Got Through the Week

We delivered our product this evening.  That was later than planned, but it was still on time.  I did pretty good managing my thoughts.  I think being very busy helps because my mind get very occupied with what needs to get done.  During the late afternoon I found myself waiting for some data, so I took the time to review My Experiences and thought about what thoughts were running through my head at that time.  I had all or nothing thoughts running through my head, and had some magnification going on too.  I caught those and did pretty well countering them.  I think that's what I like best about having this tool on my phone, which is the ability to access the app pretty much wherever I am.

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.

Today was OK

Today was OK from a Mood Management point of view.  We're still in the hectic phase at work, and there are plenty of opportunities for distortions.  One thing I noticed is that it's not uncommon for my thoughts to get the better of my mood at first, when something unexpected happens, but I'm getting better at challenging those thoughts and getting them under control.  For example, this evening I realized that one of the places I need to enter data to submit my project has a lot of detail I'm not sure I can get.  I've never gotten those data.  The first thoughts were that the whole thing is ruined, and I should have checked on this data entry earlier.  These thoughts really cranked up my fear and anxiety.  However, I was able to get them under control, in part by recognizing that I really don't know how bad it is, and won't know until tomorrow.  I thought about what I'll do tomorrow, and how I'll figure out how bad it is or if it's bad at all.  Recognizing the possibility that things can go well helped a bit.  I'm more relaxed now and think I'll be able to sleep tonight and start the day fresh and ready to tackle this issue.

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.

Ended the Day with a Potential Challenge

My day ended with a potential budget issue on the project I'm working on.  This started forecasts and should statements and even magnifications.  The thing is, it's only a potential issue at this time.  I really won't know the impact until tomorrow morning.  It's funny, but I think I'm handling this better today than I would have a year or so ago.  I feel stressed, but I'm not ruminating as much a I used to.  Tonight I reviewed My Experiences and was able to catch some of these thoughts and deal with them.  That's a good thing for me.  I'm getting better at recognizing distortions in "real time," which I believe is partly due from my frequent use of Mood Sentry to monitor what I think and how I can address those thoughts that need addressing.  Two more days to go, and this crunch will be over.

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 Keep Working the App

I started the day working Mood Sentry, thinking about my upcoming interactions while reviewing My Experiences, and checking some of my other entries.  It really helped me prep for my day.  That's about all I have to say tonight.  It's been a tough day, looking forward to Friday.

Another Hectic Day

My days are pretty hectic right now due to a major deadline this Friday.  There are a lot of things to get done and I found myself reviewing Mood Sentry for a longer period of time this evening than I typically do.  I spent about a half hour tonight reviewing multiple entries that I've made over the past couple of years.  Doing that helped me reduce my stress.  I'm trying to think how I want to capture what's currently going on and what things I'm doing that help, but it's tough for me.  I"m not sure why, but sometimes the words that describe what I'm thinking just don't come to mind.  I'm going to start an Observation and see if I can grab just a couple of words to get the entry started.

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 made sure I took the time to use Mood Sentry this morning, set some goals, and made sure I took some time for myself before going in to work.  Looking back on my goals, it seems I hit just about all of them.  I did pretty good managing my mood too.  I didn't have too many distortions.  In fact, I found myself forecasting a potential interaction that went well, rather than blowing up into an argument.  For some reason I thought it was pretty good that I caught myself with that positive/neutral forecast.  The impact on my mood was neutral which is something I'll take anytime.  I'll get ready for tomorrow.  We're in crunch time.  My current task ends on Friday, win, lose, or draw.  I'm thinking things will be hectic this week, but I'll be able to manage.

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.

Busy, Stressful Day

All I can really do these days is make the time to use Mood Sentry and do my best to keep my thoughts in check.  I'm using it as designed, and all I can say is I believe it's helping.  Of course, that makes sense because I designed it for myself.  As I get through this week, I'll probably have better posts.  I'm just kind of tired right now.

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 Rough Day

I stated previously that I'm going through a hectic time at work these days.  Using Mood Sentry I'm sure is helping me manage my thoughts, but it's a constant struggle.  I have to push myself to use it in the morning rather than get right to work when I get to the office.  One thing I did the other day was review Mood Sentry in my car before going into the office.  It gave me a sense of privacy.  Sometimes I feel a little self conscious using Mood Sentry at my desk because I believe to others it looks like I'm playing with my phone.  I guess that's a form a mind reading, huh?  I have so many things coming at me these days that I'm sure the app is helping me prepare and manage my reactions to these challenges.  I've got about a week to go and then it's over.

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 Very Challenged Recently

Things are hectic at work and my thoughts are running a little rampant.  I made time to use Mood Sentry both in the morning and at lunch time.  At lunch, I looked back on my morning and took a moment to reflect on what was good about my morning.  That helped get me recognize what type of thoughts were manifesting, which were mostly forecasts fed by all or nothing thinking.  I spent some time developing counter thoughts and preparing for the meeting I knew were scheduled for the afternoon.  Doing stuff like this helps me get through days like these.  Another thing that helps is knowing the deadline is fast approaching, and after that things will get back to 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.

An OK Day

I really have nothing to report today.  I used Mood Sentry in the morning, checked my goals, and had a very busy day filled with meetings and work.  There really wasn't much time to forecast, I was just too busy.  I was able to reduce my workload by focusing on " good enough," which I also think helped.  At the end of the day I realized I had gotten a lot done, and just about all the stuff I wanted to get done.  This is probably a data point I should remember.

Had a Better Day

I lucked out a bit due to the holiday, which resulted in a lessened workload.  That helped, as did the preparation I did last night and again during my workout at the gym.  The workout itself helps just because it's physical and gets me moving.  I also took the time to address those thoughts that were driving my mood and recognized a lot of forecasting.  Tonight, I prepared for tomorrow and sketched out how I want my morning to proceed.  I'm not worried that things might not go as planned, because for me, just having gone through a notional plan helps me feel more comfortable and respond when things go off course.  I'll make the time to review Mood Sentry in the morning and see how things go tomorrow.  I'm going to forecast a hectic but manageable day.  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.

Struggled Today

I had this feeling of being overwhelmed by the things I needed to get done today.  I reviewed My Experiences, and thought it had to do with all or nothing thinking related to believing I have to complete everything on my to do list.  I think there were some other thoughts related to asking for help and forecasting what other's would think about that.  There was actually some relevant guidance for me in the Magnification - Minimization entry, in that people don't hold asking for help against the requestor.  I also followed my advice regarding emotional reasoning and got out of the house to be active this morning.  I had these thoughts that I "should" have gone into work this morning, but I also had a thought that I was letting my job run my life.  There actually is plenty of time to get done what I need to get done, I think.  Today I had to keep on top of my thoughts with more rigor than typical, and I think the rest of this week will be the same.  I'll set some goals for tomorrow and see if I can stay on top of my 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.

Took it Easy Today

I took a hike this morning and planned to go to work in the afternoon and develop some tasks for a project we'll propose.  Part of my reason for wanting to work today is due to the amount of stuff on my plate and a feeling of anxiousness regarding my day job (app programming is my night job).  However, the more I thought about what I needed to do, the more I realized I didn't have to do it all today.  The end result was that I took it easy today.  I used Mood Sentry to set some goals, one of which I set to "relax."  I spent some time on a work task, but didn't finish it.  I realized that it was a bigger task than anticipated.  That's fine.  I think I need an easy day more than I need to hammer away at work.  Right now, I'm a bit more relaxed than I have been over the past few weeks, and I'm going to see if I can enjoy this.  I never thought of setting a goal to relax before, I'll have to keep this in mind.

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.

Made Good Use of Mood Sentry This Evening

I had another rough day, lots of stress going on at work due to high workload and pressing deadlines. I didn't make the time to get away from my desk today because I just couldn't find the opportunity.  However, while strolling with my wife after dinner we stopped by a coffee house for a couple of decafs, and at that time I pulled out my phone and reviewed My Experiences with my dat in mind.  Doing that helped me decompress a bit, which is a good thing.  I was able to recognize how All or Nothing thinking was influencing my mood to a great extent and identified some mitigation thoughts, I also noted how a Mental Filter was being applied which made me stop for a second and reflect back on the things that have been completed on this hectic project.  Sometimes I get so focused on what has not been completed that I forget all the things that have been completed.  I also noted a couple of other distortions that occurred.  My point is that even on those days that I don't make the time to use Mood Sentry during the day, picking it up at night can still help me battle the thoughts that seem to taint my mood.

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 Going Soft on this Blog this Week

I'm in one of those very hectic times at work and thus taking it easy on the blog this week.  By easy, I mean that I'm covering basic usage of Mood Sentry.  I covered how I created the app and where one might begin using the app, then I covered the color scheme because I like to remind people why the colors are the way they are.  Today I'll talk a bit about the Daily Goals.  I only have three lines for what to accomplish.  I've debated adding a couple of more but have yet to do that.  I realized a couple of years ago that I can enter multiple items on one line.  Because I can do that, I figured I really don't need to add more lines.  Typically I will have up to three items on each line.  Another thing I can do is delete items on a to do line as they are accomplished or during the mid-day review.  Because I can enter multiple items on a line and edit the line during the day, I figured I would leave the to do list at three lines.  Does that 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.

Color Scheme

Why the dark background?  Because when I created Mood Sentry I knew that I would spend a lot of time composing essays and other types of entries.  I was concerned about battery life, so I decided set the background color to black to save battery life.  Why the fade from blue to yellow?  It's kind of hokey, but think of it as blue to sunny.  Note that when a text field is editable the color gradient reverses, going from yellow to blue.  Did you notice that effect?

Using the Hints

I'm pretty busy at work this week, so I'm taking it easy with the blog to lighten my load.  Today I'll write a bit about the hints.  There are hints on both the Android and iPhone versions of Mood Sentry. I added the hints because I thought it would be useful for people not used to using apps, and this one in particular.  On the Android version, you can access the hints from the menu key.  The iPhone has them at the bottom of the screen.  I've tailored the hints to each tool, though the tailoring on some of the tools is kind of light.  What I mean by that is that for the tools that let you add an entry, delete and entry, edit and even change the title, the hints are essentially the same.  That's because there are only a few functions I use for all those tools, with customized text and database tables for each.  Make sure you check out the hints on each page to get a better feel for how to use Mood Sentry.  Let me know if you have suggestions.

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.

Have You Tried the Reminders?

Yesterday I posted about using My Experiences and the Reminders, but I spent a bit more of the entry on My Experiences.  So, let's talk a bit about the Reminders.  As I mentioned yesterday, I used to have a sheet pop up in the morning with some thoughts about how distortions typically manifest during my day and how I could counter those thoughts.  My Morning reminder essentially tells me to review My Experiences with my day in mind, and tells me a couple of other things to do too.  That effectively replaces the sheet I used to have pop up on my computer.  I also used my computer to set a mid-day reminder that simply asked "What has gone well today?"  The idea behind that was to get myself to stop and reflect on the things that are going well.  My Mid-Day reminder is essentially that, though it too has a couple of other things thrown in.  The evening reminder was new to Mood Sentry.  I didn't really have anything pop up on my home computer because it was often off later in the evening.  All three reminders are meant to be tailored to the user.  I have no idea if you need to prompt yourself to action, and if so, what form that prompt may take.  Like My Experiences, there are hints to help, and of course I always recommend discussing this with your therapist.  Good luck.

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.

Where to Start?

New to Mood Sentry and wondering where to start?  For me, I started with the My Experiences function and the Reminders.  I created both from a write up I created for myself and programmed (via Microsoft Outlook) to pop up on my computer when I started my mail service.  When I ported that function to the phone, I decided to split it into two functions, and then split each into multiple drop down menu items.  Doing that captured the gist of the original write up and worked better with the small format of the phone.  Regarding My Experiences, it's meant to be overwritten with your own experiences.  Yours are probably different than mine.  If you check out the hints, they just might help a bit.  Note that the hints usually tell you at some point to work with your therapist.  I don't say why, such as to better understand the specifics of each distortion or to help you capture in a succinct manner the text for the manifestation and mitigation for a specific distortion.  It's your app and your challenge.  Good luck.

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 Better Today

Used the app this morning and it helped get my day to a good start.  I didn't have any serious mood issues even though I had to go into work.  There were challenges at work because things didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked, but I handled them pretty well.  I believe reviewing My Experiences helps set me on the proper footing and helps be deal with stuff that's the fodder for distorted thoughts.  Today's challenges were the kind that can lead to Overgeneralizations and All or Nothing thinking.  I think there may have even been some Should statements lurking, but the thing is nothing set me off on a serious mood swing.  I have to work tomorrow too, but I'll make sure I make some time for me in the morning as well as make the time for the app.

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 Not Make the Time for Mood Sentry Today

Work was busy from the get-go this morning, and I just didn't make the time to use Mood Sentry today.  This is a rarity for me, primarily because I created the app to help myself.  I did pretty well in any event and I believe that is partly due to the frequency with which I use Mood Sentry.  I use it often enough that if I miss a day I'm still OK in regards to managing my thoughts.  I have to work tomorrow (Saturday), because I'm getting into one of those hectic periods in my work life, so I'll try to make use of the Prioritization scheme.  That tool often helps when confronted with a multitude of tasks and feeling overwhelmed.  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.

Had a Better Day Today

I made the time to review Mood Sentry early in the morning today.  Not the first thing in the morning, but early.  I found the time between a couple of tasks to go to my car and use the app.  What I did was review My Experiences, keeping my day in mind, then I reviewed a couple of Cost Benefit analyses (I don't have that many) and a couple of observations.  That helped even my keel I believe helped me through a fairly challenging day.  Sometimes I get so busy in the morning that I put off using the app.  The reminders help to prompt me to take action, but for some reason there are still those days that I put off using it.  I'm glad I made the time this 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.

Spent Some Time Reviewing Essays

I have a bunch of essays I've recorded over the past couple of years.  I've deleted some, I've rewritten some, I've left some unfinished or in a draft state.  Still, I like the take the time every now and then and just read a bunch of them.  I'll often find things related to my current challenges.  This week it's a lot of forecasting.  One of the advantages of having all this data on my phone is the access I have to my thought records where ever I go.  It helps to review what I've written to myself.  I must have review a half dozen entries or so that relate to my current challenges, most of them essays but a few were observations.  It made me feel a little better and I think helped me better prepare for tomorrow.  If you've been building up a library, take the time to reflect back on what you've written for yourself.  See what it does 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.

A Day Full of Forecasting

I just had this day that seemed full of forecasting.  I had multiple interactions pending that I needed to address but for each I was forecasting confrontations, quagmires, or getting myself into something that I couldn't get myself out of.  NONE of these came true.  In fact, things either worked out well or were neutral.  I have entries related to this phenomenon but I neglected to review them earlier today.  Maybe it would have helped me deal with these thoughts/feelings, maybe not.  I did make the time to review these entries this evening which is now helping reduce my stress a bit.  One trick I've documented in my app for myself and something that I made use of today is that when something is bothering me, facing into it quickly is better than procrastinating and letting it fester.  I did that on a couple of things that were bothering me and I felt better when I did, until I remembered the next item I had to deal with and the forecasts started again.  I'll keep working it.  I don't need to be perfect.  I'll catch what I can and mitigate what I can.  That's good enough for now.

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.

Super Bowl Stuff

The Super Bowl is just a game.  I know that, and figure you do too.  However, I found myself feeling really bad during the game and tracked it down to some should statements.  Before the game, I was talking to my dad and stated that I thought Denver was going to win.  If you saw the game, you know I was way off on that prediction.  I tracked the thought down to something like I shouldn't have said Denver would win or I should have known that Denver wouldn't win.  I captured this in an Event record after the game.  I challenged both thoughts.  Why shouldn't I have said that?  It's what I thought at the time.  Why should I have known differently?  I haven't been following football that closely this year, I didn't follow the sports commentary regarding the game, and I didn't read the sports columns either.  I see should statements here, but also a tinge of perfectionism.  This detracted from the game for me, but challenging these thoughts with counter thoughts has helped me feel a bit better.  I'll work on this entry a bit and see how it develops.

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 didn't use Mood Sentry until this evening today, and looking back on my day I probably could have used it earlier.  I had one of those days in which it feels difficult to get motivated yet I get things done anyway.  I'm not sure that makes sense to anyone but me.  It wasn't that I procrastinated the day away, because I completed some important things, it's just that I feel that I procrastinated more than I should have.  Hmmm.  There's a should statement.  Part of my lethargy was just a need to relax after stressing out this past week due to the issues with the website, MoodSentry.com.  Now that the issue has been resolved, I guess I just needed some time to relax.  Rather than thinking I should have procrastinated less, perhaps it would have been better had I planned a little more free time in my day. Why beat myself up for taking it easy after a rough week?  I'll think about that and reflect back on my week and accomplishments today.

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.