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There’s a Frog and Toad page that’s been living on my Pinterest feed lately – the frog, sitting alone on a rock, is telling the toad: “I’m happy. I’m so happy. This morning when I woke up I felt good because the sun was shining. I felt good because I was a frog. And I felt good because I had you as a friend. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to think about how good everything is.”
For most of my 20s, I lived a life of relentless expansion. Traveling from city to city, saying yes to everything, collecting experiences the way some people collect stamps – enthusiastically and without much thought about whether I really have room for them. It was exhilarating, and ultimately exhausting.
Featured image from our interview with Jesse D. Lowe by Michelle Nash.
30 things to do in June to stay energetic this summer
This June, I’m doing something different. I am staying there. I’m enjoying the fruits of my labor (said labor: signing my first solo lease), and I’m spending this summer transforming my space into the sanctuary I’ve always imagined — the hum of the sewing machine, the acrylic paints open, a sweater on the needles that I may or may not finish before fall. I’m trading width for depth. And the more I share it with people, the more I hear: Same.
Fuel prices are high, euro summer seems a little out of reach, and I think collectively, we’re rediscovering what’s already here. Not as a consolation prize – as an upgrade.
June this year, feels less like a departure and more like an arrival.
So here are 30 ways to lean that way. To have and make picnics and to slow down and pay attention. The feeling, as the frog would say, that everything is okay.
stay close to home
This is the summer to stay here and discover how much there is already. June in your own city has more to offer than you think. One just needs to leave home with a little intention and no particular agenda.
1. Go to the farmers’ market and let what you find shape your week. Instead of going in with a list, go in with an open basket. Strawberries, snap peas, fresh herbs – let the season dictate the menu, and you may discover a new favorite ingredient or recipe you didn’t even think of.
2. Pack a picnic and go to your favorite park. Message three friends, assign dishes and don’t overthink it. A blanket on the grass and food from your own kitchen is truly one of the best things about summer.
3. Take a sunrise or sunset tour this week. There’s something about the quality of light at both ends of the day that makes even familiar roads feel noticeable. Pick a direction you don’t usually go, keep your phone in your pocket for at least half of the walk and see what you notice.
4. Go on a wild flower walk. Download an app like iNaturalist or PictureThis so you can identify what you’re looking at. It turns the walk into something closer to wonder.
5. Explore a neighborhood, bookstore, or coffee shop you’ve never been to. Novelty does not require flight. Sometimes the most interesting version of your city is just a few blocks away from your usual circle – you just have to really go.
6. Create an outdoor corner in the house. A chair, a throw, and a dedicated space outside signal to your brain that this is a place to rest (not scroll, not plan, not produce). Give it a week and see if it becomes your favorite part of your day. Trust me, it will happen.
create something
There’s nothing like the satisfaction you get from creating something with your own hands – something that didn’t exist before you sat down. The goal is not perfection—it never is. It’s just to remember how good it feels to create.
7. Pick up a creative hobby you’ve been putting off. Knitting, sewing, painting, ceramics… whatever is on the “someday” list. Some day is June. Now is some day. All you need to get started is a $4 thrift store canvas and a little money spent on acrylic paint.
8. Sew something wearable. A tote bag, a skirt, a simple dress. Start small, follow the initial pattern and wear what you have made. There is no better feeling than this. (sew it yourself My favorite book to get started with! The patterns are forgiving and a lot of fun.)
9. Make something from scratch in the kitchen. Not a recipe you’ve made hundreds of times (though those recipes have their time and place). We’re going for something new here: fresh pasta, homemade bread, or a sauce that takes up all afternoon. The process itself is the issue.
10. Start a creative journal. No diary or to-do list. I’m talking about a place for clippings, sketches, color samples, and half-baked ideas. Skip the rules and stay away from the audience. This is for you.
11. Make bouquets of wild flowers or farmer’s market finds at home. Arranging flowers is a creative task that takes 10 minutes and changes the entire feel of a room. Trader Joe’s flowers definitely count, too.
12. Try abstract painting. No skill required, no results expected. Put on a playlist, choose your favorite three colors and see what happens.
gather around the table
Summer changes the way we eat together. Our food runs out, the pace slows down, and hosting stops feeling like a production (and more like one). Run-Aye!). This month, attend the kind of gathering that’s less about impressing someone and more about actually being together.
13. Plan an al fresco dinner on Friday night. Just a few friends, a simple table, and a menu that takes less than an hour to make. The long evenings of June do most of your work.
14. Host a cookbook dinner club. Pick a book (consider Camille’s favorite cookbook), share the recipe, and let everyone bring a dish. This is the easiest way to try a new food and make a great conversation starter.
15. Try a new non-alcoholic drink. Summer is peak season for interesting NA options—bushes, botanical sodas, adaptogen drinks. Mix something new (I’m starting with these non-alcoholic spritzes) and see if it becomes your favorite this season.
16. Create a summer dessert board. Fresh fruit, something creamy, something crunchy, and a little bit of chocolate, obviously. It comes together in 15 minutes and looks like you’ve planned it for days.
17. Host a neighborhood potluck. Specify categories – mains, sides, desserts – keep it low-key, and let your community do the rest. The best gatherings are usually the least planned. (evidence.)
18. Set a relaxing table. Linen napkins, something seasonal in a vase, candles, even if it’s still light outside. Small talk signals to everyone at the table: We’re in no rush. Here are table-setting tips to do just that.
focus on yourself
Depth over width applies here too. We’re not making any changes to your health routine or adding 10 new habits to your morning. This month, we’re taking a closer look at what your body and mind are really asking for, and letting you respond.
19. Start walking outside without your phone. Just try it once this week. The ideas that come up when you’re not filling the silence are usually worth considering.
20. Refresh your skin care routine for this season. Light layers, more hydration, daily SPF. Summer skin has its own fun—here’s how to get the perfect glow.
21. Book a massage or spa treatment—no occasion necessary. Rest is not a reward for productivity. Schedule it like you would schedule any other important thing.
22. Do a one week home reset. Focus on one small area every day – a drawer, a shelf, a corner of your closet. The cumulative effect is out of proportion to the effort. These decluttering tips are the perfect place to start.
23. Remove mental clutter. The 7-Day Mental Reset is the most effective way to create more clarity, focus, and spontaneity in your day — and summer is exactly the perfect time to do so.
24. Create a wind-down practice in the evening. Some evenings, replace the Netflix spiral with something that actually signals your body to downshift: stretching, reading, tending to something (for me, that’s my little container garden). Dim the lights 30 minutes before bed and see if there is a change.
find joy
This is the frogs and toads section. The part of the list that doesn’t need to be productive, optimized, or justified (although in reality, none of this does). There’s a kind of magic in the little things in June—and the main thing is to notice it.
25. Create your summer bucket list. Write it down, put it somewhere you can actually see it, and let it be aspirational without adding it to your to-do list. I know you know: there is a difference.
26. Make your own summer playlist. Which you’ll want to repeat from now until Labor Day. Start with a song that already makes you feel like summer and that takes you to a good place.
27. Visit a local gallery, pop-up, or art show. Put yourself on a path to something you didn’t create and didn’t expect. You never know who you’ll connect with.
28. Pick up a summer page-turner. The way you read in two sittings because you can’t stop. Bring it to the park, the bathroom, the backyard. Wherever you do your best, disappear.
29. Go to the movies. When the heat gets the better of you, the theater is the perfect place to cool off and spend two hours in a completely inebriated state. I consider it an underrated summer luxury.
30. Do one thing this month because it sounds fun. Not because it’s good for you, not because it would make a good story, and not because anyone else suggested it (even me!). Just because you want to. That is always enough.
This post was last updated on June 1, 2026 to include new insights.
