Ever wake up and just know? The coffee tastes like nothing. Your keys aren’t where you left them, even though you’d swear on your life you put them on the hook. You get in the car, and every single light turns red the second you approach the intersection. It isn’t a "bad day," exactly. It’s just one of them day.
If you’ve spent any time on TikTok or Reels lately, you’ve heard it. You’ve seen the videos of people staring blankly into the distance while a specific sound clip plays in the background. It’s a vibe. It’s a mood. But more importantly, it’s a very specific piece of Southern American Vernacular English (AVE) that has suddenly gone global.
Language is weird like that. A phrase can exist for a hundred years in a specific region, used by grandmothers on porches in Alabama or Georgia, and then—boom. A 15-second clip goes viral, and suddenly a teenager in London is telling their mom they’re having "one of them day."
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What We Talk About When We Talk About One Of Them Day
Let’s get the grammar out of the way first because people get hung up on it. Technically, in standard formal English, you’d say "one of those days." But "one of them day" hits different. It drops the plural "s." It swaps "those" for "them."
It sounds heavy.
When you say you’re having one of them day, you aren’t just saying things are going wrong. You’re saying the universe is collectively sighing at you. It’s the linguistic equivalent of throwing your hands up and deciding to go back to bed at 2:00 PM.
Social media creators like @KevOnStage and various lifestyle influencers have popularized the audio, often tracing back to organic, raw moments of frustration caught on camera. The phrase resonates because it captures a specific type of exhaustion that "I'm tired" just doesn't cover. It’s about the absurdity of life’s little inconveniences piling up until they become a mountain of "really?"
The Anatomy of the Vibe
What actually constitutes one of them day? It’s usually a sequence of events.
- You stub your toe on the way to the bathroom.
- The milk is just a little bit past the expiration date, but enough to ruin the cereal.
- Your phone charger only works if you hold it at a 43-degree angle.
- An email from your boss arrives with the subject line: "Quick chat?"
It’s the "Quick chat?" that usually seals it. Honestly, those two words are the official sponsors of one of them day.
The Cultural Roots and Why Context Matters
We have to talk about where this comes from. It isn't "internet slang." It’s Black English. Specifically, it’s a dialectical structure found in the South. In many dialects of AAVE, the plural marker "s" is often omitted when the quantity is already implied by another word—in this case, "one of."
When digital culture "discovers" these phrases, they often get divorced from their origin. That’s how we get "columbusing," where people act like they found something new that has been around forever. Using the phrase one of them day is a way of tapping into a communal understanding of struggle. It’s shorthand for: "I am going through it, and I know you know what I mean."
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There is a certain comfort in the collective. Seeing a thousand other people post about their own version of a "them day" makes the broken zipper or the flat tire feel less like a personal attack from the heavens and more like a shared human experience.
Why It Ranks and Why We Search For It
Why are you reading this? Probably because you saw the phrase and wondered if you were saying it right, or you wanted to know if there was a specific meme you missed.
Search trends show a massive spike in "one of them day" queries over the last eighteen months. It’s beating out traditional terms like "bad day tips" or "how to handle stress." People aren't looking for clinical advice anymore. They’re looking for relatability. They want the raw, unpolished truth.
How to Survive When It’s One Of Them Day
You can’t fight it. That’s the first rule. If you try to power through a "them day" with "hustle culture" energy, you’re going to end up crying in a grocery store parking lot because they’re out of the specific brand of yogurt you like.
Admit Defeat Early
The second you realize the energy is off, lower your expectations. If you had ten things on your to-do list, pick two. The other eight don't exist anymore. They belong to tomorrow. Tomorrow might be better.
The Low-Stimulus Pivot
Turn off the notifications. Put the phone in another room. One of them day thrives on digital noise. Every "ping" is a potential new problem. By removing the conduit for bad news, you effectively put a ceiling on how much worse the day can get.
Use the Phrase
There is power in naming the beast. Tell your partner. Tell your roommate. "Look, it’s just one of them day."
Usually, they’ll get it. They won't ask follow-up questions. They won't ask you what’s for dinner. They’ll just leave you alone with your lukewarm tea and your Netflix. That’s the beauty of the phrase—it’s a social "do not disturb" sign.
The Science of the "Bad Day" Spiral
Is it all in your head? Sorta.
Psychologists often talk about confirmation bias. Once one bad thing happens (the stubbed toe), your brain starts looking for more evidence to support the theory that the day is cursed. You ignore the green lights and only focus on the reds.
However, cortisol is real. When you’re stressed, your fine motor skills actually degrade slightly. You are more likely to drop your phone or spill your drink when you’re already frustrated. So, in a way, one of them day is a self-fulfilling prophecy fueled by stress hormones.
The phrase acts as a circuit breaker. By acknowledging it, you stop the spiral. You’re basically telling your brain, "Okay, I see what’s happening here. We’re doing this today."
Real Stories from the Trenches
I talked to a barista in Nashville who said she hears the phrase at least ten times a shift now. "It used to be just the regulars," she told me. "Now it’s the college kids. They come in, look at the menu for way too long, and just say, 'I'm having one of them day, just give me whatever is caffeinated.'"
It has become a universal code for "I am at my limit."
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Actionable Steps for Your Next "Them Day"
When the universe decides it’s your turn to have one of them day, follow this protocol to minimize the damage:
- The 5-Minute Reset: Sit in your car or a quiet room. Don't look at a screen. Just breathe. It sounds cliché, but it resets the nervous system.
- Hydrate and Medicate (if needed): Often, these days are exacerbated by a hidden headache or dehydration. Drink a full glass of water.
- The "One Win" Strategy: Do one very small, very easy task. Fold three shirts. Delete five junk emails. Get one "win" on the board to prove you still have some agency.
- Lower the Bar: If dinner was supposed to be a home-cooked meal, make it cereal. If you were supposed to go to the gym, take a nap instead.
- Log Off: Social media is a breeding ground for comparison. Seeing someone else’s "perfect" day while you’re having "one of them" is a recipe for a meltdown.
The most important thing to remember is that these days are temporary. They have a beginning, a middle, and—thankfully—an end. By the time you wake up tomorrow, the "them day" energy will likely have dissipated, leaving you with nothing but a funny story and hopefully a phone that’s finally fully charged.
Stop trying to fix the day. Just survive it. Sometimes, just making it to 9:00 PM without losing your mind is a massive victory. Take the win where you can find it and leave the rest for a day that feels a little more like yours.