Enrichment · Wellbeing

One minute a day,
a clearer picture.

How you feel today is easy to read. How you have felt over the past two weeks is not, because memory rounds everything off. Check in once or twice a day: mood and energy from 1 to 5, a few words, last night’s sleep and what shaped the day. The journal keeps the averages and shows how your mood tracks your sleep.

Check in nowWhat you get

Check-ins

The worked example is made up: six days in one week of tenth grade. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Enrichment · WellbeingFree

What you finish with
A check-in per day or part of a day: mood and energy (1 to 5), two or three feeling words, hours of sleep, what shaped it and a short note. Shows average mood and energy, mood after 8 or more hours of sleep against less, the word named most and how many check-ins were low; flags a low check-in and a night under 7 hours.
Who it is for
Students in grades 6 to 12 and college who want to notice patterns in their mood; families and school counselors who suggest it.
Format
Browser journal with a saved check-in per entry. Prints one check-in, every check-in in a table or a blank page; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Wellbeing space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Pick a time you will remember, such as after dinner.
  2. Rate mood and energy without thinking too long.
  3. Choose two or three words, and add the hours you slept.
  4. Tick what shaped the day and write a line.
  5. After a week or two, read the side panel and look for what your good days share.

Check in now

Why a small daily check-in works

What each part of the check-in is forYou noteWhy it helpsMood, 1 to 5A number makes one week easy to compare with the nextEnergy, 1 to 5Low energy and low mood are not the same thingTwo or three wordsPutting feelings into words can take the edge offHours of sleepMost teenagers need 8 to 10 hours a nightWhat shaped itPatterns only show up after a week or twoWhat each part of the check-in is forMood, 1 to 5Why it helps: A number makes one week easy to compare with the nextEnergy, 1 to 5Why it helps: Low energy and low mood are not the same thingTwo or three wordsWhy it helps: Putting feelings into words can take the edge offHours of sleepWhy it helps: Most teenagers need 8 to 10 hours a nightWhat shaped itWhy it helps: Patterns only show up after a week or two
A check-in takes under a minute. The value is in the pile of them: after two weeks you can see what your good days have in common.

Words take the edge off

In brain imaging studies, people who put a feeling into words while looking at upsetting images showed less activity in the brain’s alarm system than people who did not. Naming a feeling is a small act of regulation.

Sleep shows up in mood

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 8 to 10 hours a night for teenagers aged 13 to 18. Short sleep is linked with lower mood and more irritability the next day, which your own check-ins will often show.

When to tell someone

Everyone has low days. If low check-ins come several days in a row, or you stop enjoying things you usually like, tell a parent, a teacher, your school counselor or a doctor. If you might not be safe, call or text 988.

Sources

  1. Lieberman, M. D., et al. (2007). Putting feelings into words: affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science, 18(5), 421 to 428.
  2. Paruthi, S., et al. (2016). Recommended amount of sleep for pediatric populations: a consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 12(6), 785 to 786.
  3. Kashdan, T. B., Barrett, L. F., and McKnight, P. E. (2015). Unpacking emotion differentiation. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 24(1), 10 to 16.
  4. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988lifeline.org): call or text 988, chat online, 24 hours a day.

The worked example is made up. This journal is for noticing patterns; it is not a mental health screening or a diagnosis. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.