After seeing this Mental Health Pain Scale a while ago, I realized that it doesn't really work well for people whose mental wellness changes frequently (ex: people with BPD or C-PTSD, addicts), and very extremely. So, I made some tweaks for myself, and hopefully it can help others:
Here's a version with a table :)
Emotional Distress Scale
0 - I feel great! This is the best Iāve felt in a long time!
1 - Iām feeling really good! Thereās no distress to address.
2 - Iām feeling good. If I start feeling bothered, I can be easily distracted or cheered up.
3 - Iām okay, but there are some things bothering me. I can easily cope with them, though.
4Ā - I could be better. There are a few things distressing me right now. Itās not exactly easy to deal with, but I still have the skills to get through it.
5 - Iām not okay. Itās getting harder to do the things I want to do, but I can do them. My coping skills arenāt working as well anymore, but enough of them work to get me through the day. I need some support.
6 - Iām feeling bad, and itās very hard to do the things I need or want to do. Most of my coping skills arenāt effective right now, and itās taking a lot of energy to stay stable. I need help.
7 - Iām feeling awful. Itās hard to focus on anything but my emotions, and/or Iām avoiding things that distress me. I canāt do much but try to take care of myself, which is already hard in itself. Iām running low on, or have run out of, effective coping skills. I need a lot of help right now.
8 - Iām feeling awful, and I canāt escape it anymore. How I feel is affecting every part of my day, and Iām reaching the point where I canāt function. Itās hard to sleep, eat, socialize, etc. I need help before I canāt handle anything.
9 - This is approaching the worst I could feel. I canāt function anymore. My emotions have totally consumed me. I may be a danger to myself or others, or I may be neglecting myself. I need urgent help.
10 - This is the worst Iāve felt ever/since [last time]. I canāt care for myself at all. My emotions are so intense, Iām at imminent risk of dangerously acting on them. I need crisis support immediately.
11 - I have acted on my emotions and hurt myself or someone else. Everything else in my life is impossible to comprehend. I need medical care and/or crisis support immediately.
Note that this doesn't really work well if your positive states end up being unhealthy (ex: mania, idealization, etc.), so it's geared towards negative emotions. This is also meant to be about how you feel NOW. The other scale works best for viewing your overall state.
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