Scale your feelings, scale your challenges

Ever tried rating your feelings on a scale of 1 to 10?  I don’t mean how much you love chocolate (although that’s valid, too 😄).  I mean your mood, your stress, your frustration… even your depression.

One of my little clients loves this question so much that he always asks: 

“Can you ask me that scaling question?”  

In therapy, I ask my clients: “How bad is it today?”  One is meh, 10 is “I want to hide under my bed forever.”

Why do we do this?  Because noticing your feelings, especially the messy, uncomfortable ones…. is kind of magical.  Most of us try to push those feelings away, distract ourselves, or binge-watch one more show.  But here’s the thing: You can’t fix what you don’t see.

By giving your feelings a number, you get a baseline.  Today your sadness is a 6? Great.  Tomorrow it’s a 5?  Celebrate!  That’s progress…. even if it’s just a tiny victory over the chaos in your head. 

Then comes the fun part: Ask why.

• Why did it move from 6 to 5?  Maybe I went for a walk, texted a friend, or just took a much-needed nap.
  
• Why did it move from 5 to 7?  Maybe I stayed in bed all day, scrolled too much, or forgot to eat.
  

When you notice patterns, you can do more of what helps and less of what doesn’t.  It’s like being your own mood scientist.

Scaling your feelings is free, simple, and surprisingly powerful.  It works for depression, anger, frustration, worry… basically any mood that shows up uninvited.  Give it a try.  Track it.  Notice it.  Celebrate the small wins.  Because progress doesn’t have to be huge.  It just has to be noticed.