Thought diaries If you're feeling depressed or anxious, these are some techniques which might help you to identify the behaviour, feelings and thoughts that are to blame.

In this article

Stage one Stage two

Stage three Stage four

Before you use these techniques, it's important to point out that they aren't a substitute for treatment by qualified mental health professionals. This technique is used in cognitive therapy but there's more to cognitive therapy than mood and thought monitoring. Also, some people may benefit from a different approach.

If you find that the techniques described here get you so far and then you become stuck - or if they just don't work for you - then it might be better to ask your family doctor to refer you to your local community mental health team.

Using mood and thought monitoring is done using four stages.

Stage 1 - be clear about what the problem is
Stage 2 - monitor how bad the problem really is
Stage 3 - find steps between where you are now and where you want to be
Stage 4 - work through the steps at your own pace

This isn't as daunting as it all sounds. If you're reading this with more than just passing curiosity, then you've already acknowledged that there's a problem and wish that you could do something about it. It may seem overwhelming now, but things can change - if you take it a step at a time.

A few words of warning:

1. This isn't necessarily a quick fix. It does take working at, and there'll be times when you feel frustrated at your lack of progress.
2. You may feel that things get worse at the beginning. This is because before you can do anything about your symptoms, you may need to concentrate on them and increase your awareness of them. Being more aware may make you feel worse but it also suggests that you're working on the problem and (in the long run) may be successful.