PNA’s 2021 stationery ideas will spark creativity and productivity. If left in a PNA unsupervised and with an unlimited budget both my mom and I would have a field day. So when they sent me their product catalogue I picked a few items I felt would be good to help all of us get through what may be 2020.1. To be clear, I didn’t receive any products in exchange for this article – I’m just sharing info on my favourites from PNA’s catalogue.

Practising mindfulness

I’m sure many of us have found 2020 to be exceedingly stressful. And while I don’t necessarily practise mindfulness myself, mostly because I usually have at least two activities on the go simultaneously, I can see its value for coping on difficult days.

And if you’re going to try to find ways to calm your racing mind, you can find notebooks, pens and highlighters that will lift your spirit just to have them. These are the perfect tools to start bullet journaling. Not sure how to start? Find tips here.

Calmer through colouring

I used to be one of those sceptics who felt adults who colour pictures in books should learn to deal with adulting like the rest of us: drinking too much gin, ugly crying in the bathroom and eating all our feelings.

Then I tried it for myself and I’m a convert. I still occasionally do those other things too. When I do them all at the same time I know it’s time to find my centre again. A situation where picking a colour is the only decision you need to make is really helpful to kind of reset your thoughts.

Smell of success

While there are a lot of studies on the impact of smell on mood I can tell you from personal experience, and I’m sure you’ve discovered this yourself already, a fragrance can make you feel happy, awake, etc. and improve your day instantly.

Despite switching to decaf, the smell of coffee makes me feel ready to take on the day. Citrus smells are helpful to re-energise me in the afternoon when my mind starts to sputter. And by now everyone knows about lavender and camomile’s soothing scents to help you unwind after a long day and let you slip into sleep.

If you pick up any of these items from PNA make sure you double up so you can send it to me! 😉

Here’s to all of us being happier in 2021 – whatever happens.