A bipolar mood log needs more than “good” or “bad”

Keep mood and energy separate

An upbeat mood and high energy are not identical. Neither is a low mood the same thing as tiredness. Separate fields let you record combinations without forcing them into one happy-to-sad score.

NIMH includes mood journals among strategies that can support ongoing care. It also describes changes in sleep, activity, and energy as relevant to bipolar disorder. A log cannot establish whether a particular day is an episode.

Define your labels before comparing them

Write a short key for the labels you use. “Usual for me,” “noticeably lower,” and “noticeably higher” can describe a personal baseline without claiming to be a diagnostic instrument. If you change the key, record the date.

When the day varies, add a time or a range. Avoid turning the whole day into the last feeling you remember.

Record sleep without making it a test

Distinguish the time you were in bed from your estimate of time asleep. If a wearable supplies a number, label that source rather than treating it as a clinical measurement.

Keep notes short enough to use regularly. Missing a day does not invalidate the record. Mark it as missing, and resume with the current day rather than reconstructing details you do not remember.

For a more detailed night record, see the morning sleep-diary example.

Agree on what changes need a call

Ask your clinician which changes should prompt contact and who to call outside office hours. Put that plan somewhere easier to find than a graph.

Do not use a score to start, stop, or change treatment. If you feel at risk of harming yourself or cannot stay safe, seek immediate local help. In the US, call or text 988; in an immediate emergency, call the local emergency number.