Drop everything and download: Moodistory
Track your moods to learn what makes you tick - and what ticks you off
When you think about keeping a diary, you probably visualise yourself lying down in bed late at night, furiously scrawling about that person who pushed in front of you at Tesco, or writing sweet nothings about your office crush. We know, they’re a real dreamboat.
Apart from making you feel like the lead in an ’80s romcom, there are some real benefits to keeping a diary. Jotting down your thoughts and feelings is a cathartic process that’s good for your mental wellbeing, so why don’t more of us do it? The simple answer is we feel it’ll take too much time, or we won’t stick at it.
Well, those excuses won’t fly anymore, because Moodistory is here to prove keeping a journal in the digital age is painstakingly easy.
What does it do?
Moodistory is digital diary with a twist. Not only does it let you create journal entries in seconds, but it’ll also keep tabs on your mood, helping you understand what sparks joy in your life, and what makes you more frustrated than a Brexiteer in Brussels.
Each time you create a new entry, Moodistory will ask you to describe your day by choosing from a variety of events (have you been you slurping coffee, arguing with a friend, or chugging ale with pals) and rate your mood on a colour-coded scale. You can go into more detail by adding your location, notes, and thoughts, to create a comprehensive mood-map that charts your various highs and lows.
The more you use the app, the more it’ll begin to understand what makes you tick, and after a couple of weeks it’ll reveal how you feel on average, how your mood is distributed, and what your average week looks like. Fascinatingly, it’ll also reveal your top positive and negative events. In my case, breakfast, coffee, and alcohol were the light in my life, while arguing, pain, and procrastination made me positively miserable. Go figure.
Long-time users will eventually be able to use the calendar view to analyse months and even years to learn how their mood has changed over huge swathes of time. While some might balk at the notion of quantifying their feelings, its a process designed to cultivate good habits and eliminate negative ones, and while I was skeptical initially, it’s surprisingly effective.
Any downsides?
The only real downside to Moodistory is that it can be a pain to sift through the events selection each time you want to create a new entry. Admittedly, it’s a small issue, but it’d make sense for the app to bring your most popular choices front and centre to save you constantly swiping past categories you’ve never even touched.
Beyond that, Moodistory doesn’t really put a foot wrong. I suppose the only other conceivable issue is that it’ll irk those of you who refuse to spend a dime on mobile apps. That’s right, Moodistry is a premium offering, and it’ll cost you a whole £2.99. Honestly though, it’s well worth the (teeny) asking price. You’d spend more on a Starbucks, and what’s a couple of quid for an app that might improve your mental wellbeing?
Where can I get it?
Moodistory is available to download for £2.99 on the App Store.
Chris Kerr
Contributor, Stuff.tv 
