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Keep a Journal

Lotte Vesterli on March 24, 2022

If I asked you, could you find out what you did last Thursday? People who are feeling stuck and unhappy with their lives often complain that each day looks like the previous one. That is not correct. Each day is different, but you just don’t notice.

Like your phone and your computer, our brains do not have unlimited memory. That is why your brain doesn’t store every detail of every day. Similar days get lumped together in your memory, which is why last Thursday might have ended up the bucket of “normal workday” without any details.

To overcome this feeling, keep a journal. Every day write down something good that happened, or something you learned. When you feel stuck, page through your journal and recollect all the things that did happen, and all the learning and growth you did experience.

I talk a lot more about journaling in my book “Life after Bullying.” Read more about my book here.

Look Back in Gratitude

Lotte Vesterli on November 19, 2020

Today is my birthday, and I always use that day to look back and review my year. It has definitely not turned out the way I expected one year ago! Some things didn’t happen as planned, but many other things have happened that I’m grateful for.

I encourage you to also regularly take stock of what has happened in your life. Focus on the things you are grateful for. Write down some sentences starting “I am grateful that…”

If you cultivate a gratitude mindset, the turmoil of life has less effect on you, and you’ll be happier and healthier.

Keep a Success Journal

Lotte Vesterli on November 12, 2020

To help you make positive changes in your life, it is a good idea to keep a success journal. At least once a day, write down something you succeeded in doing. Maybe you took a walk during your lunch break, or read a chapter in a book you meant to get around to, or cleaned out a drawer in your cabinet.

Occasionally flip through your success journal and notice all the successes you are accumulating. I recommend a physical book – the act of moving a pen over the page reinforces the experiences in a way that tapping on a keyboard doesn’t.