Hello and welcome to Day 1 of our 29‑day journey.  

I’m Therapist in a Nutshell, and I’ll be guiding you every step of the way.  Today we start with the simplest—but also the most powerful—tool in our entire program: noticing how you actually feel, in numbers you can see.  Think of it like taking your emotional temperature.Why are we starting with measurement?  When we’re living with low mood, everything can blur together.  Bad days feel endless, good moments slip by without registering, and it’s hard to know whether anything we try is making a difference.  

A daily “mood thermometer” breaks that fog.  Research from  shows that people who track mood become quicker at spotting dips and trying helpful actions sooner.  It’s like catching a cold when it’s just a tickle in your throat instead of waiting for the full fever.Imagine a thermometer that runs from zero to ten.  Zero means “my absolute worst imaginable mood,” ten means “I’m on top of the world.”  Every number in between is a shade of how you feel right now.  

There’s no right or wrong score; it’s simply data.  And data is power—because over the next four weeks we’ll match these scores to activities, thoughts and habits so you can see what lifts you and what weighs you down.It might be helpful to share a quick story.  Sarah, someone very much like you, was skeptical about tracking.  Her mornings felt like a grey smear, and she was convinced she’d be stuck at a three forever.  Yet one day, she grabbed coffee with an old friend, came home smiling, thought about her thermometer, and—almost by accident—rated her mood a six.  That three‑point bump surprised her.  The next week she scheduled two more visits, and slowly her average score crept upward.  Measurement helped her connect cause and effect.

‍Let’s do it together.  This will only take about two minutes.Step one: Look at the mood thermometer displayed on the app currently.Now, Take a slow breath.  Ask yourself, “Where am I between zero and ten?”  No judgment, just curiosity.  Maybe you’re a four.  Maybe a six.  Choose the number that feels closest and lock it in.  If you’re unsure, pick the lower of two options—research shows we’re slightly over‑optimistic guessers, and the lower number gives us room to rise.Step two: Take note of the number  That’s it.  

Tonight, your phone will buzz to remind you to rate again, because feelings change over a day just like the weather.  Two points of data start a pattern.Before we end today, let me normalise something.  Many people notice a tiny spike of anxiety when they assign a number: “What if it’s too low?  Does this mean I’m failing?”  The number is not a grade.  It’s just information.  And information we measure today becomes momentum we harness tomorrow.Your commitment to a single click—rating your mood—sets the foundation for everything ahead.  

Tomorrow we’ll add a gentle breathing exercise to show you that even three minutes can nudge that number upward.  Until then, thank yourself for showing up, and remember: small steps, repeated with curiosity, create real shifts.

Today’s Challenge
How did that feel evaluating yourself on a scale of 1 to 10? Introduce yourself to whatever depth you’re comfortable with and share why you’re doing this program.