'Saving The Day' Is The Mood-Boosting Life Hack You Didn't Know You Needed

It’s safe to say that with the many stressors that make up our day-to-day lives ― not to mention an anxiety-inducing election cycle ― we could all use a little more light and a little more calm.

Enter “saving the day,” a mood-boosting idea made popular on TikTok by user Trina Merz. The video has amassed nearly 4 million views since she posted it this spring, and has inspired reaction videos from other TikTok users, too.

The concept is simple. “My friend and I came up with this thing we call ‘saving the day,’” Merz, who describes herself as a holistic healer and transformation coach, says in the video. “If we spent the whole day working, we do one thing that reclaims the day as our own.”

Merz explained that “saving the day” can be any activity and doesn’t have to be time-consuming. She listed examples like calling your mother, making a meal, going for a walk, making a cup of tea or reading your favorite book.

“Anything that makes the day feel like you had some space in it again,” she says.

While this may not seem like a groundbreaking concept, therapists told HuffPost that “saving the day” has serious mental health benefits.

“I think the first time I saw these [videos], I was excited and proud of these people for allowing themselves to take breaks throughout the day,” said Amanda Kieser, a licensed clinical mental health counselor at Self Space Therapy in Washington state.

Kieser said that many of her clients “feel this pressure to really give work and work-life everything they have, and so taking time for yourself, taking a pause from work, just feels really challenging or brings a lot of stress to people.”

“Saving the day” is a way of recognizing that folks need to take care of themselves during the day, not just in