Track mood next to energy and sleep
A low mood on a day with bad sleep and no movement may mean something very different from a low mood on a day that was emotionally heavy but physically steady.
Food and movement matter because the body matters
Journals become more readable when they respect the body as part of the story. Meals, hydration, and movement are not side notes. They often change how the day feels.
Reflection keeps the number human
One sentence about what happened is often enough to stop the mood score from becoming detached and meaningless a week later.