Day Dumping Is The Empowering New TikTok Trend That Makes Normal Life So Much Better

There’s so much pressure on social media to live what’s perceived as the perfect life. Not only should you look amazing and camera-ready at all times, but you should also be doing fabulous things 24/7. Whether traveling the world or climbing a mountain, going to a luxury resort in the Maldives, or taking loved-up selfies with your super hot partner, your posts should be aspirational enough to make all your followers jealous. Screw that! TikTok’s latest trend, known simply as “day dumping,” has had enough of the bullshit, and it’s actually really refreshing.

What is the “day dumping” TikTok trend all about?

Simply put, day dumping on TikTok is a trend that sees users posting all the normal, everyday stuff that happens in their day-to-day lives. No glamorous getaways or fancy shopping trips. That’s just not what most people experience on a daily basis. Instead, it’s all about posting the most boring, mundane stuff most of us are actually doing. Maybe it’s commuting to work or making our coffee in the morning. It could be feeding the dog or doing the laundry. Whatever’s part of your daily routine is fair game.

This is meant to be the antithesis of normal social media content, which focuses on everyone’s personal highlight reel. The result is not only pressure to uphold this perception of perfection, but also making other people feel guilty, depressed, or less-than because their lives don’t stack up. What’s worse is that pretty much 95% of what you see online isn’t real. Knowing that logically doesn’t help when you’re being bombarded with it every day, of course. TikTok’s day dumping craze is turning social media on its head.

What kinds of stuff can be shared in day dumping posts?

@hanahohn

realistic day in my life as a substitute teacher 💗 #dayinmylife #dailyroutine #dailyvlog #minivlog #videodiary #productivity #substituteteacher #work #art

♬ Sunshine – WIRA

The best part is that there are no hard and fast rules. Everyone’s day-to-day lives look a bit differently. Maybe you drop your kids off at school before going to the gym and then head back to the house to WFH. Or, maybe you ride the subway to the office and stop at the supermarket after your shift is done. Whatever it is you do on a daily basis that’s true to you, no matter how boring it seems, is perfect for day dumping.

Perhaps the best part of the day dumping trend on TikTok is its celebration of the mundane. Instead of feeling bad about everyday adulting tasks, we can actually celebrate them not only as normal but as something worth being proud of. After all, you don’t need shopping sprees or backpacking trips across Europe to be happy. Sometimes the joy is in the knowledge that you’re extremely fortunate to get up and out of bed every day. This is a great way of embracing that fact.

What are the benefits of doing this?

@hanahohn

happy saturday besties!! I hope you had a wonderful week 💗 #morningvlog #morningroutine #asmr #sounds #satisfying #productivity #dailyroutine #dailyvlog #dayinmylife #minivlog #videodiary

♬ original sound – hana

  1. It makes you feel more confident. Day dumping is bound to boost your confidence the more you do it. Instead of going to parties you don’t want to be at or hanging out with people you don’t even like simply to have good social media content, you can focus on things you actually do like. As you shift your focus in this way, you realize how much freer you feel. The result is a heightened sense of self-esteem and self-worth.
  2. It can help you feel less alone. While you might envy influencers you see posting about their fantastic lives, you can’t relate to them. But isn’t it better to join up with other day dumpers and realize that this is what life’s really like? Day dumping proves that most of us are just regular people, and that’s okay. In fact, it’s great.
  3. It takes the pressure off. As I said, the pressure to seem perfect on social media is heavy. It’s so prevalent that Instagram even launched a Pressure to Be Perfect program aimed at helping users realize that what they’re seeing isn’t real. Day dumping makes it blatantly obvious that we’re all just doing what we’ve gotta do in life. That lowers the stakes and makes social media so much less intimidating.
  4. It presents you (and everyone who does it) in a more realistic light. Sure, celebrities and influencers seem to have it all. However, they’re not relatable. In fact, their posts don’t really tell you anything about them. By day dumping, you present yourself as a three-dimensional human being. You’re way more real. Isn’t authenticity the way to go?
  5. It makes you happier. As a result of having more confidence and less pressure to be someone you’re not, you’re so much happier. Or, at the very least, you’re not completely miserable every time you scroll your social feeds. While it’s great to see airbrushed, curated content, you’ll be a lot more content with reality. Plus, the boring days in your life are just as noteworthy as the exciting ones because they make you who you are.
  6. It puts things in perspective. The more day dumping you do, the more you realize that your life is pretty okay. You’re lucky enough to have a roof over your head, a job, great friends, adorable pets, etc. It’s a way of reflecting your life back to you, giving you a greater sense of appreciation. As a result, you’ll realize just how good you’ve got it.
@loumayyy

Did I mention…my dad died? Lol #deaddadclub @The Old Vic thank you sm <3 #dayinthelife #20something #twentiescrisis #bridgetjonesmoment

♬ Sunday – HNNY

Jennifer Still is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience. The managing editor of Bolde, she has bylines in Vanity Fair, Business Insider, The New York Times, Glamour, Bon Appetit, and many more. You can follow her on Twitter @jenniferlstill
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