Posted by fallsfall on July 10, 2006, at 22:08:26
In reply to Re: Diary cards, posted by Jost on July 10, 2006, at 19:21:41
Those areas in the diary card are so you can keep track of things you did or did not do.
If you drink alcohol, then you put it on the card. Later, you may see a pattern that shows you that when you drink alcohol bad things happen, or you are extra depressed the next day, or that you usually drink alcohol after something particular happens.
Prescription drugs - write down if you took your meds on time. This can help you to remember to take them, or can make you aware that you have forgotten them. I find that if I start forgetting to take my meds that it is a red flag that something is bothering me. You can also record if you take any PRN meds that day.
For misery, rank your misery on a 1 - 10 scale. Then you can chart your misery, and figure out if things are getting better or worse, or see if you have patterns to when you feel the worst.
The purpose of the cards is to make you aware of what is going on in your day, and also to give you a record so that you can see patterns in your life (like "every time I talk to my mother on the phone I drink", or "when I forget to take my meds in the morning, I feel really lousy", or "if I get 7 or more hours of sleep I have a good day"). These patterns are often very simple, but you don't notice them unless you keep track of certain things.
As you go through the DBT program, you will learn the acronyms. You can ignore those sections until you come to them.
You can use the blank columns for whatever is important to you to keep track of. For instance, how many times you SI, or what time you get out of bed, or how many people you talk to, or if you took a shower, or how many hours of sleep you got.
Good luck!
poster:fallsfall
thread:624046
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20060703/msgs/665908.html