Wellness
Here's How To "Save Your Day,” According To TikTok
Here’s your excuse to buy yourself a little treat.
![Here's how to turn a bad day around, according to TikTok.](https://imgix.bustle.com/uploads/image/2024/7/18/76ca4708/saving-the-day001.jpeg?w=248&q=50&dpr=2)
It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the chaos of a busy day. Once your alarm goes off, it’s like you enter a blur of emails, to-do lists, and errands, and before you know it’s 10 p.m. again. But what if there was a simple, easy way to reclaim your day — and maybe even one that helped you get back in touch with yourself?
In a viral video posted on April 22, creator and life coach Trina, aka @breatheintransformation, shared a fun tradition she has with a friend called “saving the day.” When they have a busy, overwhelming, or otherwise stressful day, they’ll text each other and ask, “How did you save your day?” The idea is to do one small thing for yourself, sort of like a re-branded version of “me time.”
Saving the day might look like going for a walk, making a cup of tea, or reading a favorite book. “Anything that makes the day feel like you had some space in it again,” she says in the video. “There are honestly so many ways you can save the day, and it doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment.”
Trina says this trick helps her get back in touch with herself, and she also sees it as a light-hearted challenge since she’s always looking for new ways to bring more peace and intention back into her schedule. The idea quickly took off on TikTok where it now has 3.1 million views and nearly 3,000 comments.
One person wrote, “This is the healthiest lifestyle tip I’ve seen in a while.” Another said, “I’m trying to do this today. I’ve been having 50-hour work weeks lately,” while someone else wrote, “I literally just laid in the grass for 10 minutes and it saved my day so much.”
Turning Your Day Around
According to psychotherapist Brianna Paruolo, LCMHC, it’s common to get swept up in the hustle and bustle of a busy work week. She agrees that adding more “save the day” moments into the mix can help you slow down, relax, and get back in touch with yourself. Without these check points, the weeks quickly blur together, and you might even start to experience burnout, chronic stress, or anxiety.
Saving the day helps you slow down, and it also works as a simple way to shift out of a bad mood. Sure, you got stuck in traffic for an hour or said something awkward in a meeting, but when you step away and do something nice for yourself, it reminds you that you’re just having one bad moment — not a bad life. “You realize those moments always pass,” Paruolo says. “It also acknowledges that, although you might not be in control of what happens to you, you are in control of how you decide to react and move forward.”
This wellness trick also serves as a reminder to carve out downtime in an otherwise jam-packed calendar. If you’re currently giving 100% of your energy to your job and other commitments, it’ll feel extra good to look for ways to get back in touch with yourself. You can quite literally save the day by grabbing an iced coffee, taking an everything shower, or doing something you love that you tend to put on the back burner. And just like that, you’ll feel like yourself again.
How To Save Your Day
TikToker @emikopowers saw Trina’s video, fell in love with the idea of saving the day, and immediately bought herself a bouquet of tulips at the grocery store. Then there’s @gabi.dorsey who saved her day by swimming in a river while @cakebloom took a moment for herself by eating dessert.
In her TikTok, Trina offered up other tips, like calling your mom as you go for a walk, reading a good book, cooking a meal, or — if you’re lucky enough to live by the ocean — popping out into the waves for a quick surf. Even a short walk through the park could do the trick.
As a therapist, Paruolo shared a few more self-care ideas, like listening to a happy playlist or taking deep breaths. “Other times, it might be as simple as a quick exhale along with an acknowledging phrase, such as ‘I notice I am experiencing a not-so-great day. I know it won't be like this forever, and it’s OK,’” she says. “This is beneficial because you acknowledge that you’re not feeling great, reclaim your power over the situation, and normalize the experience.”
This trend has likely gone viral because it’s so simple, and because it reminds us all how simple it really is to take better care of ourselves. “Ultimately, we all want to experience happiness,” says Paruolo. “Bringing more intention back to your day helps put you back into the driver's seat.”
Source:
Brianna Paruolo, LCMHC, psychotherapist