Mood Check-In: Interactive Energy and Pleasantness Grid

Tap where you are on a soft energy × pleasantness grid, then pick the exact word (a simpler kids word set is one tap away). Add more check-ins before you close the page to see how your mood moves.

AdultsKidsName feelingsCBT
About 1 minuteIn person and on video
Free interactive tool
Designed by Michael Thompson, MSc

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About the technique

The mood grid places feelings on two dimensions: how pleasant or unpleasant they are, and how much energy or activation they carry. It rests on James Russell’s circumplex model of affect, which found that people’s ratings of emotion words fall in a circle around these two axes (Russell, 1980). Marc Brackett and colleagues used a similar grid in schools as part of the RULER approach, where students locate themselves and then look for a precise feeling word (Brackett et al., 2012). This tool is independent and is not affiliated with RULER or the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.

Locating a mood by energy and pleasantness is easier than finding a word cold, and it narrows the search toward a precise label. Labeling may also help regulate: naming the emotion on a face reduced amygdala response in an imaging study (Lieberman et al., 2007), and later work describes labeling as a form of implicit emotion regulation (Torre & Lieberman, 2018). As a whole program, RULER improved classroom emotional climate in a clustered randomized trial (Rivers et al., 2013). The check-in grid on its own has not been tested.

It suits children, teens and adults as a quick check-in at the start of a session or group, and repeated check-ins as homework can show how mood moves across a day or week. For young children, use a simpler word set. A check-in opens a conversation and does not screen for anything; follow up on persistent low-energy, unpleasant ratings as you would any clinical concern.

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For therapists: how to run it

Goal

Place current energy and pleasantness, name the exact feeling and pick one next step.

In session

  1. Share this tab or send the client link. Ask the client to tap where they are: higher = more energy, right = more pleasant.
  2. Pick the word that fits, then ask: "What would move you one step toward calm?"
  3. Add a check-in at the start and end of session to compare, then copy the summary before you close the page.

As homework

  1. Check in whenever you like. Check-ins stay only on this page until you close it.
  2. Add a step toward calm if one comes to mind.
  3. Tap Copy for my therapist, then paste it into your therapist's secure messaging (client portal) or bring it to your next session. Nothing you type is saved, so copy before closing.
Mandated reporting

Exercises like this can lead to disclosures of abuse, neglect or risk. Know your reporting duties before you start, and pause if one comes up.

Good to know

Based on the circumplex model of affect (Russell 1980), which maps feelings by energy and pleasantness.

Worksheets that pair with this tool

Emotion Faces Worksheet

Emotion Faces Worksheet

Over forty labeled faces to circle, and a How I Feel check-in that ranks the feeling and plans what helps.Adults and teensChildrenAnxietyDepressionEmotionsCBTPsychoeducational+42 worksheets 4 pages in totalWorry Coping Skills for Kids Worksheet

Worry Coping Skills for Kids Worksheet

Three illustrated pages with eight child-friendly strategies, from Bubble Breathing to a Worry Box.ChildrenAnxietyCoping skillsBehavioralCBTPsychoeducational+3Free PDF 3 pages

Sources & credibility

Method
Energy × pleasantness mood grid (circumplex model of affect)
Developed by
James Russell (model); Marc Brackett and colleagues (RULER classroom use)
First described
1980
Approach
Affective science / social-emotional learning
Evidence
Practice-based (limited trials)Built on a well-established model of emotion. The RULER program that uses a similar grid has trial support as a whole program, but the check-in grid has not been tested on its own. Independent tool; not affiliated with or endorsed by the RULER program or the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.

References

  1. Russell J. A. (1980). A circumplex model of affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(6), 1161–1178. Source
  2. Brackett M. A. et al. (2012). Enhancing academic performance and social and emotional competence with the RULER feeling words curriculum. Learning and Individual Differences, 22(2), 218–224. Source
  3. Lieberman, M. D., Eisenberger, N. I., Crockett, M. J., Tom, S. M., Pfeifer, J. H., & Way, B. M. (2007). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science, 18(5), 421–428. Source
  4. Torre, J. B., & Lieberman, M. D. (2018). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling as implicit emotion regulation. Emotion Review, 10(2), 116–124. Source
  5. Rivers, S. E., Brackett, M. A., Reyes, M. R., Elbertson, N. A., & Salovey, P. (2013). Improving the social and emotional climate of classrooms: A clustered randomized controlled trial testing the RULER approach. Prevention Science, 14(1), 77–87. Source

How it was made

Built by the Mentalyc team from the original method and the published sources listed here. Nothing you enter is stored.

Questions people ask

What is a mood check-in grid?

It is a grid that places feelings by energy (high or low) and pleasantness (pleasant or unpleasant). The idea comes from research on the circumplex model of affect (James Russell, 1980). This free tool is independent and not affiliated with any program.

What do the four areas of the grid mean?

Each area groups similar feelings: high energy and unpleasant (such as angry or anxious), high energy and pleasant (excited), low energy and pleasant (calm) and low energy and unpleasant (sad or tired). This tool uses soft colors for the four areas.

What app can help me identify my feelings?

Mood check-in grids and feelings wheels both help you find the right word for a feeling. This free check-in grid works in the browser with no download, so a client can open it from a link during or between sessions.

What is the circumplex model of emotion?

It places feelings on two axes: how pleasant or unpleasant they are and how much energy they carry. James Russell described it in 1980; plotting a mood on the grid first and then choosing a word helps clients name feelings more precisely.

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Your game designer
Michael Thompson

Michael Thompson, MSc

Michael's background combines doctoral training in clinical psychology with research on motivation, learning, and emotional regulation.

More about Michael Thompson, MSc →

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Table Of Contents
  1. About the technique
  2. For therapists: how to run it
  3. Worksheets that pair with this tool
  4. Sources & credibility
  5. Questions people ask
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Children should use this with a parent, therapist or teacher, not on their own.

Educational practice aid, not a medical device. Not a substitute for therapy, diagnosis or emergency care.