TikTok users have discovered, or re-discovered, a novel way to navigate stress and escape from the burdens of everyday life, and it all starts in the bathroom.
The struggles of life can be too much sometimes. Take it from me, I know all too well. Having recently been through stress after stress, I find myself needing a place to escape from the sorrows of the everyday.
Like many people of my generation (Gen Z, if you were wondering), the bathroom feels like the perfect place to lock yourself away and unwind after a tense workplace interaction or a Tinder date gone wrong.
But, like many, I was quick to realize that there’s actually a term for this – “Bathroom camping.”
The term has taken on a whole new life online, and TikTok users have turned it into a viral trend.
Hundreds of videos have cropped up on TikTok about “bathroom camping,” which is loosely defined as a form of escapism in which people hang out in the bathroom doing nothing in particular.
While this is a relatively new trend, many users have been “bathroom camping” for upwards of 20 years, and the sheer amount of videos on TikTok suggests that this activity has been around for longer than the term has been viral.
One user posted a video saying, “I just found out bathroom camping is a thing and now those two-hour showers I would take from ages 10-18 make sense.”
@jesscrruzz my mom just thought i was a straight weirdo
♬ nothings gonna hurt u baby - stvrnaudio
This video, which received over 800,000 likes on TikTok, highlights the prevalence of the trend.
Another video shows a woman in the shower who has taken her bedding and a stuffed toy into the bathroom to escape the world. The text accompanying the video says, “bathroom camping whenever life gets too much.”
@zazisdump #bathroomcamping ♬ Missing Pieces - Slowed - Killswitch Memories & Flawed Mangoes
This video also received considerable attention, with over 10,000 likes, 122 comments, and over 500 saves.
One user responded to the post, saying that she spends “so much time” in her messy bathroom.
“I just sit on the floor. Sometimes I’m on my phone. Sometimes I smoke. But most of the time, I just sit and think. And time always gets away from me. I wasn’t even aware that I do this when I am stressed out.”
While this is just another relatable TikTok trend, it seems like another way that Gen Z is avoiding their feelings. And their therapists.
@58orangejuice Babychiefdoit #foryou #bathroom ♬ WENT WEST - BabyChiefDoit
Many users have attributed “bathroom camping” to traumatic experiences they’ve had, specifically in their childhoods.
One user posted a video saying that instead of “crashing out” or losing it, she goes to the bathroom for extended periods of time because she, and others, have “learnt its (their) only safe space.”
@mamashan250 It’s just you and your peace .. 🤌🏻 #bathroom #mentalhealth #healingjourney #mentalhealthmatters #fyp ♬ nothings gonna hurt u baby - stvrnaudio
Vice reported that one TikTok user said they used to camp out in the bathroom during her father’s alcohol induced rages as her bedroom didn’t have a lock on the door.
Furthermore, experts in psychology have attributed lengthy showers and bathroom isolation sessions to a sign of mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
TikTok users echoed this sentiment, with one user saying that they “just found out that bathroom camping could be a trauma response.”
@imany0l #fyp #foryoupage #relatable #trending #viral ♬ Missing Pieces - Slowed - Killswitch Memories & Flawed Mangoes
Users flocked to the comment section to express their opinions.
“Only room I could get some goddam privacy,” while others said that it’s the only room where you won’t be questioned if you lock the door.
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