Mood & Activity Log
Log what you do and how it feels, day by day, to uncover which activities lift your mood and which drain it, the data behind behavioral activation.
About this tool
A mood and activity log connects two things depression keeps separate: what you do and how you feel. When mood is low, days blur together and it can seem like nothing helps. Writing down your activities alongside a mood rating reveals the hidden links, like the lift you reliably get after a walk, the dip after a long stretch of isolation, or the quiet satisfaction of finishing a task you had been avoiding.
This is the monitoring half of behavioral activation. Therapists often start treatment by asking clients to log activities and mood for a week, because the patterns it surfaces are the raw material for change. Once you can see that certain activities lift you, even slightly, scheduling more of them stops being guesswork and becomes a plan grounded in your own evidence.
Rate two things alongside mood: pleasure (how enjoyable it was) and accomplishment (how much a sense of mastery it gave). Depression erodes both, and they recover through different activities, so tracking them separately tells you what your week is missing. Keep it light. A few words and a couple of numbers per entry is enough, and a log you actually keep beats a detailed one you abandon.
- Martell CR, Dimidjian S, Herman-Dunn R. Behavioral Activation for Depression: A Clinician's Guide. 2nd ed. Guilford Press; 2022.
- Lejuez CW, Hopko DR, Acierno R, Daughters SB, Pagoto SL. Ten year revision of the brief behavioral activation treatment for depression. Behav Modif. 2011;35(2):111-161.
Mood & Activity Log FAQ
What is a mood and activity log?
A daily record of what you do and how it feels, rating mood, pleasure, and accomplishment. It reveals which activities lift your mood and which drain it, which is the foundation of behavioral activation for depression.
Why track pleasure and accomplishment separately from mood?
Depression erodes both your enjoyment and your sense of mastery, and they recover through different activities. Tracking them separately shows you what your week is missing and what to add more of.
How long should I track for?
A week or two is usually enough to start seeing patterns. The point is to gather your own evidence about what helps, then schedule more of it.
Is my data saved anywhere?
No. The log runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded. The PDF is created on your own device.