If you’re like me, you really got into watching TikToks nonstop during quarantine. When I wasn’t on a Zoom call, I was scrolling through my “For You” page, seeing what the latest trends were. Each month had a different highlight, and though some were extremely funny, some were actually helpful life lessons and tricks that I will still use to this day.
Ever since the beginning of quarantine, I have been looking for new hobbies and pastimes to get me through the boredom of being stuck at home. Through TikTok, I have invested in items such as a sewing machine, a hand-sewing kit, numerous fabrics, etc. Especially in the months of May and June of 2020, I was on the sewing side of TikTok. Through TikTok creators, I learned how to do some basic sewing skills, as well as make some basic pieces, such as skirts and tank tops. I still have a long way to go in the field of sewing, but everyone has to start somewhere, right?
Before I started watching TikTok, I learned of new music through my friends and/or song streaming apps. My Spotify always recommended the same twenty songs, which all were in a very similar genre. My friends would also recommend songs that I couldn’t mentally listen to; they just weren’t my style at all. TikTok is a place of creativity and overall helpfulness, and let me tell you, creators who make song recommendations are usually pretty good. Because of TikTok, I got back into listening to Harry Styles, who I kind of abandoned for a little while. TikTok helped me find amazing, new music, while also bringing back some timeless classics.
If you saw my wardrobe before TikTok, no you didn’t. You literally didn’t see it. My wardrobe prior to March 2020 was a total mess. Half of my wardrobe consisted of old middle school sweaters and t-shirts, formal outfits that my mom purchased for me to “look mature,” and random tops that were at least three sizes too big or too small for me. Trust me, during quarantine, I purged the hell out of my closet. I’ve never seen my mother look so disappointed in me before; she kept saying “but I bought that for you, and you only wore it once!” Yeah, I only wore it once for a reason. Anyway, TikTok really helped me find my sense of style again, and helped me wear anything other than my typical black shirt or sweater. Now, I can confidently wear pops of color. I finally found my love and passion for fashion again, all because of TikTok and stylist creators on the platform.
Throughout the past year, I have spent nearly two total semesters learning fully online (I spent half of Spring 2020 on campus and half of Fall 2020 on campus, the rest has been online). It’s been a hard adjustment to learning strictly online; from having classes with no meeting time, to weirdly having more assignments than when I was an in-person student, it’s been hard to get used to the new way of college. Many TikTok creators are in the same shoes as I am (as well as the many other remote students). Through TikTok, I have been able to grasp smart and efficient study habits, as well as nice investments to better my online learning experience. I bought a laptop stand for my MacBook, and I will never have my computer just sitting on my desk again. It helps better my posture, and makes typing easier too! I’ve also gotten into a good habit of evenly distributing work throughout the week, which makes school a little less stressful.
Before the awful year of 2020 hit, I probably had the worst diet I’ve ever had. My first semester of college was awful, and I felt that I had nowhere to go, and no potential to do anything. I was already on the path to transferring to another college (which I did! So happy to be a Siena student!). Because of that, I went into a depressive slump. Some days, I would eat everything in sight, and other days, I would eat a half of a banana and a couple of crackers; there was never an in-between moment. When I entered Siena as a Freshman Transfer, I was overjoyed at the food options we had. At that point, I got into an overeating situation. Then, when COVID-19 hit and everyone was sent home, I decided that I had to improve my diet. Through TikTok, I was able to get healthy recipes, from salads, to tasty, low calorie desserts. I was also encouraged to gain new healthy habits. I started getting up at 6:30 every morning, going out for a 3-4 mile hike with my dog, and eventually getting prepared to do my classes for the day. I kept this pattern up, and still do it most of the time (I have 8 a.m. classes now, so the 3-4 mile hike has turned into a 1 mile walk/jog). This has caused my mental health to thrive, my diet to be AMAZING, and my fitness level to be the best it’s ever been.
There have been so many negatives to the past year, but I’ve decided that I’m only going to look at the positive sides of life. Many people have lost so much, from friends and family, to mental and physical health. Because of TikTok, I was able to gain healthy and fun habits and passions, even when we are in a crazy time in our lives. So thank you, TikTok and TikTok creators; I’ll keep watching even after this weird time is over.