Getting started
Your first check-in
What a daily check-in covers, when to do it, and what happens if you miss a day.
Quick answer
Check-ins are the data that drives the progress charts and gives Dawn context for personalized guidance. They're short on purpose so you'll actually do them.
What's in a check-in
Six fields. Most take a slider tap; the notes field is optional.
- Mood (1–10) — overall emotional state today.
- Craving level (0–10) — 0 means none, 10 means the strongest you can imagine.
- Triggers — pick from a preset list (stress, boredom, social pressure, etc.) or add your own.
- Coping strategies used — what helped today: exercise, meditation, reaching out to someone, leaving the situation, etc.
- Sleep quality (1–5) — how well you slept the previous night. Sleep is one of the strongest predictors of recovery outcomes.
- Notes — free text, optional.
Step-by-step
Open the dashboard
Sign in at app.daybreakpath.com. The check-in card is at the top of the dashboard if you haven't checked in today.
Click Check in
The form expands inline. No new page.
Fill out the sliders
Don't overthink the numbers. A rough read of how you feel right now is better than a careful read tomorrow.
Add a one-line note (optional)
The notes field is where the value compounds. Even one sentence — "tough afternoon, walked it off" — gives you something to look back at in three months.
Submit
The streak counter updates immediately and the data feeds into the progress charts.
When to do it
End of day works best for most people — you can reflect on the full day. Right before bed is a common anchor.
The actual time matters less than consistency. Pick a moment that already exists in your routine (after dinner, brushing teeth, etc.) and attach the check-in to it.
Common pitfalls
Trying to backfill missed days
You can only check in for the current day. Past days can't be retroactively filled — by design. The point is the daily reflection, not the unbroken streak.
Treating a 0 craving as cheating
If your honest craving level today was 0, log 0. The chart is for you. Inflated numbers make the trend useless.
What if I miss a day
The streak resets, but your history is preserved. Recovery is not the streak. The streak is just a low-stakes reminder mechanism.
If you're noticing a pattern of missed days, that's a signal — talk to Dawn about what's getting in the way.
Free vs Premium
The free tier shows your last 30 days of check-in history. Premium unlocks unlimited history plus advanced analytics (trigger heatmaps, craving correlation with sleep, etc.).
Next steps
- Read about check-ins in depth to see the full set of fields and analytics.
- Set up notifications so the daily prompt fits your routine.
Still need help?
Pick whichever way of getting help works best for you.
Was this article helpful?