Like so many people, I struggled with depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and a critical inner voice for many years. I can remember feeling anxious from a very early age. The smallest challenges, mishaps, or failures would send me into a downward spiral of shame and self-deprecation. My entrenched inner critic never focused on the things I did right—it only served as a daily reminder of all the things I did wrong. It trained me to become a victim and a negative thinker. I never imagined that would change.

Don’t get me wrong—a lot of great things did happen for me, things I realize now kept me going. I married my best friend. I have two fantastic kids and great friends. But the voice within can be so damn cruel and indiscriminate.

People saw a happy extrovert who certainly didn’t shy away from attention at social gatherings. In truth, I was paralyzed by compulsive behaviors, self-hatred, and insecurity. I hit my spiritual and emotional rock bottom in December of 2014, and the idea of death—during a violent, turbulent flight—seemed like a great solution. I spent the next several months wallowing in my own misery, letting my brutally negative inner gremlin take over my life. These were dark days. And then, I woke up.

I’m not sure what happened first. Maybe it was getting help for sleep. Maybe it was when I began to meditate. I learned to breathe—properly. I learned about selfless giving. I learned about mindfulness and meditation. I embraced humility and vulnerability. I learned how to change my state in the moment.

But the most impactful change came when I started a gratitude practice.

I began to recognize and celebrate victories—big and small. I learned that fear is a condition of not seeing joy, not feeling grateful, and not remembering the reasons I should love life. I started to learn that I have a choice (and I recognize that some of us do not). I learned to recognize and consciously push away that hateful critic, allowing space for me to choose happiness.

Pockitudes was born at the peak of this enlightenment. I tried many of the popular gratitude journals, but they were too structured, bulky, and laborious. So I created a prototype of what eventually became the Pockitudes journal. I crafted it based on research, trial, and months of practice. I wanted a little journal I could carry with me everywhere, so I could record my gratitude on the go. I added prompts to help guide my thinking, and a robust self-care checklist to remind me of the other tools that support my mental health.

The key, for me, is letting this tiny act become a habit—a habit to be grateful and to choose happiness. I found plenty of research, not only on the value of recording gratitudes, but also on the impact of handwriting them on paper. My outlook and overall state of mind have truly transformed for the better. I feel awake and whole for the first time in my life.

If you’re like I was, I encourage you to try it. See for yourself the benefits. See the change in your attitude. See how you begin to notice the good in things, people, and places.

This little book alone won’t save you, but it can be the trailhead to one of the most beautiful hikes of your life. I know fear is here to stay—but today, I have tools. And most importantly, I have a choice. Today, I dance with fear. And I choose happiness.

You’ll need other tools on this hike, and I encourage you to get a huge backpack and fill it up.

Today, I’m on a mission to help normalize mental health by inspiring self-healing. For me, it takes a daily practice to remind myself of the joys and gifts of being alive. I truly hope these journals can serve as one of many tools in your journey to mental well-being.

Be kind to yourself and to others,
Frederic, Founder

See my list at the bottom of this page for the great minds that helped me find greater peace of mind…

A Pockitude™ is a gratitude recorded in a pocket-sized journal. It’s choosing to focus on the better things, the things that remind you why it’s great to be alive. With a quick jot, you get a dramatic shift in your attitude. See for yourself the change in your attitude, and how you will begin to discover the good in your life. We spent months perfecting the Pockitudes gratitude practice journal through trial and error and customer feedback.

The result is a powerful, compact tool to record a daily gratitude, with a prompt to foster a deeper imprint on the brain. The journal also records a daily Act of Kindness to encourage altruism, which studies show reduce negative feelings. Frederic uses the blank page on the right to record daily reflections and highlights of the day. Tell us and show us how you use your Pockitudes Journal @pockitudes on Instagram and Facebook.

Gratefulness can change your life. To create a consistent gratitude practice, we made our journals portable, easy to use, artful, & eco-conscious. We are the only gratitude journal with categorized prompts to facilitate and guide you to thankfulness. We ask what you are grateful for and why to encourage contemplation and reflection.

Random Acts of Kindness are crucial for thoughtfulness and compassionate living. A regular gratitude practice is therapeutic, improves mood, self-esteem, physical health, mental strength, relationships, sleep, empathy, psychological health, and overall well-being.

"Congratulations, Frederic. I’m so very happy Taming Your Gremlin® has been a helpful part of your personal process and of your development of Pockitudes. Sounds like a tool that has and will continue to help many, many people.”

- Rick Carson, Author, Taming Your Gremlin® and A Master Class in Gremlin-Taming®