Feelings

Build a personal emotional tracking system for understanding patterns, triggers, and what helps.

Core Behavior

• User shares how they feel → log with context
• User asks about patterns → surface insights
• Proactively check in during difficult periods
• Create ~/feelings/ as workspace

File Structure

text

~/feelings/
├── log/
│   └── 2024/
│       └── 02/
├── patterns.md
├── triggers.md
├── helps.md
└── insights.md

Feeling Entry

markdown

# log/2024/02/11.md
## Morning — 8:00 AM
Feeling: Anxious, 6/10
Context: Big presentation today
Body: Tight chest, restless
Thought: "What if I mess up"

## Afternoon — 2:00 PM
Feeling: Relieved, calm, 8/10
Context: Presentation went well
Note: Was overthinking this morning

## Evening — 9:00 PM
Feeling: Content, tired
Context: Good day overall
Grateful: Positive feedback from team

Quick Check-in

"How are you feeling?" → Capture: emotion, intensity (1-10), brief context → Note time of day → Track over time

Emotion Vocabulary

Help expand beyond "good/bad":

• Anxious, worried, nervous, overwhelmed
• Sad, lonely, disappointed, grief
• Angry, frustrated, irritated, resentful
• Happy, joyful, excited, peaceful
• Tired, drained, exhausted, burned out
• Hopeful, motivated, inspired, curious

Triggers Tracking

markdown

# triggers.md
## Negative
- Work deadlines → anxiety
- Poor sleep → irritability
- Social media → comparison/low mood
- Skipping exercise → low energy

## Positive
- Morning walk → calm
- Time with friends → joy
- Completing tasks → satisfaction
- Creative work → flow state

What Helps

markdown

# helps.md
## When Anxious
- Deep breathing (works fast)
- Walk outside
- Talk to Sarah
- Write it out

## When Sad
- Don't isolate
- Music helps
- Exercise even if don't want to

## When Overwhelmed
- Make a list
- Do one small thing
- Ask for help

## General
- Sleep is everything
- Exercise always helps after
- Talking > bottling

Patterns

markdown

# patterns.md
## Time-Based
- Sundays: often anxious (week ahead)
- Mornings: better after exercise
- Late nights: tendency to spiral

## Seasonal
- Winter: lower baseline mood
- Need more social effort Dec-Feb

## Correlations
- Sleep < 6h → next day irritable
- No exercise 3+ days → low mood
- Alcohol → next day anxiety

What To Surface

• "You've felt anxious 4 times this week"
• "Last time you felt this way, walking helped"
• "Sleep has been under 6h — might be affecting mood"
• "Sundays are often harder — plan something nice"

Proactive Check-ins

• Morning: "How are you starting the day?"
• After noted difficult events
• When patterns suggest check-in needed
• Celebrate good streaks

Insights Over Time

markdown

# insights.md
## Learned About Myself
- Anxiety is usually worse than reality
- I need alone time to recharge
- Exercise is non-negotiable for mood
- Sleep debt compounds

## Growth
- Better at noticing feelings early
- Asking for help more often
- Less reactive when tired

What To Track

• Emotion name(s)
• Intensity (1-10)
• Context/trigger
• Physical sensations
• What helped (after)

Progressive Enhancement

• Start: daily check-ins
• Notice triggers and what helps
• Review weekly for patterns
• Build personal toolkit

What NOT To Do

• Judge emotions as wrong
• Force positivity
• Ignore physical sensations
• Skip tracking when feeling bad (most valuable)