Longevity

Improve Mood Stability

12 weeks · 4 milestones

Track daily mood ratings against the validated PHQ-2 screen for two weeks as a baseline, then show measured improvement in both.

Part of: Mind & Wellbeing · Proves for: Health & Fitness

Milestone map

3 milestones

Establish a Mood Baseline

14 days

You cannot improve what you have not measured. Over 14 days, record a daily mood rating (1–10 scale, each evening), noting the three most influential factors for that day: sleep quality, physical activity, social contact, daylight exposure, or meaningful purpose. Administer the validated PHQ-2 screening on Day 1 and Day 7 to anchor your subjective ratings against a standardised benchmark.

Proof required

Submit your 14-day mood diary with daily ratings and listed factors, plus both PHQ-2 scores (Day 1 and Day 7) with dates and total scores. Identify the factor that appeared most frequently in your diary as the primary influence on your mood.

What gets checked

14 consecutive days of evening mood ratings — partial diaries or back-filled retrospective entries do not count
Both PHQ-2 administrations included with dates and scores; a PHQ-2 completed once only is insufficient
Primary influence factor clearly identified with evidence from the diary — not assumed from preference

Common mistakes

Rating mood in the morning rather than the evening — evening ratings capture the full day's arc and are more diagnostic
Recording multiple days at once from memory — the value of a diary is contemporaneous capture; recalled entries compress variation and hide patterns
Selecting the primary factor by intuition rather than by counting frequency across 14 days

Resources

Foundationstart here

Depthgo deeper

What a verifier looks for

Count the number of diary entries — must be 14; fewer entries mean the baseline is incomplete and unreliable
Confirm both PHQ-2 administrations are present with dates at least 5 days apart; a single PHQ-2 is not a baseline
The primary influence factor must be supported by the diary data, not just asserted — check that the stated factor appears most frequently in the 'three factors' column

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Target Your Primary Influence

8 weeks

Using the primary factor identified in M1, commit to one consistent daily practice for eight weeks that directly addresses that factor: sleep timing regularity if sleep quality dominated, 20 minutes of aerobic movement if physical activity dominated, one meaningful social contact per day if social connection dominated, 30 minutes of outdoor time if daylight dominated, or one purposeful task completed daily if meaning and purpose dominated. Record weekly average mood ratings at the end of each week, and administer the PHQ-2 at Weeks 4 and 8.

Proof required

Submit your 8-week practice log showing the daily practice chosen, a tick or note confirming each day's completion, weekly average mood ratings for all 8 weeks, and PHQ-2 scores at Weeks 4 and 8 with dates.

What gets checked

One clearly defined practice — not a combination of two or three changes simultaneously, which makes attribution impossible
All four PHQ-2 scores present (Day 1, Day 7, Week 4, Week 8) enabling a trend across the programme
Weekly mood averages calculated from daily entries, not estimated; if an average appears without underlying daily data, request it

Common mistakes

Switching practice mid-programme when early results are slow — mood change via lifestyle is typically visible at 4–6 weeks, not 1–2
Targeting the secondary factor because it feels more approachable — the primary factor has the greatest lever on your baseline mood
Logging the practice as 'done' at the start of the day before completing it, then not returning to record the actual outcome

Resources

Foundationstart here

What a verifier looks for

Check that the practice chosen matches the primary factor identified in M1 — a different practice chosen for convenience is not compliant
Verify PHQ-2 scores are present at four time points across the programme; a PHQ-2 only at start and end misses the Week 4 mid-point
Weekly averages must be derivable from the daily log — if no daily entries support an average, treat it as estimated and flag it

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Document and Compare the Change

2 weeks (final diary) after 8 weeks of practice

At the conclusion of the 8-week programme, run a final 14-day mood diary mirroring the M1 format — same evening rating, same three factors per day. Administer the PHQ-2 on Day 1 and Day 14 of this final period. Compile a comparison table showing: average daily mood (M1 baseline vs M3 close), PHQ-2 scores across all five administrations, and the consistency percentage of your primary practice (days completed ÷ 56 days). Obtain an attestation from someone who interacted with you regularly across the whole programme and observed your mood at both the beginning and the end.

Proof required

Submit your 14-day final diary, all five PHQ-2 scores with dates, the comparison table with both mood averages and practice consistency percentage, and the attestation confirming who the observer was, how they interacted with you, and what mood-related changes they noticed between the beginning and end of the programme.

What gets checked

Five PHQ-2 scores in total (Day 1, Day 7 of baseline; Weeks 4 and 8 of practice; Day 1 or Day 14 of final diary) — fewer than five leaves a gap in the trend
Attestation covers both baseline period and final period — an observer who only saw the last two weeks cannot confirm change from baseline
Comparison table includes practice consistency percentage, not only mood scores — consistency quantifies how well the intervention was applied

Common mistakes

Choosing an attester who was not present at the beginning of the programme — the core value of attestation is witnessing change over time
Submitting only mood averages without the underlying daily diary entries — averages cannot be verified without the source data
Treating a PHQ-2 score of 3 or above as routine and not seeking GP advice — PHQ-2 is a screening tool, not a clinical diagnosis; scores suggesting moderate or severe depression warrant professional follow-up regardless of trend direction

Resources

Foundationstart here

Depthgo deeper

What a verifier looks for

Verify that the attester is named and their relationship to the submitter is described — 'a friend' is insufficient; 'my flatmate who lives with me and saw me daily' is sufficient
PHQ-2 scores of 3 or above on any administration should prompt a note in the proof that the submitter is aware of the threshold and has considered or accessed professional support — this is not a rejection criterion but a welfare check
The comparison table must include practice consistency percentage — a high mood improvement with 20% consistency is a very different finding from the same improvement with 90% consistency

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Related outcomes

Milestone map

3 milestones

Establish a Mood Baseline

14 days

Proof required

What gets checked

14 consecutive days of evening mood ratings — partial diaries or back-filled retrospective entries do not count
Both PHQ-2 administrations included with dates and scores; a PHQ-2 completed once only is insufficient
Primary influence factor clearly identified with evidence from the diary — not assumed from preference

Common mistakes

Rating mood in the morning rather than the evening — evening ratings capture the full day's arc and are more diagnostic
Recording multiple days at once from memory — the value of a diary is contemporaneous capture; recalled entries compress variation and hide patterns
Selecting the primary factor by intuition rather than by counting frequency across 14 days

Resources

Foundationstart here

Depthgo deeper

What a verifier looks for

Count the number of diary entries — must be 14; fewer entries mean the baseline is incomplete and unreliable
Confirm both PHQ-2 administrations are present with dates at least 5 days apart; a single PHQ-2 is not a baseline
The primary influence factor must be supported by the diary data, not just asserted — check that the stated factor appears most frequently in the 'three factors' column

You'll sign in first, then come straight back here.

Target Your Primary Influence

8 weeks

Proof required

What gets checked

One clearly defined practice — not a combination of two or three changes simultaneously, which makes attribution impossible
All four PHQ-2 scores present (Day 1, Day 7, Week 4, Week 8) enabling a trend across the programme
Weekly mood averages calculated from daily entries, not estimated; if an average appears without underlying daily data, request it

Common mistakes

Switching practice mid-programme when early results are slow — mood change via lifestyle is typically visible at 4–6 weeks, not 1–2
Targeting the secondary factor because it feels more approachable — the primary factor has the greatest lever on your baseline mood
Logging the practice as 'done' at the start of the day before completing it, then not returning to record the actual outcome

Resources

Foundationstart here

What a verifier looks for

Check that the practice chosen matches the primary factor identified in M1 — a different practice chosen for convenience is not compliant
Verify PHQ-2 scores are present at four time points across the programme; a PHQ-2 only at start and end misses the Week 4 mid-point
Weekly averages must be derivable from the daily log — if no daily entries support an average, treat it as estimated and flag it

You'll sign in first, then come straight back here.

Document and Compare the Change

2 weeks (final diary) after 8 weeks of practice

Proof required

What gets checked

Five PHQ-2 scores in total (Day 1, Day 7 of baseline; Weeks 4 and 8 of practice; Day 1 or Day 14 of final diary) — fewer than five leaves a gap in the trend
Attestation covers both baseline period and final period — an observer who only saw the last two weeks cannot confirm change from baseline
Comparison table includes practice consistency percentage, not only mood scores — consistency quantifies how well the intervention was applied

Common mistakes

Choosing an attester who was not present at the beginning of the programme — the core value of attestation is witnessing change over time
Submitting only mood averages without the underlying daily diary entries — averages cannot be verified without the source data
Treating a PHQ-2 score of 3 or above as routine and not seeking GP advice — PHQ-2 is a screening tool, not a clinical diagnosis; scores suggesting moderate or severe depression warrant professional follow-up regardless of trend direction

Resources

Foundationstart here

Depthgo deeper

What a verifier looks for

Verify that the attester is named and their relationship to the submitter is described — 'a friend' is insufficient; 'my flatmate who lives with me and saw me daily' is sufficient
PHQ-2 scores of 3 or above on any administration should prompt a note in the proof that the submitter is aware of the threshold and has considered or accessed professional support — this is not a rejection criterion but a welfare check
The comparison table must include practice consistency percentage — a high mood improvement with 20% consistency is a very different finding from the same improvement with 90% consistency

You'll sign in first, then come straight back here.