‘Bathroom Camping': The Weird TikTok Trend Teens Swear Helps Them Cope
Have you ever gone to the bathroom to zone out or escape (moms, I know you know what we're talking about!). This is bathroom camping, or as the Daily Dot describes it, 'resting in the bathroom for an indeterminate period of time, without needing to use the sink, toilet, or shower.'
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It's not that they just take forever to do their makeup or shower — it's that they are staring into the mirror contemplating the meaning of life. It's hiding out from the world at school, work, or home, where you can get a break, and no one can bother you.
One person on TikTok called herself the 'top ranking potty ranger.' 'Literally the ladies room is my oyster, I have so many places to go: the toilet, the shower, the cold tile floor, the sink. Getting lost in the mirror with my feet in the sink … pure bliss.'
Someone commented, 'My parents have one of those mirrors that open and I'd open both sides to make like an endless reflection of myself and look and wonder what I'd look like older.'
Some teens are bathroom camping because the bathroom is historically their safe space. Like this TikToker, who said, 'Started bathroom camping at 10 to avoid the yelling and get some privacy. And I've yet to stop.'
'This triggered a memory and I'm sobbing,' one person commented. 'Cause what? This is a thing. I thought it was just me ): I would be locked in there for the same reasons.'
Someone else wrote on TikTok, 'sorry if my bathroom camping bothers you, this is the only place I grew up learning was safe.'
Growing up, the only door that locked in my home was the bathroom. It was the only guaranteed place I knew I could get a moment alone to cry or just have a moment alone without worrying about someone barging in. To me, bathroom camping might look like sitting on the bathtub and sobbing. Or standing in the shower for an extra few minutes, just letting the water wash over me. Or giving myself an extra minute to brush my hair, do a face mask, or check out my outfit. There's something about just existing in the bathroom, where you are truly by yourself, that feels so healing.
This is a trend that's not just for teens, but teens are the ones normalizing an experience that you might have otherwise felt isolated for doing. Taking care of your mental health is important, especially when depression has increased 60 percent among U.S. teens and adults in the last decade. If taking a few minutes to stare into the void in a mirror or scrolling through your phone in silence helps, then go for it, babe.Best of SheKnows
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