Over the last couple of weeks I've really been focussing on nailing a few irritating little bugs - mainly cosmetic, but a couple of them performance related - and the site is feeling more peppy and looking nice and tidy.  And as a result, I'm running our first small advertising campaign on Facebook, running over the next week.  I'm feeling pretty good about the whole scene, and the new blog functionality is starting to settle in nicely.  I'll be making new blog posts once or twice a week over the next few weeks, so keep an eye out!

I've added the basic awardments system to the site this evening!  You get points for writing journal entries, doing check-ins and listing gratitudes, and for completing tasks with a bonys for meeting task targets.  You also get combo bonuses - make journal entries on consecutive days to get more points!  It's all good fun, and it's useful as a little motivator for taking those positive steps.

After a day of hard work, I've just updated the site to v1.8.5.4 - I've sped up the calendar loading, tweaked the navigation bar at the top of the page, added more pages for tasks and CBT sessions, and had a general tidy-up.  The are still a couple of things I want to add to tasks - such as "presets" for things like Couch to 5k, housework, journaling, and the scoring system, which will encompass all the other features on the site too - points for runs of jounral entries, points for CBT sessions and so on, so you have daily, weekly, montly and all-time scores to track how well you're doing with your objectives.  It's a really fun time - now the foundations of the site are in and well-tested, I'm starting to add all those tools which you only knew you needed when you see them!

Something I've wanted to add from the start is now live on the site - tasks!  I'm terrible at keeping organised, and when things get a way from me that can be a source of stress.  Conversely, if I track and manage all the things I need to do - or want to encourage myself to do - things tend to go better, and I feel better for it.  The task system will be expanded and improved over the next couple of weeks.  I hope it works well for everyone!

I've started adding some data analysis tools to the site.  Firstly, using the "Charts" button on your home page, you can see where your mood has been over time from the check-ins you've used for your journal entries.  On the same page, you can see all the things you've registered being grateful for, and how many times you've used them.  You can click on the charts to get more information about the relevent journal entries.  I'm going to be expanding the tools available over the next few months, and adding some other useful features too!

I've added a list of resources for anyone needing urgent treatment, advice or support.  There's no shame in asking for help, and I thought it would be A Good Thing to have these resources to hand.  You can find them in the "Stuff" menu at the top of every page under the Get Help NOW link.  These resources are geared toward UK users.

The resources include help for mental health crisis, bereavement, addiction and relationship issues.  And remember, if you or anyone else is in immediate danger, call 999.

I've just deployed an update to the site - everything you enter, from journal entries to things you're grateful for - are now encrypted in a quite special and very secure way.  I won't bore people too much with the details, but the security is basically uncrackable by brute force, and every entry for every user is encoded in a slightly different way.  I'm really pleased to bring this extra layer of security to the site - we all want our journals to be absolutely private and secure, and one of the main reasons I started the site was to avoid having a physical artifact containing all my most intimate and personal thoughts just laying about in the world.  I write at least one entry every day, and I for one feel even better about using the site knowing that it's safe and secure!

Welcome to In My Room!  The idea of the site is to provide an easy to use, secure, and effective place for people to keep and maintain a mental health journal - but it's much more than that!  We've added a CBT Assistant to the site, which helps people to identify, challenge and change problem thought patterns.  You can come back as often as you like, and the more you use In My Room, the more you'll get out of it.

The idea of journaling is really, seriously simple:  Spend some time recording how you feel.  How your day has made you feel.  How your life has made you feel.  When we speak or write, we organise and prioritise our thoughts naturally, which helps us to think about how we really feel.  When we get used to expressing our emotions in a safe and organised way, we can start to recognise the things which are causing us unhapiness, discomfort or anxiety.  You'll be amazed at how quickly you can get in to the habit of journaling regularly!

But In My Room doesn't end there.  Once you're used to writing the details of your feelings, you can start to spot patterns and habits, which for a lot of people are a greater cause of stress than the actual, external issue!  The CBT Assistant can help you identify, challenge and change those pesky negative thoughts and move toward a better way to be.

I really hope that as many people as possible can benefit from In My Room.  Everyone is welcome, everyone's journal entries and details are secure, and as time moves on I'll be adding more and more tools to the site to help everyone live more contented lives.