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How TikTok's 13-year-old pug Noodle teaches us about self-care and living life to the fullest

Rasha Ali
USA TODAY

The only daily forecast we're concerned about checking is if it's a bones or no-bones day because our collective daily fate is in the paws of a 13-year-old pug named Noodle.

Jonathan Graziano's bones or no-bones shtick with Noodle has provided his 2.5 million TikTok followers with a daily dose of heartwarming entertainment, but more importantly, the pug has also bestowed some valuable life lessons. Like sometimes, it's OK to just rest. 

Every morning, Graziano shares what mood Noodle is in by propping him up and seeing if the dog remains standing (bones) or flops down (no bones). Bones days call for treating yourself and taking risks while no-bones days are a sign to "take it easy" or "flop on plans and activities if you don't want to do them." No-bones days are not the days for trying anything new, but they're not exactly a premonition of a bad day.

"We really need to change the narrative on a no-bones day. So a bones day is a day where you have to go after your ambition... a no-bones day is a day where you have permission to wear soft clothes, self-care, take a bath," Graziano said on the "Today" show Wednesday.

And amid an era of so much uncertainty, clinical psychologist and founder of Renewed Freedom Center Jenny Yip agrees we should all be taking cues from Noodle by prioritizing self-care and ensuring we lead balanced lives.

Noodle inspires followers to accept that life needs balance, Yip said: We can't always give 100% or we risk facing burnout. Take life day by day, as Noodle does.

Who is Noodle? Is it a bones or no-bones day? Meet the 'psychic' senior pug captivating TikTok

"I think what happens is that people are too hard on themselves and they beat themselves up when they're not able to keep up with the pace that life demands of them," Yip said. "When you beat yourself up, you're basically doing a lot of negative self talk, which is going to interfere or affect your mood, and then interfere with your behaviors."

If Noodle flops down after several no-bones days in a row, Graziano will see if he can motivate the pup to stand. Without fail, Noodle is consistent and flops again on days when he wants to.

We should all take note of Noodle's insistence he put his needs first. The pandemic highlighted why it's pivotal to our wellbeing to prioritize self-care. 

"It's been such a stressful two years, and now that the world is opening back up and things are returning to a productive state, I think a lot of us appreciated the time that we had to engage in self-care, and we want to continue to incorporate that into our daily habits," Yip said.

Aside from Noodle's inane ability to give us permission to carpe diem the heck out of our day or flop like a sack of potatoes, the 13-year-old pug has brought together a community of millions and given us yet another thing to look forward to when life seems bleak.

Noodle's forecasts are no different from checking the weather or reading horoscopes, Yip said. We're all guided by certain beliefs whether it be superstitions or Mercury in retrograde, whatever you want to call it). 

"It gives us direction and it takes the uncertainty out of life," Yip said. "The reality is that we all are uncomfortable with uncertainty because anything can happen. However, with a forecast, it kind of gives us guidance of what we can expect, so that helps us to feel a little bit more in control of our world especially when everything is not where it used to be."

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