Moodnotes

I am a bit of a techno freak. I have been since we got our first computer at home and I learnt to write. When the iPhone and Ipad came, it felt like I had gotten what I have longed for without knowing it. For this reason, I have been eager to test different apps and even if I don`t use all of them, I still like to try them. I am especially eager when it comes to apps relevant for work. One of the apps I want to write a bit about is “Moodnotes”, a CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) app that you can use every day. It is easy to use, and if you turn on the notifications, you will have a reminder every day. It doesn`t take much of your time, and I think it will be helpful for many who are interested in learning more about how thoughts influences emotions.

The app opens with the question of how you are feeling. You can rate your mood by using a face with a smile that goes down or up. If you feel bad, you turn the smile down. When you have done so, you can “add details” where you write what is happening at the moment. Here you can describe the situation and what might be contributing to your mood. One day, for example, I was unhappy because I haven`t manage to exercise like I wanted and felt a bit guilty about it. After you write it down, you can select feelings that go along with your situation. You have both positive and negative feelings, and you easily click on the relevant ones where you can grade them from 0-100 %.

After doing this, you might write what thoughts went through your mind that might contribute to the feelings you have. Then comes the best part: You can “Check your thoughts”. You get several alternatives that describes thoughts-traps you might have fallen into, like “all or nothing” thinking, “blaming” or “emotional reasoning”. You also get a description of what that “trap” means. You can choose several options, before you then get the chance to write down “alternative thoughts”. If you for example have thought: “I am just no good” and clicked the box for emotional reasoning, you can write “I have many good qualities that I just don`t see right now”. After writing down alternative thoughts, you can again check your feelings and grade them. Then you will see if thinking differently makes you feel different too.

The app also has something called “moodtrends” that analyzes your moods over a period of time. If you use it regularly, you will get a overview of how your mood-level has been during a month. This might give you a more realistic view of how you are doing.

I think this App might be good for many, because we all can fall into traps where thoughts might influence our mood in a negative way. By learning more about how thoughts influences us, and seeing the results, the quality of life might increase.

By following this link, you get directly to their webpage. You can also download it on the app store