I’m officially declaring this year the year of fun!
Less work and more play.
So if you want to join me, then set the intention to invite more joy into your life this year with recreational self-care. Try out these 101 recreational self-care ideas to brighten up your self-care routine and cultivate more fun daily.
Don’t just make time for self-care. Make time for fun self-care!
As I’ve said, time and time again. Self-care is essential. Not only for your well-being but for your productivity as well.
The more you rest and take care of yourself, the more nourished you feel, so you can keep showing up as the healthiest version of yourself. But I feel like self-care is getting a bad rep lately.
As though people are exhausted from taking care of themselves.
I recently read an article where the writer said, “I’m rejecting self-care at the moment and it feels so good.” Morgan Fargo’s reason was that she no longer wanted to indulge in a skincare routine, have an earlier bedtime or go on a morning walk. These were elements that kept her “stable during the pandemic”, and now she is “choosing socialising over deep sleep.”
It was an interesting article to read, but I feel like Morgan and some other people have got the wrong impression of self-care.
Self-care doesn’t have to feel like a chore.
It doesn’t have to feel, and to quote Morgan, “arduous or boring” either.
Self-care isn’t always about indulging in a skincare routine, having bubble baths or going to bed early.
Self-care can look like socialising with friends!
Likewise, self-care doesn’t always have to be internal, where you set boundaries and practise self-love. Because sometimes personal growth can be challenging and exhausting.
Sometimes, self-care can actually look like having fun!
So, before you completely turn your back on self-care for being too hard to endure or boring, check out the activities below and invite more fun into your self-care routine.
What is recreational self-care?
Before I do a deep dive into the 101 fun self-care ideas to try throughout this year, let’s first recap recreational self-care and what it means.
Recreational self-care simply means making time for fun!
This pillar of self-care encourages you to tap into your inner child by taking part in hobbies that don’t require too much brainpower.
It is all about stepping away from your to-do list and filling up your day, month or year with moments that bring you joy.
I hope you are starting to feel a bit more enthusiastic about self-care again!
So let’s see how you can practice recreational self-care every day with these super fun ideas!
101 recreational self-care ideas to cultivate fun every day
From collecting seashells on the beach to finding a global pen pal, here is an extensive list of recreational self-care ideas to try throughout the year.
Never get bored with your self-care routine again!
Get outdoors with these recreational self-care ideas
- Dig out a pair of wellies and go jump in some puddles
- Climb trees
- Explore an area you haven’t been to before and put Google Maps away!
- Grab a Polaroid camera and go on an adventure
- Go for a picnic in the park, either solo or with friends
- Book a staycation trip or vacation abroad
- Go down to the beach and pick up a collection of seashells
- Head to Harry Potter World for the day (or Disney Land if you’re feeling kinda bougie)
- Lie down in the park and watch the clouds float by. What can you see?
- Take yourself out on a date with these ideas
- Borrow a dog for the day and go on a lovely, long walk
- Go seasonal fruit picking!
- Rent a bicycle and go on a fun cycle ride through the park
- Download a plant identification app like PlantNet and get to know your local flora
- Go to a water park and float down all the slides
- Stop and smell the flowers
- Plant some seeds in the garden
- Play on the swings in the park or playground (who says they’re just for kids?)
- Grab some friends and go camping (if you enjoy sleeping in a tent)
- Rent some skates and go rollerskating
- Go foraging or pick some wildflowers and make your own bouquet
- Go swimming for fun and splash around
- Organise a paintballing day out with friends
- Wrap up warm and go star-gazing
- Go back to basics and watch the sunrise
Save these ideas to Pinterest!
Get creative with these recreational self-care ideas
- Do some watercolour painting or paint by numbers
- Take up a new hobby like knitting, sewing or cross-stitching
- Or learn embroidery
- Go to a pottery-making class
- Create your own hand-drawn comic book (inspired by Anna from The OC)
- Print out a bunch of old pictures and scrapbook them into a memory book
- Build a Scalextric circuit
- Learn flower pressing
- Buy some new crayons and doodle, draw or stencil
- Make flower crowns or daisy chains
- Organise and colour-coordinate your bookshelves
- Watch old episodes of the Great British Bake Off and follow along with the baking. Get the flour, sugar and join in with their recipes. (Just maybe not the showstoppers)
- Spend time on Pinterest putting together mood boards for every area of your life
- Create your own version of this self-care planner and tracker
- Paint and create some art for your walls
- Join an online calligraphy class
- Build Lego
- Grab coloured pens and paper, sit on the floor and create a vision board
- Buy a bullet journal and “bujo”
- Create a bucket list for things to do this year
- Play around with a design app like Canva, Procreate or Adobe Spark
- Go to the flower market and spend an afternoon arranging them
- Write a play or a book (or at least the start of one)
- Make friendship bracelets and give them to loved ones (inspired by Joyce from The Thursday Murder Club)
- Origami!
Save these ideas to Pinterest!
Get playful with these recreational self-care ideas
- Find a global pen pal and write (actual) letters
- Put on music you used to listen to as a teen and dance (or rock out) like no one is watching. My go-to is Avril Lavigne’s Let Go album!
- Get crafty with rock painting
- Go to ballroom dancing lessons or salsa dancing
- Play a board game from your childhood like Snakes and Ladders, Twister, Hungry Hippos, or Connect-4 etc.
- Wait for a hot summer’s day and have a water fight with friends
- Rearrange your bedroom or another room in your house
- Take things further and redecorate
- Sing along to the Ultimate Disney Soundtrack
- Go trampolining or head to the foam pit
- Learn an instrument! Did someone say drums?
- Make vegan cookie dough ice cream
- Go to karaoke and sing at the top of your lungs
- Spend the evening at a Jazz bar dancing and listening to the music
- Grab your friends and play a game of Hide and Seek or Forty-Forty It
- Make a playlist of songs that make you feel like your most authentic self
- Go on a scavenger or treasure hunt
- Join a candle-making class and learn how to make your own candles
- Make your own soap!
- Try rock climbing
- Go on a hunt for first edition books in local bookshops
- Head to the arcade and play all the games
- Play on the Dance Dance Revolution machine (inspired by The Kissing Booth)
- Just be your weird, wonderful self
- Masturbate!
Save these ideas to Pinterest!
Get cosy with these recreational self-care ideas
- Buy a 1000-piece puzzle and spend the afternoon putting it together
- Spend the evening watching classic 90s chick flicks
- Go to the library or bookstore, find a good book and sit on the floor and read
- Make some popcorn and watch the Harry Potter box set
- Spend an afternoon on YouTube watching movie trailers
- Bake some blueberry muffins or a lemon drizzle cake
- Build a cosy, inside fort with pillows, blankets and sheets, and hang up some fairy lights
- Read your favourite young adult fiction book
- Whip up a yummy hot chocolate with marshmallows
- Learn to cook an international recipe
- Start an online or in-person book club
- Take care of your houseplants
- Write poetry or short stories like you used to in English class!
- Head to the cinema and watch a foreign language movie
- Create a comfort or memory box
- Dust off an old Nintendo 64 or PlayStation and play a retro video game like Mario Kart
- Listen to an audiobook
- Hug your pet
- Take blankets, your fave snacks and head to a drive-in or outdoor cinema
- Spend the morning learning how to make sourdough
- Sign up for a virtual museum tour
- Relax in a hammock
- Put on some chilled jazz music and dance around the kitchen
- Play recipe roulette and flick through a recipe book with your eyes closed, and stop on a page
- Take a self-care day and spend it watching old Disney movies (yes, I mean the cartoon versions)
Save these ideas to Pinterest!
And idea 101…
Challenge yourself to do something every day that makes you feel like a kid again!
Final notes
It’s important to remember that self-care looks different to everyone.
It’s about what works for you and what makes you feel good.
So, like with all my tips, I encourage you to test out these recreational self-care ideas first before fully committing to them to find out which ones bring the most fun.
Try putting together a self-care calendar or tracker to help you track which recreational self-care ideas you enjoyed and which ones you would do again.
Rate each ritual out of 5 stars. Ask yourself, “How did this activity make me feel?” If it’s a hell yes rather than a hell no, then add it to your self-care routine and get consistent.
I’m all about doing the stuff that works for you. Not one-size-fits-all BS.
You’ve got this.
Thalia xx
