Effective Ways to Monitor Your Mental Health Symptoms Between Therapy Sessions

Do you ever wonder how often your mood changes or how frequently your anxiety increases? Sometimes it can feel like symptoms are occurring constantly, while other times, you might find yourself downplaying what you’re going through.

Symptom tracking can help. Symptom tracking involves regularly recording your mental health symptoms each day, allowing you to better understand changes in your emotional and physical well-being over time.

With symptom tracking, you can monitor a wide range of symptoms. Below are some common symptoms people often track:

What Mental Health Symptoms Should You Track?

• Mood and Emotions
  Track days when you feel more depressed, anxious, irritable, or sad. Monitoring your mood patterns over time can help identify signs of mood disorders, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), or other emotional health issues. This insight can also be useful when discussing your symptoms with a therapist.

• Rumination and Overthinking
  Tracking days when you experience excessive overthinking or mental looping can help uncover emotional triggers. You may notice patterns tied to work stress, academic pressure, or social situations—giving you better awareness and the opportunity to build coping strategies.

• Panic Attacks
  Documenting panic attacks can help you identify potential anxiety triggers and recurring situations that impact your well-being. This information is especially helpful for developing a personalized anxiety management plan and incorporating calming activities into high-stress days.

• Energy Levels
  Monitoring changes in daily energy and motivation can help identify symptoms of depression, burnout, or chronic stress. Recognizing these patterns allows you to plan tasks more effectively and create better balance throughout your week.

• Suicidal Thoughts or Self-Harm Ideation
  Tracking any thoughts of suicide or self-harm is a critical component of assessing mental health safety. Noting frequency, intensity, and triggers can help mental health professionals better support you and develop a personalized safety plan.

Other Helpful Factors to Track for Better Mental Health Awareness

• Sleep
  Poor or inconsistent sleep can have a major impact on your mental health, including increasing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and mood instability. Tracking sleep patterns can help you identify how rest affects your emotional well-being.
  

• Eating Habits
  Changes in appetite or eating behaviors may be signs of underlying mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, or eating disorders.

• Medication
  Tracking when you take—or miss—your mental health medications helps you evaluate their effectiveness and recognize changes in your symptoms. This can be especially helpful to discuss with your prescribing provider for medication adjustments.

• Substance Use
  Monitoring your use of alcohol, cannabis, or other substances can help you see the connection between use and your mental health symptoms. Tracking patterns can support healthier choices and improve self-awareness.

• Menstrual Cycle
  If you menstruate, tracking your cycle and related mood or physical symptoms can be especially helpful. Conditions like Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) can significantly affect mental health. Tracking allows you to prepare effective coping strategies and self-care routines.

• Physical Health Changes
  Your physical health and mental health are closely connected. If you live with a chronic illness or get sick frequently, noting changes in your physical well-being can help you recognize how they influence your mood, stress levels, and overall mental state.

Using Symptom Tracking to Understand Your Mental Health Patterns

Visualizing symptom progression over time
Tracking your mental health symptoms regularly provides a clear picture of how your condition evolves. Are your symptoms getting worse, staying the same, or improving? Instead of relying solely on how you feel in the moment, symptom tracking offers objective data that can reveal trends. This information is especially valuable for healthcare providers, helping them understand how long you've been experiencing specific symptoms and how they fluctuate over time.

Identifying patterns and symptom triggers
Mental health symptoms often follow patterns that are hard to spot without documentation. Symptom tracking helps uncover recurring issues and potential triggers—such as increased anxiety after caffeine intake or mood shifts related to the menstrual cycle. By identifying these patterns, you can better understand your emotional responses and make informed lifestyle adjustments.

Supporting accurate mental health diagnosis
Many mental health conditions share overlapping symptoms, making diagnosis challenging. Symptom tracking provides a detailed record over time, which can help your mental health provider rule out certain conditions and reach a more accurate diagnosis. For disorders that require observation across weeks or months, consistent tracking is a critical tool for effective treatment planning.

Top Tools for Effectively Tracking Your Symptoms

Monitoring your symptoms consistently is key to managing your health. Below are some of the best symptom tracking tools and resources that can help you gain deeper insights into your condition. These tools are designed to help you identify patterns, track changes over time, and share accurate information with healthcare providers.

Paper and pencil method

Below are some free PDF symptom trackers that can help you monitor changes in your mood, energy, and overall wellness. Many individuals also find bullet journaling for symptom tracking to be a helpful and creative alternative.

• TherapistAid Mood Log (PDF) – A simple and effective daily mood tracker.

• DBSA Wellness Tracker (PDF) – Created by the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, this tool tracks mood, sleep, and medication.

• IAMPD Symptom Tracker (PDF) – Designed for those managing PMDD or PMS symptoms.

Digital Methods

You can search your phone’s app store for mood tracking or symptom tracking apps to help you monitor your mental and physical health over time. These tools make it easier to recognize patterns and share important insights with your healthcare provider.

Recommended Symptom and Mood Tracking Apps:

• Apple Health – Mental Wellbeing: State of Mind
  If you're an iPhone user, Apple’s Health app now includes a built-in mood tracking feature under the Mental Wellbeing section. It allows you to log your mood, emotions, and contributing factors.

• Daylio Journal App
  A popular and easy-to-use app that combines mood tracking with journaling. You can customize activities, moods, and view visual trends over time.

Tracking your symptoms is a powerful first step toward understanding your mental health. If you're ready to delve deeper and receive personalized support, consider reaching out to Create Wellness Counseling in Jackson, MI. We offer virtual therapy sessions via a secure HIPAA-compliant platform.