Continuing on from part 1, here are another 25 ideas of activities that are fun, interesting, active, and expansive, and can help your self-discovery and self-reflection.
If you have been thinking about making a change in your life in order to deepen your fulfillment, happiness, or balance in life, then consider working with a life or career coach as a way to explore yourself, and understand how to plan and navigate changes that help you achieve the outcomes that can improve the overall quality of your life.
Photo by The Coach Space
Plan something that engages you in updating your surroundings, from bringing in some new art, plants or other decorations, to painting a wall or door, remodeling a room, or designing a new backyard installation. In addition to being a fun project to work on in your spare time, the act of changing or refreshing a part of your core environment can be very healthy and stimulating for your mind, which can easily get stuck into monotonous, routine grooves.
Photo by Lisa Fotios
Explore the space of a city you live in or are visiting and let your mind wander with you, and you just might find yourself walking through some new door of self-discovery.
Even if you never played an instrument before, there are many instruments that are easy to pick up at any stage in life, from the bongos, to the keyboard, to electronic music production, to the ukulele, to the harmonica. Expand your mind through the act of learning and tapping into your creativity and you may be surprised how much inspiration and gratitude may float to the surface as a result.
Photo by Porapak Apichodilok
Naturally, meditation sooner or later was a must-list hobby for those looking to come into deeper connection with themselves and what is meaningful.
Photo by Engin Akyurt
Go or learn salsa, lindy hop, bachata, hip-hop, swing, or merengue lessons near you and see whether dancing is a key to a deeper understanding of who you are and what you enjoy.
Photo by Prime Cinematics
Traveling is one of the most powerful hobbies that we can engage in to discover ourselves. Sure, taking an international flight across the world to fantastic destinations is nice, but even a day trip or a simple twenty minute drive or a walk in the park can be a way to get us out of our routine and into a mental dimension that is conducive for self-reflection and self-discovery
Photo by Rachel Claire
Listening to a podcast (or even creating your own) is a popular hobby for the digital age, and one that can not only teach and inspire like reading, but can also give you insight into the more live and unstructured thoughts of others.
Photo by George Milton
Learning a new language is a great idea not only for those looking to travel, but those looking to be more well-rounded, creative, empathetic, reflective, and innovative, all of which can naturally lead to a deeper discovery of one’s self. Learning also doesn’t have to be limited to spoken languages, either. Sign language, musical languages, and programming all are languages, too!
Photo by SHVETS production
Take a moment to slow down from the speed of digital communications and communicate your thoughts through writing a letter to someone whom you enjoy talking to, or even finding a penpal. Like journaling, writing your thoughts down is a great way to take inventory of what’s on your mind and step back, but the additional act of communicating with someone else brings a different dimension of inspiration.
It’s even easier to do interviews digitally or via social media. The power of social media is in connecting to others, so why not reach out and see whom you can start a conversation with? There are plenty of threads, hashtags, and people out there that are talking about topics that could interest you, so explore more of yourself through conversations with other people on social media. Just be sure to check the #hate at the door and be prepared to let conversations that get ugly go.
People watching is a great activity that takes no skill or development to do, but, like photography can also boost your natural awareness and lead to self-reflection and self-discovery, by bringing your attention more out of your discursive (noisy, distracting) thoughts and into the present moment. Being present gives your subconscious more space to be heard, because the non-present mind constantly fills the space of the mind and crowds out the subconscious and deeper, more core areas of yourself. Try people watching while riding public transportation, on a park bench, while in a train or airport, or sitting in a cafe or restaurant, and see what self-realizations may float to the calm surface of your mind in that space.
Photo by Monica Silvestre
Teaching (e.g. through Italki), or speaking (e.g. through Tandem) another language with others can help bring more appreciation for what you know, which is a great foundation from which to do more self-discovery of what other elements you appreciate about yourself, or what areas in your life you may enjoy and want to grow.
Photo by SHVETS production
Exploring a type of crafting that interests you can be a great hobby that not only provides a creative outlet and exercises a part of your brain that often feels underdeveloped. The act of establishing a new pursuit/skill also adds to your overall experience of how diverse you are, which can be an avenue to explore and a counter-balance during times when one or another area in your life isn’t feeling so great. Try pottery, candle making, woodworking, origami, or soap making – or go for a browse on Pinterest or Etsy for a dose of inspiration.
Photo by Pixabay
Birdwatching can be as simple as wandering your backyard or city block and tuning into the warbles and songs of whatever birds you come across, and learning to identify the birds who each tune belongs to. Birdwatching, like observing flowers, can bring you back into communion with nature, and in the process to redevelop our sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of life, which exists all around us – even in the methodical march of ants on the sidewalk, the droning of cicadas in summer, the drifting of snowflakes in winter, or the innumerable pattering of falling rain drops.
Photo by Tina Nord
Reading can do wonders for the mind for exercising our imaginations, learning, and feeding our innate curiosity for the wonders of life. Pick up a paper book, an e-book, or an audio book and see what inspiration or understanding reading can unlock for you.
Photo by Vincenzo Malagoli
Like traveling, hiking is another superb idea for creating space to explore yourself, because it very much involves placing (physical) space between you and your usual surroundings, which can evoke expansive or novel thoughts that normally would be dominated by habitual thoughts or those concerned with the here and now of your present life situation.
Photo by Pixabay
Sooner or later, yoga had to make an appearance on the list for create space for our minds to be present and to connect with our deeper selves.
Photo by Elina Fairytale
Did you know that Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos sometimes do their dishes by hand? While it isn’t a recognized hobby, doing rhythmic tasks/chores, like the dishes or cleaning the house, can be a good way to engage our bodies and enable us to feel as though we are being productive, which gives our minds the space – and permission – to disengage from narrating, judging, or commenting aimlessly, and instead to reflect, daydream, and imagine.
Photo by Gustavo Fring
Go buy a canvas board, some brushes, acrylic paint, and try painting. Let your creativity and imagination run free, and your self-discovery will soon to follow.
Photo by Gustavo Fring
Pick up a pen and paper and start doodling or sketching whatever comes to mind on a park bench, in the subway, or in a light and bright, sunny room. If you’re not “words” thinker rather think in “pictures,” sketching may even be your equivalent form of journaling with words. In either case, sketching may be a good way to help you expand your self-reflection and self-discovery.
Photo byDaria Tumanova
Pick up a pen and paper and try your hand at writing poetry, or writing prose or a story as a means for self-discovery. Poetry doesn’t have to be intimidating, and can be unstructured, too, or as simple as a 5-7-5 syllable haiku. Bonus points for writing at a coffee shop or park bench.
Photo by Aaron Burden
Sit down to gather your thoughts together and understand your thoughts or feelings better by journaling.
Photo by Negative Space
Lace up your shoes, put on some joggers or shorts, go running through town or through a nearby park, and revel in the epiphanies that endorphins may bring.
Photo by Jozsef Hocza
If your knees don’t work like they used to and swimming isn’t an option, then try biking. It’s still a way to get those endorphins and subconscious reflection going.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio