  Journaling tools are the ones we use to capture our thoughts, like the Event Log or the Essays.  Thriving tools are the ones that set goals and are forward looking, such as the Daily Goals or the Ideal Self.  A couple of the new tools are Journaling tools, and a couple are Thriving tools.  I'll tell you about one of the Journaling tools.  It's called Auto Thoughts and is intended to help you capture your automatic thoughts.  It has three windows, much like the Contact Us page, but it has a drop down menu too.  In the top window we'll capture the situation and our feelings.  In the middle window we'll capture our automatic thoughts and any cognitive distortions associated with those thoughts, and in the bottom window we'll capture our counter thoughts and mitigation ideas. I think capturing those thoughts close to when they happen will be a good thing.  We'll see.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Using Mood Sentry

If you're new to Mood Sentry and don't know where to begin, try My Experiences and Reminders.  Those are basically the first two features of this app I created.  I created My Experiences so I could have a tailored set of Cognitive Distortions that I could reference early in the day and prime  myself for whatever came up later in the day.  The reminders were created for the obvious reason, to remind me to take some action.  When I'm really in a funk, the reminders can give me the push I need to defeat any "what's the use" type feeling I may have.  When I'm feeling OK, the reminders can nudge me to take action when I think I don't need to take any action.  I'm usually better of in both cases when I take the action of the reminders.  Try customizing your most frequent distortions to yourself, and setting just one reminder to take action.  See how things work for you.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Was Feeling Anxious this Morning

I was feeling a bit anxious this morning and wasn't sure why.  The impact was I was having a difficult time planning my day.  I tracked the cause down to some "should" statements regarding my work.  These nagging thoughts were something like: "I should go in to work this morning and get some stuff done."  Note that I've been going in to work on the past few Sundays, though just for a few hours.  I didn't have anything concrete to accomplish.  I just had this nagging feeling that I should get in to work and get something off my plate for next week.  Once I figured out it was "should" statements, I was able to counter those thoughts somewhat.  I told myself that it may be a good idea to go into work, but it may also be a good idea if I got out and enjoyed myself.  There's nothing pressing on my plate that I need resolved by Monday (tomorrow), so really, "should" I go into work?  These counter thoughts helped.  I got out of the house and went kayaking, then off to my favorite Peet's coffee.  I was able to enjoy myself but still went into work for an hour or two this afternoon, with some concrete plans.  Things worked out because I discovered some issues to deal with tomorrow and got some things off my plate to free up time to work those issues.  Even though I still went into work, I think today was pretty good because the counter thoughts helped elevate my mood and enabled me to enjoy myself.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Using the Reminders

The three reminders have a lot of "stuff" in each of them.  For the most part, they started out much more simply.  The morning reminder was simply to review My Experiences with the day's upcoming activities in mind, the mid-day reminder was simply reflecting on what has gone well so far, and the evening reminder was simply looking back on the day and thinking about tomorrow.  As I used them more and more, I kept adding stuff.  By the time I published the app, I had a lot of stuff in each reminder.  If you think there is too much in any reminder you think might be worth using, feel free to customize that reminder to your needs.  That's the point of Mood Sentry, customizing the entries to your needs.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Took a Vacation Day Today

I really needed a break from work, and today was a good day to take one because there's a lull in my workload right now.  I spent a chunk of the dat working on the next update to Mood Sentry, and hit some snags along the way.  It took longer for me to load the prototype of the new version on my test devices than I planned.  I hit myself with some should statements, "this should not be taking this long" and some over generalizations, "I'll never get this working."  But their effects were short lived.  I recognized the distortions fairly quickly which helped mitigate their impact but didn't eliminate it.  I also read part of Chapter 4 in "Feeling Good."  It's been a while since I read that chapter.  It seems I always pick up new isights when I do this, and this was no exception.  Early in the chapter Dr. Burns talks about equating worth with self esteem.  I think when I first read this chapter I didn't think it applied to me much.  But as I learn more about myself and get better at capturing my thoughts I can see that this type of thought pattern does pop up on occasion.  I think one of the new tools I'm adding will help in this area.  Yes, I'll share more about the new tools in later postings.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Working on Some Updates - New Tools

I'm working on the next update for the app.  In addition to the usual tool clean up, I'm introducing 4 new tools.  Because this is a pretty large increase in the number of tools, I'm going to split the tools list in two.  One will be for journaling tools, like Essays and Observations, and the other will be for decision making and goal setting, like the prioritization and daily goals tools.  I'll cover some of the new tools in later blogs.  I think the next update will be ready in about 2 weeks.  Other than that, I made time for the app today, first thing in the morning.  I've been reviewing My Experiences in the parking lot when I get to work.  I find it easier to review in my car rather than at my desk.  I feel less rushed in my car.  Reviewing My Experiences with my day in mind really helped me get set for the day.  I think I'm honing in on a core belief that I'll probably share in later posts.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Kept it Simple Today

I had a big meeting today and needed to prepare for it.  This morning, all I did was review My Experiences, think about what thoughts might come up before and during the meeting, and think about some counter thoughts.  I looked at my forecasting as something driven by discounting the positive in this case.  The positive being the amount of time and effort I put into preparing for the meeting.  I also have a good team, and we did some light preparation for the meeting as a group as well.  I thought about how well we prepared and how historically, when the team is prepared we tend to do pretty well.  I was fairly relaxed for the most part before, during, and after this meeting.  It's funny.  It didn't take much to prepare myself emotionally.  Just reviewing my experiences and focusing on the positive things the team did to make the meeting a success, which the meeting was.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Spent Some Time Reviewing My Entries in Tools

I spent some time reviewing my entries in the Tools section this evening.  I like doing that every now and then, just spending some time looking at all the different things I've recorded over the past couple of years.  I sometimes see things differently, and sometimes notice that the effects certain types of situations have on me have lessened over time.  I know there are certain things I can't change, such as my propensity toward all or nothing thinking, but I can get better at recognizing when those thoughts are affecting my mood and then challenging them.  I think that's one thing that taking the time to review my entries really does for me, which is helping me see my progress.  How about you?  Do you ever just take some time to relax and review all the events, observations, etc, that you have captured?

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

How are the hints working for you?

This is one of those questions I post every now and then to spur some feedback on Mood Sentry.  I'm curious about the hints I've included and if you find them helpful.  Have you ever checked them out?  Heck, you might not even know they exist.  On the Android system, you can access them via the menu button.  On iPhone, they are just there, on the bottom of the view.  The hints are mostly aimed at the technical aspect of the view, not necessarily about how to use that particular function of Mood Sentry.  Drop me a line and let me know if you have used the hints and if so, if they helped.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Opening My Experiences

It's not uncommon for me to open My Experiences at the end of the day and find myself on the Experience that is most relevant at that time.  Maybe it's because what ails me early in the day ails me late in the day, or maybe it just seems like the one I'm on is most relevant because all the entries are mine and thus all feel true to me.  I bring this up because when I opened My Experiences this evening I found myself on Mental Filter, which pretty much covered what has been on my mind this afternoon and evening.  I have a lot going in at work and actually went in for a few hours this morning.  I didn't get all I planned to do done, but I did get some critical items off my plate.  I found myself focusing only on the things that I didn't get to.  That drove my mood low and resulted in some Should statements in regards to spending more time at work, and some forecasts of conflict when I get in tomorrow because I didn't get enough done this weekend.  I did some self talk focusing on what I achieved and pointing out that some of the stuff I didn't get to may get done fairly quickly tomorrow morning.  Regarding conflict, most people are not that confrontational at my workplace, I have some entires on this.  I don't think anyone expected me to work this weekend.  I'll try to get a good night's sleep and see how I feel in the morning.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Another OK Day

I managed to get a hike in, but cut it short due in part to the warm weather and also having things on my mind regarding work and home.  I often have a difficult time not thinking of the things I have to do at work, on this app, and other in my life of importance.  Mood Sentry can help reduce, but not alleviate these thoughts.  A lot of the time they are driven by should statements resulting from things not being as I think they should be.  It's kind of a perfectionist, all or nothing orientation I have.  The app can help me challenge these statements and mitigate their impact on my mood, which is why I use it everyday.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Did OK Today

I'm not sure if this will make sense to you, but I felt like I was on the edge of tipping into a funk though I never quite made it there.  I kept checking my mood by challenging any distorted thoughts with prepared counter thoughts and some counter thoughts developed on-the-fly.  I had several challenges throughout the day, but managed to keep them from pulling me down.  I can't say I was happy, but I can say I felt much better than I did yesterday.  I used the Mood Sentry in the morning and then again at lunchtime.  Doing that really does help me maintain an even keel.  The weekend is here.  I have to put some time in, but I'll definitely make some time for something physical.  Physical activity can really help be battle things like emotional reasoning.  I'm not sure exactly why, but I do know it helps me.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Got Into a Real Funk Today

There were lots of things going on today at work.  One thing was a process audit of how I keep track of the time I spend working on different projects.  In general, I did pretty well during the audit, though there was one question that I answered honestly, which was the wrong answer.  When I realized that I answered the question wrong, I started down the road to funkville.  Other things started bothering me too, things at work as well as at home.  I couldn't really put my finger on what was driving my mood until this evening.   I reviewed My Experiences and identified "Should" statements regarding my answer in the audit, Forecasting regarding one of the projects I'm supporting, Forecasting regarding dealing with realtors, Overgerneralizations regarding my home life, and Emotional Reasoning pulling all these together.  I'm not sure how I figured all this out, but thinking back on my day while reviewing My Experiences really helped.  I ended up challenging these thoughts and then power walking, which both helped lessen the impact of those distorted thoughts.  I'm feeling OK now, and expect to feel better in the morning.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Been Doing a Lot of Coding this Evening

Working on the next update, which will be more than the recent formatting and contact us changes.  I'm adding 3 new tools that I'll describe more in later posts.  Other than that, I think today went pretty well, though I am having some difficulty justifying using Mood Sentry.  Things are going OK, so I question my need to review it every day.  However, I know based on past experience that my days tend to be better when I do make the time to use it.  I think I have an entry on this.  I'll check that out tonight to see if it motivates me.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Working on a Forecasting Essay

I caught myself forecasting today and thought about the impact.  I was thinking about how my forecasts have no impact on the way things will turn out.  They don't help me develop solutions for the issues driving the forecasts.  They do take time away that could be better spent developing solutions to real problems.  I had a few more thoughts to.  I thought about starting either a Cost Benefit analysis or an Essay, and am opting toward an Essay.  I'll work this over the next couple of days and see how it develops.  I'll probably share it if it turns into something decent.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Had a Pretty Good Day Today

I was off site today, working at a customer site.  I was able to get some time to myself at lunch and review Mood Sentry, which really helped get my thoughts in order and I think resulted in a pretty good day.  Not everything went perfectly, but I did not find myself focusing on the sub-optimal stuff.  I managed to take a balanced look at the whole, the bad and the good together.  I'm not sure, but there seems to be a change in my outlook these days, from a focus on the negative to a more balanced view taking both negative and positive into account.  We'll see if this keeps up.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

I Think Emotional Reasoning Got the Best of Me Yesterday

I was focused on what I wasn't getting to do, which really wasn't balanced.  Because of that, last night I was a bit depressed about having to go into work today.  I woke up today, still feeling a bit lethargic about going in to work, but I did and felt that I accomplished some important tasks.  Tomorrow is kind of a big day at work but I think I'm ready for it  now.  I did get to relax today and address plenty of things other than work.  So looking back on today, I didn't have to spend all day working, I did get to do some things I enjoy, and I'm in good shape for tomorrow.  Writing like this help reinforce these points.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Did OK Today

I'm a little stressed right now, and think it has to do with feeling that I won't get what I need to get done tomorrow, done tomorrow.  That's a classic forecast for me.  I used my daily goals tool to identify what I need to get done and kept the list to just the essentials.  I have the prioritization scheme, which helps keep me focused in times like this.  I think part of the driver is a feeling of lament over the things I have to give up because I have to go into work tomorrow.  I'd really like to take a hike or kayak, but I don't think I can truly enjoy either with the work items hanging over my head.  I'm one of those people who will ruminate on what I have to get done and fret over it if I'm doing something else.  Times like these are coming more often than they used to, and it's wearing on me.  I plan to walk to work tomorrow, which helps me deal with feelings of stress, which is why it's one of the things I tell myself in the emotional reasoning example.  I think I've done about the best I can do.  I'll turn in for the night.  I'll probably feel better in the morning.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

An OK Day Today

I didn't make use of Mood Sentry until late in the day, and recognized some overgeneralizations running my mood.  I was trying to wrap some things up at work, and it just seemed that every time I thought I had something done, something else would pop up that needed to be addressed before I could declare success.  This thought pattern is more likely during periods of high stress than when things are calm.  Looking back, this was happening on 3 of the items I was trying to wrap up, each was important, and each in fact was wrapped up today.  That's good data to have for next time.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Reflecting Back on My Day

I'm better at handling distortions.  I think things are settling down at work and that's part of why I'm handling my distorted thoughts better.  Looking back, I see my typical jumping to conclusions, overgeneralizations, all or nothing thinking, and some magnification going on.  Nothing got out of hand, though I didn't catch them as quickly as I would have liked.  I'm tempted to update some of the entries in My Experiences, but think I'll hold off on that.  Specifically the Overgeneralization manifestation entry.  It's not that what I have isn't correct, it's that it's not the way it typically manifests these days.  Today it was related to multiple iterations on an item I was trying to wrap up.  It was just feeling like it was never going to end.  If this pattern persists, and this is the way the thoughts typically manifest, the perhaps I'll update this entry.  We'll see.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Just Spent Some Time Reviewing My Entries

I just spent a half hour or so reviewing multiple entries I've made in Mood Sentry.  I do this every now and then and find it helps.  I remember events from the past and often see that I handle them better today.  I also take the time to add more detail or clarification and have on occasion changed the title to better capture the gist of the entry.  I see a lot of forecasting in what I enter, mostly of the jumping to conclusions kind, as well as all or nothing thinking, should statements, and more.  I also see that I'm handling things better than I used to.  I still get frazzled in groups, but I think that has more to do with attention regulation than my thought process.  I really recommend taking the time to sit back, relax, and review the entries you've made in Mood Sentry to see how/if you progressed.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

How are the Hints Working for You?

Sometimes I like to take a moment and ask how Mood Sentry is working for you.  Today is one of those times.  Have you checked out the hints?  On Android, you'll need to bring up the menu and select from there.  On the iPhone, it's selected from the bottom of the screen.  The hints are tailored to each display, or nearly so, and are intended to provide guidance on how I use the app.  Drop me a line and let me know how/if they help.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Had a Pop-Up Issue Today

I had a pop-up issue today that is threatening to delay my project.  I think I'm handling it pretty well.  I made the time to review My Experiences this morning, as well as some of the entires in my tools.  None of the things I reviewed related directly to the pop-up issue, but that's not the point of reviewing what I have in Mood Sentry.  The point is that simply reviewing my entries helps me be better prepared for anything that comes my way during my day.  For this item, I was able to recognize thoughts such as "we'll never fix this and the whole thing is ruined." Or thoughts similar to that.  I was able to recognize those thoughts as distortions and minimize the impact of those thoughts.  I still had feelings of anxiety and worry about the project, but I remained functional throughout the day and kept those feelings at a manageable level.  We'll see how this plays out tomorrow.  There's a chance we'll work things out such that there will be no impact.  We'll see.  Right now, I'm able to see a positive outcome.  Seeing a positive outcome is something that is getting more frequent with me.  That's a good thing.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

One of My New Entries

I'll share one of my new entries in a second, but first want to point out a feature in the recent update to the Android users that I forgot to mention.  I changed the way the Daily Goals page works.  Now, when you save the goals, you stay on the page rather than exiting the view.  I think this makes more sense and is a bit more intuitive.  Now, back to that new entry.

I mentioned in a recent posting that I had started an Observation called Thankfulls.  The idea is to create a list of things I'm thankful for.  What I'm trying to do is identify a few things I'm thankful for in different areas of my life.  I think this may help put my mind on a more positive tack.  We'll see.  He's that I have so far...

----- begin entry ------------

Wife -

loves me
listens to me
trusts/confides in me
looks after me
lets me look after her
companionship

Job -
good co-workers
trusted
autonomy
pays well
intellectually challenging
get to work on cool stuff

Family -
support financial and emotional
education
trusts me
support, there when i need

Friends -
laughter
companionship
--------- end entry ----------------

As you can see, it's more of a topic list.  This is actually tougher for me than I first thought, and because of that I think at a minimum it will be a good exercise to go through.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Social Event Tonight

I'm going out with friends to a concert tonight.  I have issues with groups of friends, depending on the size, and being in a concert setting doesn't help improve the situation.  The big issue is a the constant draw on my attention.  I seem to have some attention regulating challenges and have a tough time paying attention to the person talking to me.  I keep looking around at other pop up items, such as sudden laughter or quick movements.  I get kind of fatigued after a while, say about an hour and a half.  In the past I haven't managed it well.  I have one custom entry in Mood Sentry related to this, and I have reviewed it.  One thing I can do is take a walk and get to the edge of the crowd.  It helps if I can get all the commotion coming at me from one direction.  Finding a quite place to get away is also helpful, but I don't think I'll be able to do that at this venue.  One thing I need to do if I take a walk is to let my wife know.  In the past, I've waited until I was very stressed and simply got up and walked without telling her.  That wasn't met with enthusiasm on her part.  I've learned that it's OK for me to take a walk, and keeping her in the loop is a good thing.  I think I'll do OK tonight.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

How's Mood Sentry Working for You?

Every now and then I'll post something like this on the blog to see if I can prompt a user to respond and give me some feedback.  I'm just looking for ideas on the next update.  I'll keep you response confidential, so please consider letting me know how the tools are working for you.  Do you use all three reminders?  I do.  Where did you start, and were you able to work the app with your therapist?  Use the new Contact Us page to share you thoughts.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Using the Observations Tool

I'm using my Observations tool to capture forecasted and actual responses during my day.  Right now, the entry has a date followed by the forecast and then the actual response.  I'm not sure where this entry is going, but that's why I can edit what I enter and even change the title.  For me. just starting an entry is more important than knowing where it's going to end up.  I've had entries that have jumped tools (e.g. Observations to Essays) because it just felt better from the other tool's frame of reference.  My entries often develop over days, and sometimes weeks.  In fact, I have even edited entries months later because I learned more about my self and my thoughts over that time.  How about you?  Do you make your entries in one-pass, or are you a tinkerer like me?

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Had an OK Day

I made the time this morning to go to my car and review My Experiences, which helped me get my mind in the right shape for a couple of meetings that followed.  I had to make the time because my day started of pretty busy.  I was glad I did.  I was able to identify some forecasting that was driving my mood and was able to keep those thoughts in check, somewhat.  Both meetings went well, as is typical.  

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.

Worked the App Today

I worked the app today, starting with a review of My Experiences in the morning while thinking about what would materialize today.  I started an Observation related to having so many forecasts that just didn't come true the other day, but the Observation is not developing into something useful.  Sometimes it takes me a couple of days to lay out an entry like this.  I'll keep working it.  I just reviewed my goals for the day and hit most of them, but not all.  I really had a lot of goals set today.  For those who don't know, I often will set more than one goal per line.  I started doing that a while ago and think it's better than adding more lines.  I think it's better because it's more flexible.  Regarding the goals I didn't get to, I'm comfortable with that.  Other things popped up that are more important.  This turned out to be a pretty good day.

If you'd like to contribute one of your experiences, reminders, any tool entry or just your thoughts to possibly help others make better use of Mood Sentry, please consider e-mailing the item (or your thoughts) to 4theblog@moodappsllc.com. I'll protect your privacy and keep the source anonymous.

If your therapist would like to contact me with questions or suggestions, have him/her contact me at info@moodappsllc.com.