Instead of rushing to react to an emotion (which can generate more guilt down the road), I slow down, take deep breaths, and assess the situation.

Feelings consist of thought processes, sensory experiences (such as irritating sounds), and physical sensations (such as muscle tension or your heart rate). To help children reflect on and understand their emotions, they can fill out this mood journal template. They can fill it out at the end of every day to help them reflect. Children who develop secure attachments typically have had their needs met most of the time. They often grow into adults capable of forming and nurturing healthy relationships. Use your journal as you see fit. You don't have to share your journal with anyone. If you do want to share some of It’s important to recognise your emotions and how you feel throughout the day or week. It’s also important for children too. However, some children may find this difficult.A mood journal is a journal that is used to reflect on emotions. You can use a mood journal as little or as often as you like.

So often, emotions get tangled up inside and cause confusion. Especially when there are a lot of them, all vying for attention. In another activity, readers learn to define their feelings even further by completing the following sentences for basic emotions: happiness, sadness, fear, longing and humiliation. Try to write every day. Set aside a few minutes every day to write. This will help you to write in your journal Some people like to use a mood journal when they feel upset or angry as a way of helping them to reflect and calm down. Other people like to use it once a day to reflect on all their emotions. According to Jacobs, naming a feeling “encloses the feeling instead of allowing it to enclose you like an invisible vapor.” It also can “contain and quiet a feeling.”

What kind of questions are included a Wellbeing Journal?

Those children who have had inconsistent responses to their needs are more likely to develop anxious bonds with others. When I told my therapist that I “knew” there were feelings I should have but just couldn’t feel them, she replied, “Honey, that’s depression.” And I realized I didn’t know my emotions at all. Recognizing that an episode has stretched over a whole week helps “wake me up” and motivates me to break the cycle or get help. On the mood journal template, the children can circle whether their emotions were positive or negative. There is also space to write about their emotions. Some children may need extra support when they are filling this in. You can give them prompts to help them, such as “how did you feel today? Were you happy or sad? Did you feel upset or angry at all today?” This will help to jog their memory and remind them of how they felt.

If you feel yourself experiencing a distressing emotion, consider taking a short walk, taking 10 slow breaths, or listening to your favorite song. Write down your in-the-moment game plan in your mood journal. The goal of using journal prompts is to process feelings in a safe, healthy way. And then ideally, begin to heal those feelings and improve mindset. Journaling is an act of self-care and a way to soothe your soul.Related: 50 Positive Affirmations For a Good Day {Plus Free Printable Affirmation Cards!} 2. Process and heal Underneath a web of surface-level responses usually lies one of a handful of basic emotions. In fact, many psychologists believe there are only six to eight “ primary emotions .” To help me better sort and understand my emotional processing, I also created my own emotion wheel. If you’ve gotten this far and feel psyched to decipher your personal emotional code, you might give this exercise a try! Here’s how to do it. 1. Identify your most frequent emotions in a negative/positive category

Related: How to Start a Personal Journal For Beginners {With Easy Journal Prompts!} How journaling helps emotional pain 1. Identify and clarify These exercises help to sharpen your awareness, so you can notice even the most subtle signs of a feeling. The earlier you can name an emotion, the sooner you can intervene. Further Reading An emotion journal allows you to record your feelings over several days or weeks and then notice patterns or trends,” Ruiz says. Not everyone experiences emotions the same way. For me, I discovered that depression fits better under “bored” than it does under “sad.” Happiness also didn’t resonant for me so I tapped into calmer positive emotions, like relaxation, joy, and pride. Don’t be discouraged, though. Continue journaling and fine-tuning your action plan to find what works best for you.If today’s emotion wasn’t such a positive one, you have a decision to make: What are you going to do about it? Consider what healthy coping mechanisms you have at your disposal (better self-care, perhaps, or time with good friends), and take care to implement them. This may sound obvious, but sometimes you’re not exactly sure why you feel so badly. Other times, unexpected emotional issues come up once you start writing. Journaling about one pain point may lead to another, and so on.