Since moving to New York, my life has changed significantly, affecting my daily emotions. As I spend most of my time online and have not yet established a social circle, I frequently experience negative feelings, especially during my free time. However, I’ve observed that these negative emotions lessen when I am busy with work or university studies. To address this, I’ve begun engaging in more activities during my free time and maintaining regular communication with my family and friends to keep myself occupied. Through this project, I hope to learn more about myself and identify any patterns or insights that can help improve my well-being.

Research Question

Are there any discernible patterns or insights in my daily activities or behavior that have an impact on my overall well-being?
Which activities and behavior are associated with positive feelings?
Which activities and behavior are associated with negative feelings?
Are there specific times of the day (morning, afternoon, evening) when I tend to feel better or
worse?

Audience

The primary audience for this project is me, as I am seeking a deeper understanding of my well-being. However, this research could also be relevant for individuals who are undergoing negative emotional experiences due to moving to a new place or experiencing significant life changes, whether that be due to moving to pursue education or work opportunities, or any other related reasons. The research may offer insights and patterns that can be useful for anyone experiencing similar emotional challenges.

About the Data

For this project, I have been collecting data by tracking my daily emotions and activities from March 8th to April 1st. I recorded the data in an Excel spreadsheet that contains six columns: Day, Period of the Day, Pre-Activity-Feelings, Activity, Activity-Duration, and Post-Activity-Feelings. Pre-Activity and Post-Activity feelings are rated on a scale of 0 to 10.

Link

Findings

Through my findings, I have discovered that Birdwatching and playing chess have a huge positive impact on me. I believe this is due to the positive influence of nature and the opportunity to interact with people. It is worth noting that I typically play chess in Washington Square. In addition, I have found that activities such as talking on the phone, exercising, and cooking also have a positive impact on my mood. However, I have found that engaging in activities such as watching movies, listening to music, using social media, and walking tend to lessen my overall feelings of well-being. I have also discovered that my mood is worse in the afternoons and evenings, despite starting my day positively. Upon further analysis, I found that I engage in activities that bring me down for over 50% of my afternoons and spend over 80% of my evenings studying, indicating a need for more balance in my evening activities.

Next Step

This project has been truly captivating, offering me insights into my life that I may not have been aware of otherwise. To deepen my understanding, I plan to collect data for a more extended period, allowing me to identify any long-term patterns or trends. Additionally, I plan to use more advanced statistical tools to analyze the data and uncover any significant correlations or relationships between my activities and emotions.