Is it worth keeping a diary

[Panic1971]

Just a quickie

It is worth keeping a diary of how you are feeling - or does this mean that you are focusing more and more on your feelings. I have been meaning to do this to see if I can see any progress but am scared that I might make myself worse or never get better because I am focussing on the negative all the time.

Anyone doing this at the moment and finding it helps? Or do you think it is a bad idea.

I was planning on keeping a log of what I eat, how I feel, the symptoms I get - any thoughts???

[Kate408]

I'm not sure. I think it depends on the perspective you do it from. I think a diary where you write down how things made you feel, but then also wrote down how you overcame those feelings etc etc

Like, if you were to write why you started feeling bad, but then forced yourself to write the "normal" response to this, it might help you.

I'm not sure if i'm making sense so hopefully someone might be able to explain it a little better.

I do think that it might not be the best idea to dwell on things too much though.

Take care
xxx

[alswife]

I think a diary is a good idea, i've always kept one and it helped me a lot to write my feelings own - especially when everyone must have been sick of listening to me!:D Also I can look back and see how much better I'm feeling than 2 years ago.

Joanna.

[littlen]

i was feeling really bad in january and i kept a chart which did really help, i put the hours of the day across a page and every hour marked my axnziety out of 10 10 being a panic attack and 1 feeling ok. it did help as you can see that you wasnt as bad as you thought that you had been all week. it took about amonth to really see the difference but worth doing.

[samc100]

I do. I only write about once a week now but when I was really bad it was every day.

When I was having my breakdown I used to make a chart each day saying:

Morning
Afternoon
Evening/Night

and I would put a tick/cross or question mark against period of time to how things had gone with an explanation of why and what had happened.

Then at the end of each week I could add up the ticks/crosses/question marks and see how I was doing. And every week got better and better.

I used to take it to my therapy sessions and I know my therapist has 'borrowed' my idea for others.

[Panic1971]

Thanks for the advice.

I think I am going to start one - got nothing to lose.

If your therapist has pinched this idea Samc100 - then they must think it is a positive way forward.

Is it best to do it into morning, afternoon and evening then, or a more detailed breakdown like, 9am, 10am, 11am etc to start with?

[heatwave]

My anxiety started after the flu in January. I then went on to develop agrophobia and couldn't even walk to my front gate without feeling like I was going to collapse. I started a diary and wrote down how I felt each day. I've kept this up using note books and have got through three now! I sometimes read the old ones and looking back through them can see just how far I've come.

Sometimes with anxiety it seems that you're not making progress but when you've a diary to look back on you're able to see just how much progress you really have made.

For example, one of my entries in January spoke about how I had tried to walk to my gate and how ill I felt when I did it. Now I am able to go to town with my daughter and do a bit of shopping. I can see just how much progress I've made. That's why I recommend keeping a log of how you're feeling.

Sue

[Piglet]

I don't keep a diary as such but I do keep a book that I call 'My wobbly book of hints and tips'.

I started it about 4 years ago I think and its a hardbacked notebook from Woolworths that I have listed all the things that I've tried to date that ease things for me and make me feel better.

I stuck on every 5 pages the letter of the alphabet so that in each corresponding section I could put the thing I had tried ie; Exercise under E (sorry I am being too simple). I also have drawn with coloured pencils in it flowers and stuff to keep it cheerful.

Anyway you get the drift - I have everything in there from aromatherapy to relaxation tapes to exercise to breathing, you name it I've listed it if it helped.

Then at the very back I left a good big section to write biggish concerns I had like palpitations and dizziness or any symptoms that have scared me and what I did about them (also any other issues health or emotional that have worried me).

The reason the last part has been so helpful is if I get a bad bout of palpitations again and I look back in my book and see I had the exact same symptoms 4 years ago it helps me realise that I dealt with it before and the doctor said it was just anxiety etc etc.

By having this resource to fall back on (I don't need to look at the book very often) when I get any symtoms really helps reassure me.

So for a reference point I'm really glad I've done it and will continue to add to it as and when - either with concerns in the back or new things in the front. I am about to add meditation to the front section because that's been helping me recently.

Love Piglet :flowers: