Want to know the best activities for self-discovery? Looking to find yourself but don’t know where to start? Are you tired of not feeling comfortable on your own skin and not knowing who you are?

Then you are in the perfect place! In this article, I´m going to share with you the top 9 activities for self discovery that are going to help you say goodbye to the feeling of being like a stranger in your own body!

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There is no exact definition or formula on how to find yourself. And that is what makes it so hard sometimes.

Personally, I see finding yourself as connecting and cultivating a deep understanding of yourself- what’s important for you, your motivations, your values, and the things you stand for.

But aside from the exercises mentioned on this list remember that a big part of finding yourself includes accepting and forgiving your whole self through time, patience, love, and kindness.

You will not be able to connect with your higher self unless you can do this.

So having said that let´s jump straight to this list of the 9 best activities for self discovery.

ACTIVITIES FOR SELF DISCOVERY

Reflect on your past hobbies to find yourself

Think about the time you were a kid, what were your favorite activities do to? What things did you lose sense of time with? Are there any hobbies you enjoyed that you stopped doing? 

The answer to these questions are going to be your first clue on where to start with your self discovery journey.

Most of the time the answers are there, we just need to open our eyes and pay attention to “see” them.

By doing the things you used to love as a kid you are also connecting and healing your inner child. The fearless and innocent little version that lives inside of you.

Tell your inner critic to get lost. 

Improving your relationship with yourself is going to be very hard if you are critiquing yourself with every step you take. Because when you allow that negative voice to get louder and listen to it, you are going to start to self sabotaging.

You need to allow yourself the space to make mistakes, and to try new things without the pressure of being perfect.

To silence that toxic voice you have to first forgive yourself so that you can start stepping into your full potential.

So every time you hear the devil on your shoulder, tell it to get lost. And turn that negative self talk into self compassion and empowerment. 

Remind yourself of your potential, and be kind and understanding to yourself.

Here are three simple tips you can start using to change your inner toxic dialogue:

• Look for evidence that your thoughts are true. It has been proven many times the power our mind has and how our mindset influences the way we view the world and ourselves. 

But just because you think something is true doesn’t mean it’s actually true.

In fact, most of our thoughts are opinion-based and subjective, not facts.

So look for evidence that your thoughts are true. Ask yourself “What’s the proof that this is true?” and create a mental list of evidence that proves your thoughts. 

Once you are done with this list, think about the possibilities why it might not be true.  Because most times you´ll find that you actually have no reason to believe those negative thoughts. They are just our insecurities and limiting beliefs talking.

• Reframe your thoughts into something more positive and realistic. Once you have made a list of both sides, look at the “evidence” you have and create a more realistic statement. 

For example, if you meet with someone and notice they were off or acting strange with you, instead of going down the spiral of thinking they don’t like you and are tired of seeing you, shift those thoughts.

You could say to yourself “Maybe they were having a bad day, or weren’t feeling well. Just because they were acting weird doesn’t mean they hate you or don’t want to have anything to do with you”.

But don’t jump to the other extreme and try to convince yourself of overly positive things you are going to have trouble believing.

Find a balance between the two and try to look at things in a subjective way.

• Make space for a new kind of narrative. Once you distance yourself from your negative self-talk and realize that you don’t actually have evidence for most of your toxic thoughts, you will start making space for a new kind of narrative.

A more positive and empowering one. And an opportunity to be more intentional with the way you speak to yourself.

Journaling is one of the best ways to consciously make this change by for example having a gratitude journal.

Another method I love that has really helped me to change my negative beliefs is starting every morning with affirmation cards.

I simply choose one for the day write it in my gratitude journal and try to read it a couple of times a day or put it in a visible place in my workspace. That way I can remind myself of this affirmation whenever my negative inner dialogue starts talking. 

There are many affirmation cards out there depending on what you want to focus on (self love, manifestation, mindfulness, etc.) But my all time favorites will always be these ones.

Most affirmation cards are beutifully done, but I just find it difficult to belief the affirmations on them because they are to overly positive and corny.

Thats one of the things I love most about this affirmation deck. The affirmations are the perfect balance between affirmations that challenge your negative thoughts while still being believable and relatable.

Not to mention their beautifully aeshtetic design and great quality.

So if you have ever thought about trying affirmtation cards, make sure to check out these ones first!

Activities to find your true self. Get out and try new things

What you know about yourself is because of the things you have experienced and the ones you have tried.

But to fully understand yourself you need to get out of your comfort zone and try new things.

It could be even the simplest of activities. Like changing your routine, trying that new dance class, going to a restaurant alone, or complimenting a stranger.

These are the type of experiences that will lead to opportunities to know more about yourself.

Ditch bad habits

The bad habits and routines you have in your life and holding you back from being the best version of yourself you can be.

And not only bad habits but toxic relationships too. 

It’s important to learn how to let go of the things that don’t serve you or bring good things into your life.

But how exactly? With self love and self respect.

You need to learn to focus on your needs and your well-being. And no, doing this is not selfish, because no one is going to do it for you.

And if you are worried that people won’t be in a relationship with you if you put yourself first- that is your first sign that those people are doing you no good.

Once you learn to respect and protect your well-being and priorities you will find that saying no to things and people that don’t bring you any value gets easier.

Learn to be self aware

Self-awareness is a crucial life skill, that helps us understand ourselves and figure out our purpose in life. 

Becoming more self-aware can also help you understand your wants, needs, and desires as well as your strengths and weaknesses.

Now on how to become more self aware there are a ton of activities you can try.

Some of these activities include:

• Practicing gratitude and self care rituals
• Taking healthy risks – a.k.a. getting out of your comfort zone.
• Writing your eulogy
• Discovering your personality type
• Learning about emotional intelligence
• Recording your ABCs
• Journaling

You can check out all these self awareness activities in depth in this article right here!

Self discovery activities. Learn to be okay with not being liked by everyone

Remember what we said at the beginning of the post about how finding who you are is also about forgiving yourself?

Well another important thing to learn to find yourself is to be okay with not being liked by everyone.

The truth is it’s impossible to please everyone- something I tell my inner people pleaser every day- because everyone is different.

And what some people may find likable and enjoyable, for others it will not be like this.

And once you understand this, you stop taking things like rejection so personally, because it’s not about you, it’s about them!

Wanting to be liked by everyone is a natural need that we have. But it’s no excuse to stop being unapologetically yourself.

In fact, it’s not your mission in this world to be liked by everyone, it’s not your purpose to please the people around you.

Your purpose is to be the best you can be and achieve everything you have ever wanted. Because you own it yourself and because you deserve it.

Think back to a time when you felt comfortable in your own self.

This can really be any time in your life. Maybe you were out for a run and you just felt so sure about your strength and where you were going.

Maybe you put on a dress that made you feel incredible, or you were driving home after a good day or enjoying the sunset.

 It can be the briefest of moments as long as you remember what it felt like.

Try to find as many of these moments and then explore what it was about that time that made you feel at peace with yourself. What were you doing? How did it make you feel? What do you treasure most about that memory? What were you most grateful for in that moment?

Once you have the why behind these moments, try to include them in your daily life as much as possible to intentionally create those peaceful moments.

Start going to places on your own. 

I could talk all day about the benefits of learning to be alone because it’s truly one of the best things you can do for yourself. 

Here are some of them:

– You learn new things about yourself. If you are constantly surrounded by outside “noise”, always around people and avoid being alone as much as possible, how do you expect to get to know yourself?

When you spend time alone, take the time to listen and process your thoughts, learn to understand your emotions, and meet your needs. That’s when you have the chance to discover who you really are.

– You connect with yourself. You experience things differently when you do them on your own. There is something intimate about it. Something that allows you to connect with your true self in a way that is different from when you are with others.

– You only accept healthy relationships. Many times we accept toxic relationships in our life because we are terrified of being alone and feel like being with someone, even if it hurts us, is better than having no one.

But as you might have guessed by now, that is not true. And even though it seems like a no-brainer, you would be surprised at the number of times we make this mistake.

But no toxic relationship has an excuse. You need to look for and attract people that encourage you to be your best and true self.

Even if right now that person is only you. That is how you grow and how you step into your full potential.

Try to figure out what is important to you. 

I’m not just talking about the existential answers to “What is my purpose?” or  “What do I want out of life?”.

And yes those are important things to figure out. But asking yourself out of nowhere “What is my mission in life?” is a little bit scary and intimidating. So start small.

Figuring out the important things in life is also about discovering your values, understanding what are your coping mechanisms, what is your definition of fun, what is your favorite way to relax, and even what is your favorite ice cream flavor.

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Final Thoughts on Activities for self discovery

Figuring out who you are is quite an evolving process. And it’s okay if you don’t have all the answers now or even in the immediate future. 

But taking the steps to tap more into your most authentic core will help ensure that you’re on the right path—which is working toward being the best version of yourself that you can be.

Finding yourself means being more aware of the person you are, accepting your feelings, thoughts, personality, and imperfections, and knowing your dreams and aspirations in life.

And although it may be difficult the important thing to remember is that there is no right or wrong. So take this beautiful journey you have in front of you and make it your own, mistakes and flaws included.

To recap here are all activities for self discovery we talked about:

• Reflect on your past hobbies and pick up your favorite ones
• Tell your inner critic to get lost. Its time to shift that negative and toxic self-talk into empowering and kind thoughts
• Get out and try new things. I know your comfort zone is pretty cozy but the best things in life are just outside that zone and they are waiting for you to take a step!
• Ditch out bad habits. 
• Learn to be self aware
• It’s okay not to be liked by everyone. Remember, your purpose is to please everyone but to unapologetically yourself
• Think back to a time when you felt at peace in your skin and try to recreate that moment in your daily life as much as possible
• Start going to places on your own. 
• Try to figure out what is important for you. And not just the mythical answer to the “What is my mission in life?”.

And that concludes the list of activities for self discovery.

Thank you so much for investing our time in this article. I hope the tools and tips in it will help you find your true self and feel comfortable in your own skin.

Here are all the helpful articles and tools mentioned during the post:

• Top 10 best activities to boost your self awareness
• Start your day by using affirmations cards to help you rewire your negative beliefs about yourself. I´ve tried a couple over the years, but these are my all-time favorites!
• 48 Self discovery journal prompts to find your true self

Remember that you are worthy of even your deepest and wildest desires!

Now I´d love to hear about you! Which one was your favorite activity for self discovery? Read ya´ in the comments!