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There’s a Frog and Toad page that’s been sitting on my Pinterest feed lately—the Frog, sitting alone on a rock, tells the Toad: “I am happy. I am very happy. In the morning I woke up feeling good because the sun was shining. I felt good because I am a frog. And I feel good because I have your friend. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to think how everything is going well.”
For most of my 20s, I lived an expansive life. Hopping from town to town, saying yes to everything, collecting experiences the way other people collect stamps—passionately and without much consideration of whether I had a place for them. It was exciting, and also, ultimately, exhausting.
Featured image from our interview with Jessie De Lowe by Michelle Nash.
30 Things To Do In June To Stay Strong This Summer
In June, I did something different. I always sit. I’m enjoying the fruits of my labor (job in question: signing my first lease on my own), and I’m spending this summer transforming my space into the sanctuary I’ve always envisioned—the sewing machine is beeping, the acrylic paints are cracking, the needlepoint sweater that I may or may not finish before fall. I trade breadth for depth. And when I share that with people, that’s when I hear: the same.
Fuel prices are high, the Euro summer feels a little out of reach, and I think we’re collectively, rediscovering what’s already there. Not as a consolation prize—as a promotion.
June, this year, feels less like a departure and more like an arrival.
So here are 30 ways to lean on that. Picnicking and creating and slowing down and noticing. To hear, as Frog says, that all is well.
Stay Close to Home
This is the summer to stay, and find out how much it is already here. June in your city has more to offer than you think. All it takes is leaving the house with little purpose and no particular agenda.
1. Go to the farmers market and let what you find shape your week. Instead of going with a list, go with an open basket. Strawberries, snap peas, fresh herbs—let the season dictate the menu, and you might find a new favorite ingredient or recipe you wouldn’t have thought to look for.
2. Pack a picnic and head to your favorite park. Send messages to three friends, share the dishes, and don’t think too much about it. A blanket on the lawn and food from your kitchen is one of the best things summer has to offer.
3. Take a sunrise or sunset hike this week. There’s something about the quality of light anywhere at the end of the day that makes even ordinary streets feel worthy of attention. Choose an unfamiliar route, leave your phone in your pocket for at least half of it, and see what you notice.
4. Go on a wildflower hike. Download an app like iNaturalist or PictureThis so you can see what you see. It turned walking into something close to a surprise.
5. Check out a neighborhood, bookstore, or coffee shop you’ve never visited. Novelty doesn’t need an airplane. Sometimes the most interesting version of your city is a few blocks outside of your usual radius—you really have to go.
6. Create an outdoor nook at home. A chair, a throw, and a dedicated outdoor area signal to your brain that this is a place to relax (not scrolling, not organizing, not being productive). Give it a week and see if it becomes your favorite part of the day. Trust me, it will be.
Create Something
There’s nothing like the satisfaction that comes from making something with your hands—something that wasn’t there before you sat down. The goal is not perfection—it never has been. It’s just a reminder of how good it is to make feelings.
7. Take up a hobby you’ve been putting off. Knitting, sewing, painting, pottery… whatever has been sitting on the “someday” list. One day in June. Another day now. A $4 thrift store canvas and a little money tossed in acrylic paint is all you need to get started.
8. Sew something wearable. A bag, a skirt, a simple dress. Start small, follow the pattern for beginners, and wear what you made. There is no better feeling. (Set yourself on fire it’s my first favorite book! The patterns are forgiving and very sweet.)
9. Make something from scratch in the kitchen. It’s not a recipe you’ve made a hundred times (although those recipes have their time and place). We’ll be looking for something new here: fresh pasta, homemade bread, or a sauce that lasts all afternoon. The process is the point.
10. Start a creative journal. It’s not a diary or a to-do list. I’m talking about a place for clips, sketches, color swatches, and half-formed ideas. Break the rules and lose the audience. This is for you.
11. Make wild flowers or flower market gardeners at home. Arranging flowers is a creative act that takes 10 minutes and changes the whole feel of the room. Trader Joe’s flowers are also important.
12. Try to draw abstract. No skill required, no result expected. Put in a playlist, choose three colors you like, and see what happens.
Meet at the Table
Summer changes the way we eat together. Our food goes out, the pace slows down, and the handling stops feeling like productivity (and more like a part-ay!). This month, lean toward the kind of meeting that isn’t just about making anyone happy and about actually being together.
13. Plan a Friday night dinner. Just a few friends, a simple table, and a menu that takes less than an hour to make. The long June nights do a lot of work for you.
14. Host a cookbook supper club. Choose a book (think Camille’s favorite cookbooks), assign recipes, and let everyone bring a dish. It’s an easy way to try new foods and has a great conversation starter built in.
15. Try a new non-alcoholic drink. Summer is prime time for interesting NA options—trees, plant sodas, adaptogen drinks. Mix up something new (I’m starting with these non-alcoholic spritzes) and see what your go-to is this season.
16. Make a summer dessert board. Fresh fruit, something creamy, something crunchy, and a little chocolate, obviously. It comes together in 15 minutes and looks like you’ve been planning for days.
17. Host a local potluck. Give categories—mains, sides, desserts—keep it simple, and let your community do the rest. The best gatherings are usually the least organized. (Evidence.)
18. Set a table to sit at. Linen napkins, something seasonal in a vase, candles even when it’s still light outside. Small details show everyone at the table: we are not in a hurry. Here are some tips for setting the table to make it happen.
Take care of yourself
Depth of range comes into play here, too. We’re not overhauling your lifestyle or adding 10 new habits to your morning. This month, we pay close attention to what your body and mind are asking for, and allow yourself to respond.
19. Start walking outside without your phone. Try it just once this week. The thoughts that come up when you don’t fill the silence are often the ones you should be having.
20. Revamp your skin care routine this season. Light layers, extra hydration, daily SPF. Summer skin is its thing—here’s how to get the ultimate glow.
21. Book a massage or spa treatment—no event necessary. Rest is not a reward for productivity. Plan it as you would anything else important.
22. Do a one-week home reset. Focus on one small area each day—a closet, a shelf, a corner of your closet. The cumulative effect is not equal to the effort. These decluttering tips are a great place to start.
23. Clear mental clutter. A 7-day mind reset is a very effective way to create more clarity, focus, and relaxation in your day—and summer is a great time to do it.
24. Create an evening relaxation routine. Some evenings, replace Netflix binges with something that shows your body to unwind: stretching, reading, tending to something (for me, that’s my little container garden). Dim the lights 30 minutes before bed and see what changes.
Find Happiness
This is a section of Frog & Toad. A part of the list that does not need to be produced, developed, or justified (although in reality, none of these things do). June has a kind of magic in the little things—and the whole point is to see it.
25. Make your summer bucket list. Write it down, keep it somewhere you’ll actually see it, and let it be what you want without it being a to-do list. I know you know: there is a difference.
26. Create your summer playlist. The one you’ll want repeated from now until Labor Day. Start with one song that already sounds like summer and let it lead you somewhere beautiful.
27. Visit a local gallery, gallery, or art show. Put yourself in the path of something you did not create and did not expect. You never know who you will connect with.
28. Take a summer page-turner. The kind you study in two sessions because you can’t stop. Bring it to the park, the shower, the backyard. Wherever you do your best he disappears.
29. Go to the movies. When the heat gets to you, the theater is the perfect place to cool off and check out the full two hours. I consider it an understated summer luxury.
30. Do one thing this month because it feels good. Not because it’s good for you, not because it will make a good story, and not because someone else suggested it (including me!). Just because you want to. That is always enough.
This post was last updated on June 1, 2026, to include new information.
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