He saw a woman crying on the train. He didn't want to bother her — but his silent gesture spoke a 1,000 words

A stranger checking in on a person in a non-invasive way can mean a lot to someone in a difficult situation. Bakare did something similar when he spotted a young woman crying on board. He wanted to check in on her, but also didn't want to intimidate her because of his height and more. So the person, Feyishayo Bakare, who goes by @feybakare1 on TikTok, found a heartwarming way to do the same, and the internet is in love with the story.

"I was on the tube once and there was a young girl standing in front of me who was crying and clearly really upset," Bakare wrote. The man didn't want to approach her in case he frightened her. "I am aware that I could appear intimidating because of my height, etc. But I wanted to try and help her somehow." So, he dropped his head and got into her line of vision to try and get her attention. He showed her a thumbs-up and thumbs-down gesture to ask her if she was okay without saying anything. "She nodded back at me and gave a thumbs up in response." Bakare nodded at her, smiled, and gave her a thumbs-up. "She smiled and wiped her tears as if to say that she was going to be okay."

Bakare had to get off at the next stop, so he smiled at the woman, gave her a fist bump, and got down after wishing her well for her travels. "My job was done." He added, "The reason I am sharing this is not because I think I solved her problems, but because I think it's amazing how we humans have the ability to have full-blown conversations without uttering a word." He went on, "I find it so beautiful. Neither of us said a word, but we completely understood each other." The man hoped that he had helped the young woman feel a little bit better about her situation. "It's not nice to be upset and alone in any situation. So I am glad I decided to try and help her."

New research suggests that talking to strangers can help us improve our well-being, per the British Psychological Society. People were in a much better mood after talking to a stranger during their commute, according to the study. The woman was also grateful to Bakare for checking in on her, so she found the post on TikTok and commented on it. Alessia, who goes by @l3x1ds wrote, "I think it was me... Victoria line? You were my guardian angel that day!" Many people shared their thoughts on the wholesome interaction in the comments section of the post.

@weluvsadiya wrote, "You took the best approach, too. I would feel so safe if someone gave me a fist bump and a smile." @teaandtangledthoughts commented, "I had an upsetting phone call while alone at an airport once. This woman just kinda appeared and was like, 'Do you need a hug?' I nodded and we hugged and you know the rest of the day wasn't so bad." @saltysnackz remarked, "A man tried to catch my eye when I was crying after losing my job. He ended up making me laugh by the end of the journey and even wrote me a poem about random things we came up with. I've still got it 15 years later."

You can follow Feyishayo Bakare (@feybakare1) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.