Who else is getting flashbacks of their Year 10 school binder?

You've mastered adult colouring and building Lego, now it's time to add sticker collecting to your mindfulness toolkit. Psychologist Nancy Sokarno explains why.

There’s something about childhood hobbies that just won’t quit. First it was adult colouring in books, then it was jigsaw puzzles, then adult Lego, and now it seems that sticker collecting is making a comeback amongst the grown-up crowd.

New to the trend? It’s simply using stickers to decorate and organise – or using them in whatever way allows you to unlock your creativity. Maybe you’re keen to make a sticker book, or maybe you want a colourful way to spruce up your journal or scrapbook – the key is that it sparks joy and gives you a chance to take a mindful moment.

Because that’s the crux of rediscovering your inner child. By engaging in these nostalgic activities, you’re able to carve out much-needed time for yourself. “Mindfulness activities like sticker collecting can be beneficial because it allows you to focus on the present moment,” explains Lysn psychologist Nancy Sokarno. 

“When we’re thinking about the present moment, we’re less inclined to worry about future events or that never-ending to-do list. Mindfulness can help you to focus on what you can control and enjoy in the here and now. It also offers a great distraction from anything that might be worrying you and if it’s an activity that brings joy, it’s beneficial to your mental health in many other ways.”

The ability for activities like sticker collecting to unlock joy is why Sydney-based Stephanie Moring founded her company, Postix. While Moring intitially believed she’d be selling her stickers to parents or kids, the significant response from adults took her by surprise. In fact, sales for stickers have increased by 20 cent in Aus, and an impressive 149 per cent in the US this year alone.

While the act of using stickers can be an exercise in mindfulness, Moring has recently taken the activity to the next level by introducing her Mental Health Matters series. Adorned with stickers relating to healthy habits such as “Go outdoors”, “Look after your body” and “Talk to someone”, the sheets serve as a reminder to take care of your mental wellness.

As Sokarno emphasises, these types of activities provide you with “time in your day that makes you feel like you are a priority in your life – which you should be.” Between work commitments, social outings and responsibilities such as taking care of children or grandparents, it can be hard to prioritise yourself, which means taking a moment to do something you enjoy is vital for your physical and mental health.

“Mindfulness activities can allow you to switch off for a moment and focus on ‘just being’, putting your attention to something you thoroughly enjoy,” says Sokarno. And the best part is, they can last as long (or as short) as you like.

Nancy Sokarno is a psychologist at Lysn. Lysn is a digital mental health company with world class wellbeing technology which helps people find their best-fit professional psychologist whilst being able to access online tools to improve their mental health.