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This is Week 2 of our 12-week Workbook Wednesday series exploring the Keys to Felicity mindfulness workbook. If you're just joining us, you're welcome to start at Week 1 or drop right in here — there's no wrong place to begin.
"How are you?" is one of the most common questions we ask each other, and one of the hardest to answer honestly. Most of us have learned to say "fine" or "good" without much thought — not because we're being dishonest, but because we often don't actually know. We move through our days in motion, and our emotional landscape stays somewhere in the background, largely unexamined.
This week, the Keys to Felicity workbook invites you to slow down enough to actually answer that question — for yourself, on your own terms.
What Is Mood Tracking?
Mood tracking is the practice of noticing and recording how you feel over time. It doesn't require a special app or a detailed journal entry. It can be as simple as pausing once a day and asking yourself: What am I feeling right now?
The workbook uses mood charts to help you do this in a structured way. Over time, patterns emerge. You might notice that certain days of the week feel heavier. That your mood shifts after certain interactions. That there are times of day when you feel most like yourself and times when you feel most depleted. None of this is judgment — it's information.
And information, in this context, is a form of self-compassion. Because when you understand what you're feeling and when, you're better equipped to give yourself what you actually need.
Why This Matters
Many of us were not taught to pay attention to our emotional states. Some of us grew up in environments where feelings were minimized, dismissed, or even dangerous to express. For those who carry intergenerational trauma, the disconnection from our own emotional experience can be a survival strategy that made a lot of sense at one time — and that we're now gently learning to move beyond.
Mood tracking is one of the quietest, least intrusive ways to begin that process. You don't have to process everything. You just have to notice.
A Practice to Try This Week
Once a day this week — whatever time feels most natural — pause for two minutes and check in with yourself. You're welcome to use the following prompts:
What is my general mood right now, on a scale from 1 to 10?
What word would I use to describe how I'm feeling — just one word, the first one that comes to mind?
Is there something happening in my body that matches that feeling?
Write it down if you can. Even a single line is enough. If you have your workbook, the mood chart in this section is a wonderful place to capture it.
A Gentle Reminder
Mood tracking isn't about being happy more often. It's about being more honest with yourself about where you actually are. Some weeks will feel light. Others will feel heavy. Both are part of being human, and neither one means you're doing it wrong.
The Keys to Felicity workbook is a great companion for this kind of gentle, consistent self-observation — you're welcome to explore it alongside these posts at your own pace.
📚 Resources That Compliment This Week's Work
If you'd like to go deeper with mood tracking this week, these tools can make the practice more tangible and sustainable:
A daily mood tracker journal — A dedicated journal designed specifically for mood tracking can give your check-ins a satisfying ritual quality that makes it easier to stay consistent day after day.
Feeling Good by David Burns — [Amazon affiliate link] A warm, research-backed guide to understanding how thoughts and moods interact; it pairs beautifully with the mood awareness work in this week's chapter.
We'll see you next Wednesday for Week 3, where we go deeper into the language of emotion — because naming what you feel is one of the most healing things you can do.
Felicity Counseling is a trauma-informed counseling practice in Saint Louis, Missouri, offering affirming care for individuals, couples, and families. If you're looking for additional support, we'd be honored to walk alongside you. Learn more at felicitycounseling.com.
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