Hourly Mood Chart: Fill & Download for Free

Yes, very often episodes do occur as a reaction to events in your life. You could lose somebody, and that is very likely to bring on a depressive episode, or you could lose your job and that will almost certainly do it.If an ordinary person were to get sick due to an adverse event, then it is very likely that a person with bipolar would get sick for the same reason.Depression is very often brought on by stress, as well. Burning the candle at both ends, things going wrong, or fear of what might happen in the future can bring on depression in most people with bipolar. Stress is a strong factor in causing this illness to erupt.Then there are the times when depression just appears without warning, for no reason in particular. You may be doing really well one day, the next day you wake up feeling depressed. However, depression usually comes on slowly in bipolar, and is you do mood charts you will be able to track when you are becoming sick. That is the beauty of mood charts.Also, there is the seasonable depressions (or manias) that occur quite regularly in the spring or in the fall. These are far more predictable.Now, when it comes to mania - nothing has to cause that, at all. And it can often be quite sudden. It may begin as hypo-mania where you just feel great and can get a lot done. But if you have bipolar 1, you have to be careful that it doesn’t progress into mania which is less manageable.Mania is very often brought on my sleepless nights. People who stay out drinking at all hours are far more prone to manic episodes.The worst thing is the deep depressions that follow a manic event. If you are prone to these, they are practically predictable, but never easy to manage.

There are a multitude of things I had to learn to manage when I got sick. There are lots of practical, everyday tasks that must be fulfilled in order to stay in the game. In all of my trial and error learning, I’ve figured out some very crucial things. If you’re mentally ill, I hope you learn to do all of these things too.The first and biggest is managing medicine. You have to take every dose at the right time every day, or it’s not going to work for you. If you feel like your medicine isn’t helping, this is probably the culprit. It only works if you put it in your body on time, every single day, and that is a much bigger ask than one would assume. I strongly recommend putting alarms on your phone for every dose. When I started, I had to put a backup alarm on, too, for ten minutes after my dose time, because I got used to hearing the alarm, turning it off, and then forgetting and not taking my medicine. If your memory is impaired (as mine is), this will be even more challenging, but if you stick to this routine, you will eventually build the healthy habit of taking pills on time, and that habit will aid you for the rest of your life. It’s a skill worth building.Pharmacies are crucial. Try to use a 24 hour facility if you can, like CVS or Walgreens. The benefit of having access to your prescriptions on weekends is not missing any doses. Federally scheduled medicine like Xanax, Ativan, klonopin, and temazepam are written out to last exactly 30 days, and you if you run out at the end of the week, you could miss two whole days of medicine if your pharmacy is closed on weekends. There is also great value in pharmacies that are open late, because missing that 6 o’ clock deadline can be damaging if it makes you miss a dose or more.The doctors that help you are so, so important. You are your only advocate in a doctor’s appointment, so you need to go in knowing what information to give and what questions you need answered. The solution is very simple: write it down. As you move through life and questions arise about the meds or you have mysterious side effects, take a minute to write down your questions and symptoms on a running list, so you have them all when you get to see your doctor. It’s also a very good idea to keep a mood chart. If you google “mood chart”, you can find one to print out online. I’ve used one for 12 years. I make a bound booklet with 24 sheets at kinkos once a year, a mood chart and a comments page for every month. I keep track of my symptoms so that I can report them to my doctor. Without my information, the doctor has nothing to go on and I cannot be properly medicated, so it’s crucial that I have accurate information to give, and trusting my memory is never a good option. The doctor cannot read your life unless you present it, and memory is fickle, so keep track of your moods, symptoms, and side effects on paper.The practical aspects of mood disorders are what’s going to make your treatment effective. Without these building blocks, you’re just pushing a boulder up a hill. It’s way less difficult to thrive when you’re doing the boring legwork of taking medicine on time every day, not letting prescriptions run out, going to all your appointments and reporting your health accurately. You can do this, and it will help you.

There are different kinds of people. Some people learn better at night, others in the day or morning. I don’t know when I learn best because I’m constantly learning, day and night. I don’t always remember everything I learn because lack of use buries it into my subconscious or unconscious. However, for those things I learn and use often, whether I learned them in the morning, during the day, or at night, I remember them.I think most people are the way I am. However, there are some who definitely do better at certain hours of the day. It has something to do with moods. And a person can track his/her moods by using a mood chart or mood diary.