15 Fun Things to Do While High (That Aren’t Just Watching TV)

1. Listen to music like you’ve never heard it before

There’s listening to music. Then there’s putting on headphones, closing your eyes and discovering that your favorite song apparently has seventeen instruments you never noticed before.

For some people, cannabis makes music feel more immersive. You might focus on the bass, become absorbed in a guitar solo or hear familiar lyrics differently. A 2025 study of 104 cannabis users reported increased subjective musical immersion while high. That does not mean THC improves hearing or that everyone will experience it the same way.

Try this: Pick a favorite album and listen all the way through without scrolling through your phone. Notice what catches your attention.

2. Take a relaxing walk in nature

Birds calling, sunlight between the trees and the rhythm of walking can make an ordinary afternoon feel special. You don’t need an epic destination. Sometimes the trail you already know is enough.

Keep the difference between a comfortable stroll and a demanding hike in mind. Cannabis can affect balance, reaction time and judgment. A challenging route, traffic crossing or unfamiliar wilderness is not a good place to discover that.

Try this: Choose a short, flat, familiar path with an easy way home. Bring water and make the goal enjoying the scenery rather than covering miles.

3. Paint something, even if you’re terrible at painting

Get out the watercolors, colored pencils or a sketchbook. Maybe you’ll make a beautiful landscape. Maybe you’ll create a potato having an emotional crisis. Both count as art.

Cannabis has a reputation for inspiring creativity, but studies suggest it can increase how creative people feel without improving creativity on objective measures. You can enjoy making something even if it never belongs in a gallery.

Try this: Choose a low-mess material, play music and create without worrying about the result.

4. Watch a nature documentary

An octopus solving puzzles, whales crossing the ocean or birds performing wildly elaborate dances can turn an ordinary evening into a fascinating one.

Nature documentaries combine beautiful photography with stories that don’t always require tracking a complicated plot. If you become personally invested in a penguin finding its family, that’s between you and the penguin.

Try this: Pick a wildlife, ocean or space documentary before settling in. Otherwise you might spend the entire night looking for something to watch.

5. Spend time with your dog

Dogs are surprisingly good at enjoying the moment. A warm spot on the floor, a little attention and your company can be enough.

My Australian Shepherd, Chili, has a talent for joining whatever I’m doing. Sit down and she’ll usually appear somewhere nearby, ready to supervise. Some afternoons, companionship beats a grand adventure.

Try this: Brush your dog, offer gentle play or relax together. Keep cannabis products and smoke away from pets. THC exposure can seriously harm animals.

6. Get lost in a good movie

Yes, the headline says this list isn’t just watching TV. Some movies deserve an exception.

Animated films, familiar comedies and visually rich adventures can be enjoyable when you want to sit back. Pick something that fits your mood. If you’re already anxious, a disturbing thriller might not be your best choice.

Try this: Choose the movie ahead of time. The endless streaming menu is not a personality test you have to pass.

7. Look at the stars

When did you last sit outside and actually look at the night sky? Not while taking out the trash or searching for your keys, but just because you wanted to.

Stargazing asks very little of you. Find a comfortable chair, take a blanket and watch. You can identify constellations if that interests you or simply enjoy the view.

Try this: Stay somewhere familiar with safe footing and away from roads or water. Check the weather first.

8. Make a snack plate and actually taste it

Cannabis can stimulate appetite in some people. A cold orange, fresh strawberries, crunchy crackers or a little dark chocolate might suddenly seem unusually appealing.

There's no need to turn your kitchen into a complicated cooking project while impaired. And sometimes eating slowly is more enjoyable than standing in front of the refrigerator wondering who bought all this cheese.

Try this: Prepare a few sweet, salty, crunchy and refreshing snacks ahead of time. Keep water nearby.

9. Play a board game with friends

Low-pressure games are a great excuse to laugh with people you trust. Drawing games, familiar card games and simple party games tend to work better than anything with forty pages of rules.

The point is being together, not winning. Nobody should feel pressure to use cannabis to participate.

Try this: Pick a game everyone knows and keep the rules flexible enough that the evening stays fun.

10. Enjoy some gentle gardening

There's something satisfying about noticing new leaves, turning a pot toward the sunlight or watering a houseplant. Gardening encourages you to slow down and pay attention.

Stick with observation and light plant care. Sharp pruning tools, power equipment, pesticides and complicated nutrient mixing are better left for a sober day.

Try this: Spend a few minutes checking your plants and noticing the small changes you might normally miss.

11. Write down your thoughts

Sometimes an idea seems incredibly important when you're high. Sometimes it still makes sense in the morning. Sometimes you open the notebook and find three words: ‘squirrels understand gravity.’

Journaling can be enjoyable without every idea being profound. Capture a memory, a funny observation or a moment of gratitude, and decide later whether it's worth keeping.

Try this: Write freely for ten minutes. Read it again when you're sober before declaring yourself a philosopher.

12. Try gentle stretching or relaxation

Not every enjoyable activity needs excitement. Quiet music, a comfortable chair and a few familiar seated stretches can be a nice way to unwind.

Cannabis may also cause dizziness, anxiety or a racing heartbeat. Don't force yourself through a relaxation exercise if you feel uncomfortable. Skip challenging yoga poses, inversions and movements that demand balance.

Try this: Choose simple stretches you already know or try a short guided breathing exercise while seated.

13. Photograph ordinary things

A flower in the yard, light on a windowsill or your dog sleeping in a ridiculous position. Photography gives you a reason to notice details in familiar places.

You don't need a fancy camera. Your phone is enough, and you don't need to leave home for interesting subjects.

Try this: Find five visually interesting things around the house or yard and take a photograph of each.

14. Have a conversation that goes nowhere in particular

Some of the best evenings involve a comfortable chair and someone you enjoy talking with. Old stories, favorite albums and silly hypothetical questions can carry a conversation for hours.

Not everyone feels social after cannabis. Some people become quiet or overwhelmed. Respect that and keep the company comfortable and pressure-free.

Try this: Put the phones down and enjoy a conversation without an agenda.

15. Do absolutely nothing

This may be my favorite one. You don't have to complete a project, learn something or find a clever new hobby. Sometimes you can sit outside, listen to the birds and appreciate having nowhere else you need to be.

We spend so much time planning the next thing that we forget how to appreciate the thing happening right now. And that's worth practicing whether cannabis is involved or not.

Try this: Sit somewhere comfortable for twenty minutes with no tasks, no scrolling and no pressure to be productive.

Why can everyday activities feel different when you’re high?

THC interacts with the endocannabinoid system and can affect attention, memory, mood, sensory experience and the perception of time. That can make familiar activities feel different without making you objectively better at them. Feeling immersed in music does not mean better hearing. Feeling creative does not mean the resulting art is better.

People also respond differently depending on their mood, surroundings, tolerance, product and amount consumed. For some, cannabis is relaxing. For others, it can be uncomfortable or anxiety-provoking. There is no universal best activity or guaranteed way to enhance a high.

How to enjoy the moment without getting higher

More THC does not necessarily make an experience better. Changing the activity or finding a quieter setting may do more for your comfort than taking another dose.

• Choose familiar surroundings and activities that fit your current mood.
• Have water and simple snacks available.
• Skip alcohol and other impairing substances.
• Be mindful that edible effects can take time to appear and last longer than expected.
• Stop or change activities if you feel anxious, dizzy or overwhelmed.
• Have a sober adult handle driving, urgent decisions and supervision responsibilities.

What should you avoid doing while high?

Avoid driving, operating machinery, swimming, boating, cycling in traffic, difficult hiking or handling dangerous tools while impaired. Even if you feel comfortable, cannabis can affect reaction time, coordination and judgment. Familiar, low-stakes activities are a safer choice.

Sources and further reading

• Exploring the Interaction Between Cannabis and Music (2025), research on self-reported listening experiences.
• Cannabis Use Does Not Increase Actual Creativity but Biases Evaluations of Creativity, Journal of Applied Psychology.
• CDC: Cannabis and Brain Health.
• CDC: Cannabis and Driving.