In 2023, we are romanticizing our lives and embracing TikTok’s latest Day Dumping trend. If you haven’t heard of the trend, you’ve probably seen it in action. Using TikTok’s carousel features, people upload images or videos of mundane moments from their everyday life.
From making a nice cup of coffee to washing your face or doing house chores, a day dump aims to showcase the beauty of the simple things – and it can work wonders for boosting your happiness. Here’s why.
What to Know About ‘Day Dumping’
You can think of Day Dumping as “day in the life” content. Interestingly, it shares parallels with the blogging fever of the 2010s or the early days of Instagram, offering an authentic glimpse into someone’s life.
“For this trend we’re taking a page out of 2014’s book, and we’re taking photos of our breakfast again. But this time, instead of whacking an over-saturated filter over it, we’re leaving it untouched. There is one rule about this trend: no glamorisation – and we are here for that,” according to Glamour.
Why ‘Day Dumping’ Is Good for Your Mood
Day Dumping can actually work wonders for your emotional wellbeing, whether you’re doing it yourself or consuming other people’s content. First, it offers an important reminder that in the midst of inflation and economic uncertainty, there are pleasure and enjoyment to be found in the simplest everyday actions – no fancy circumstances required. It’s also refreshing to scroll through content that is less aesthetically polished. It makes you feel good – unlike looking at images of an influencer’s over-the-top display of luxury or altered body.
Additionally, if you start embracing Day Dumping, you’ll basically be embracing a daily mindfulness and gratitude practice. Taking photos of the simple joys in your everyday life forces you to slow down and notice them. The more you notice them, the more you realize there is so much to be grateful for in your imperfect, boring reality. “Day dumping is partly about finding happiness in life as it already is,” wrote Katie Tobin in a Refinery29 article about her experience with Day Dumping.
Take, for example, a study that had participants write down things that they were grateful for during the week. A second group wrote about things that irritated them. After 10 weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives – they even worked out more and had fewer visits to physicians than the other group. Day Dumping is basically a digital gratitude journal that can give you similar benefits.
It also allows you to ground yourself into the present moment and practice mindfulness, which has well-researched benefits on your well-being. “When life feels repetitively mundane, there’s a meditative quality to capturing an image and reminding yourself that every day can be different if you want it to be,” added Tobin.
Tips to Start ‘Day Dumping’
Ready to give Day Dumping a try? The most important mindset to embrace is authenticity. You’re not looking to perform activities so that you can post about them. You’re not aiming to take several photos until one is just right.
Start going through the motions of your day with more awareness and capture snippets of the little things that stand out and bring you joy in all their unfiltered, ordinary glory. Soon enough, you’ll find yourself in a better mood.
