How to track mood swings and mental health
A mood tracker turns how you feel into a record you can look back on. That record helps you and your doctor or therapist see patterns that memory misses. Here is how to track well, plus guides for specific conditions.
Last reviewed by the Pixy team. Not medically reviewed.
Pixy is a self-tracking tool, not a medical device or therapy. It cannot diagnose, treat, or monitor any condition. Talk to a doctor or therapist about your symptoms and your care.
If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, get help now. In the US, call or text 988 (988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). In the UK, call Samaritans on 116 123. Elsewhere, find a free helpline at findahelpline.com or call your local emergency number.
Mood tracking guides by condition
What the mood pattern looks like, what to track, and how to set up Pixy for it. Each guide shows example data.
- Bipolar disorderSpot episodes and early signs like short sleep. Build a simple life chart for your doctor.
- DepressionSee slow progress that is hard to feel day to day, and keep tracking on low-energy days.
- AnxietyFind which days and triggers make anxiety spike, from work to caffeine.
- ADHDCatch fast mood shifts within a day with several quick check-ins.
- BPDLog intense mood shifts hour by hour, next to your DBT diary card.
- PMDDRate every day for two cycles and line your mood up with a period tag.
Why track your mood at all
Memory is a poor record of mood. When people compare what they recall with what they logged at the time, the two often disagree.[1]
Doctors ask for daily records for some conditions. NIMH suggests a life chart or mood journal for bipolar disorder.[2] PMDD is confirmed with daily ratings over at least two cycles.[3]
Your doctor may ask you to keep a mood journal to find patterns and triggers.[4]
How to track mood swings in 6 steps
- 1
Pick one simple scale
A rating you can give in a second, every time. Pixy uses 7 colors from extremely bad to extremely good.
- 2
Log at a fixed time
Set a daily reminder. Same time every day makes days comparable.
- 3
Add an entry when mood shifts
For fast mood swings, one rating a day hides the swing. Log each big change.
- 4
Tag what might matter
Sleep, medication, work, caffeine, period, conflict. Keep it to about five tags.
- 5
Look at weeks and months
Single days are noise. Patterns show up over weeks in a calendar or a year view.
- 6
Share it with your clinician
Bring the record to appointments. Let them judge what it means.
Mood tracking for therapy: what to bring
A mood journal for your therapist works best when it is short and concrete.
- The last month in a calendar or Year in Pixels view.
- The days that stood out, with a line about what happened.
- Dates of changes: a new medicine, a new job, a move.
- Questions the pattern raises, for example "Why are Mondays always hard?"
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
- Clinical assessment of affective instability: comparing EMA indices, questionnaire reports, and retrospective recall. Solhan MB et al., Psychological Assessment 21(3), 2009.
- Bipolar Disorder. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), revised 2025.
- Diagnostic validity of premenstrual dysphoric disorder: revisited. Naik SS et al., Frontiers in Global Women's Health 4, 2023.
- Managing mood swings. healthdirect Australia, reviewed November 2024.
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