‘One phone call with my mum changed the way I spend my days’

The one thing I’ve learnt about myself since becoming a full-blown adult with a full-time job and responsibilities (which I still don’t feel qualified for) is that as soon as life gets a little busy, all of my favourite things immediately get shoved into the too-hard basket.
I so easily get caught up in the wake-up, go-to-work, cook-dinner, doom-scroll-TikTok, go-to-bed then do-it-all-over-again cycle that I forget to make time for so many of the things in life that I love to do.
Recently I called my mum who had been feeling the same but during one of her late-night TikTok scrolling sessions came across a solution – a trend called ‘saving the day’.
Watch the video above.
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The trend sees individuals – usually people who lead busy lives with full-time jobs – carving out time in their work days to do something for themselves and ‘save the day’.
Holistic and transformation coach Trina Merz introduced the trend to TikTok, sharing that she and her friend would check in with each other and share how they ‘saved their day’, whether it was heading out to the beach for a surf or going for a walk after work.
Mum decided to give the trend a crack for herself, and I jumped on the bandwagon.
Whenever we spoke to each other on the phone (which is usually at least twice a day), we would tell each other how we had ‘saved the day’ or how we planned to do so before the day was up.
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For mum, ‘saving the day’ would look like jumping into the pool for a quick dip after work, taking some time to play her favourite game Lara Croft on the PlayStation or sneaking out for a coffee at a local cafe before the workday started. Some days it was as simple as enjoying a cup of her new favourite tea on the balcony while the sun rose.
For me, it looked like waking up an hour earlier to go for a morning run or walk down by the bay, making a detour after work to get my favourite dumplings for dinner or heading to my favourite local cafe to read my book with an iced latte and a ham and cheese croissant. In summer, it will (hopefully) look like going for a swim at the local pool before work.
These aren’t massive things and are relatively easy to fit into our weekly routines, but both Mum and I have found they make a huge difference in how we feel.
We’re both lucky to have jobs we love and our day-to-day lives are pretty idyllic, but we still find it easy to get caught up in the work-eat-sleep-repeat grind. The saving the day trend has reminded Mum and I to make a conscious effort every day to do something for ourselves.
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While I would normally spend hours mindlessly scrolling TikTok when I get home from work, I’m now more likely to pick up a book, put on a movie or go for a walk, and it feels great.
The trend has made me more conscious of how I spend my time in general and helped me reflect on the things that give me energy (dumplings) and that drain my energy (doom-scrolling). It’s also been a stark reminder that how we spend our days is how we spend our lives, and it’s so important to try to fit moments of fun into even the busiest weeks rather than waiting for the weekend or that special holiday.
Now, I know I’m privileged and have plenty of time to ‘save the day’ that many others may not. In the grand scheme of things I have it easy – I’m single, in my twenties and outside of work and my house chores I really don’t have much on my plate. If someone like me has trouble making time for fun throughout the week, I can only imagine how tricky it is for people who have demanding jobs, a family to look after or caregiving responsibilities.
But, as Merz says: “There’s honestly so many ways you can save the day and it doesn’t have to be a big time commitment. It could even be just making a cup of tea and cozying up with one of your favourite books.”
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