Have you ever had a day start off bad and that vibe controls the entire day? Flip the script. Think of a time that you were in a really good mood. On that day, even the challenges you faced seemed just a little bit easier to deal with. How does your mood affect the actual quality of your day? What would happen if you could make a conscious decision about what your mood would be? Is that realistic, or oversimplifying something much more complicated? Can you change your mood at will? Regulating your emotions or mood is about choosing your response to events even more than how you actually feel. That doesn't mean you refuse to acknowledge your true emotions. It means you choose to stay in control of your responses to events and emotions in life. There are a million reasons why you should write in your journal, but one of the biggest is that it helps elevate your mood. In fact, there's a strong correlation between the two. Research has found that writing in your journal can lower negative emotions like anger and frustration, boost positive ones like gratitude, optimism, and hope, and overall help you feel better.