10 Self-Care Activities With Friends

We’re all social beings as humans. We feel our best when we develop a healthy connection with people in our close circle. Who are some of the people closest to us? Our friends! Building a healthy community of friends feels comforting and exciting. Practising self-care is excellent, but bringing your friends in on it too doubles the fun. Let's explore 10 self-care activities with friends to adopt for when next you get together with your homies.

1. Soothe your Spirits

Music is therapeutic, and that isn’t just some cliche sentence. Sounds and lyrics have the ability to impact our mood. You can make a thoughtful playlist to enhance your mood in the background while you catch up with your friends. Who knows? You all may begin singing along and embrace the moment.

Platforms like Spotify offer impressive suggestions, depending on the genre you like. I recently searched for “positive, inspiring songs” on Spotify and found a playlist that was just right. When Happy by Pharrell came on, I put it on repeat and danced along to my heart’s content. Listening to your favourite songs can be a way for you to have a good time with your friends.

2. Awake your Taste Buds

Relishing a good home-cooked meal feels awesome. If you’re a cooking enthusiast, invite your friends over for lunch or dinner. You can try out new recipes together. Sharing a good meal with your friends is fun and memorable. The option of eating out is also available, but home cooking is always cheaper. Bond with your besties over a tasty dish or snack. Talk about how your day way or random stuff. You don’t need special occasions to enjoy a good meal together.

3. Engage your minds

Sometimes, you’re with a friend or group of friends, and you’re not sure what to do. While sitting around scrolling on your phones isn’t necessarily a bad thing, you can play games instead. What kind of games? Well, that depends on you. Many people enjoy board games like Scrabble and Monopoly. Some prefer video games so you and your friends can choose any game you like. A little competition can be fun.

4. Engage in a heart-to-heart talk

Talk to your friend about your recent worries, struggles and concern. Ask them how their life is going and encourage them to share their struggles too. Do your best to listen actively and throw in some encouragement and advice when it’s needed. When I feel down sometimes, spending some time with a friend to express my concerns and receive their support puts me in a somewhat better mood. Listening to their struggles too reminds me that everyone experiences difficulties and I equally offer my help and advice when necessary.

5. Take classes

If you have a similar goal or interest with a friend, it’s self-care to take classes together, whether it's virtual or physical. You can take art or specific skill development classes. I recall a few years back when I was trying to upgrade my skill set, I took a virtual graphic design class with a friend and we talked about what we learned. We didn’t complete the class though, but it was still a sweet memory whenever I look back and I did learn a thing or two. He proceeded to explore graphic design some more, but I’m content with using Canva (hehe). The point is learn new things with your friends, it’s fun, and it might be the beginning of a new path for you or your friend.

6. Take a deep dive

You and your friends are unique individuals even though you share certain similarities. Encourage conversations that seek to understand their opinion on certain subjects, like politics, faith and lifestyle in general. Share your perspective and try to listen to theirs without being combative or defensive. Your friend group is the best space to practise listening and understanding varying opinions. By encouraging difficult conversations, you learn how to disagree respectfully and also enhance your perspective on life’s interesting topics.

7. Indulge your inner child

Do you feel like dancing till you drop or sketching some cartoon characters with your lacklustre art skills? You can indulge these playful or childlike cravings around those you feel comfortable with. Take silly selfies or videos, laugh to your heart’s content and don’t hold yourself back when you want to do something playfully silly. We can’t just act silly whenever the feeling creeps up on us, but with our close friends, there’s no need to hold back.

8. Connect with your community

Of course, you may share similar interests with your friend group and attending a relevant event or programme together can be a form of self care. This may look like attending church programs, tech conferences, festivals, carnivals or any programme you’ll mutually enjoy attending. I and most of my friend group meet up at church. “Will you be in church?” “Yes, I will.” “Okay, I’ll see you after”.

9. Plan an Outing

Are you bored of your daily routine? Spice things up by planning an outing with friends. It doesn’t have to be anything too complex or fancy. Go to the movies, a restaurant, spa, museum, karaoke, or gaming room. Feed your eyes with interesting sights and create new memories together. Visit a mutual spot where you can relax with your friends, eat something, talk about what’s going on with you and have a good time. Take a break from life’s continuous struggles and refresh your mind with a day or evening out.

10. Go Down Memory Lane

Restrospection can be a beautiful thing. The past is filled with funny, embarrassing, painful and proud moments. Most people own pictures or documents that takes them down memory lane. You can bond with your friends over significant moments from your past. Whether it’s something you’re proud of, embarrassed about, or excited to remember, feel free to share as much as you feel comfortable doing.

Parting words

Intentionally crafting time to engage in self care activities with friends can be mentally and emotionally soothing. We all need our alone time, but some time with the people you love is equally important. What self care activity will you be trying out with your friends? Be spontaneous and go for it!