Self-care trends on social media are not new. However, recent TikTok trends have garnered more than 2 billion views in total. What exactly is shadow work?
Apparently based on the 20th century philosophy of psychologist Carl Gustav Jung, shadow work deals with unresolved problems. trauma Healing your emotions and inner child. The idea is to go on a mental and spiritual journey to recognize and explore our shadow selves, the repressed parts of us that, for various reasons, never see the light of day.
What is shadow work?
When you click on the hashtag #shadowwork on TikTok, it’s like entering another dimension filled with people on a journey. self discovery. billions of Currently, eight of our viewers on the platform are using a variety of prompts and videos to document how they can become more emotionally stable versions of themselves.
TikTokers post a variety of deep prompts and thought exercises that viewers can use during this process.many people use Shadow Work Journal: A Guide to Integrating and Transcending the Shadow By Kayla Shaheen, they record their thoughts and revelations in a diary as they explore their own shadows.
Shadow work focuses on parts of ourselves that we have a hard time accepting. Our shadow selves or aspects often involve unresolved emotions and unconscious parts that we have not been able to process. Shadow work involves uncovering and working with these aspects of yourself.
Most people develop their shadow selves during childhood. Parental expectations and rejections, social norms, and conditioning create situations in which people begin to reject certain aspects of themselves. They view these parts as disgusting, embarrassing, or even frightening. We do some of this oppression without consciously realizing it. It serves as a coping mechanism to deal with often overwhelming or alien situations. Together these repressed aspects form what we call the shadow side or self.
Shadow work aims to delve deep into the darkest parts of our psyches and help us process the pain and shame that caused us to repress parts of ourselves in the first place. The idea is to create space for all of us. Even if it’s the part you can’t handle or the part you think is the worst. Through shadow work and diaries, people explore their deepest fears and secrets, childhood traumas, jealousy, anger, greed, and other dark sides of their personalities. This involves healing the wounds of the inner child so that the person can emerge as a whole person, a healthier and more positive version of themselves.
Is it really this trend that so many people are treating as a game changer?
Can TikTok trends really lead you on the journey to becoming “perfect”?
It certainly seems great to embrace all parts of ourselves, even those we’ve consciously or unconsciously suppressed, to become a better, healthier version of ourselves. Deep traumas, regrets, and hurts that we suppress or deny need to be processed. Many specialized treatments are performed this way. However, it is questionable whether exploring our “shadow selves” with the help of TikTok is a good idea.
It may not be a good idea to do this research without professional help. Digging up deep trauma on your own without professional help can lead to negative outcomes. These wounds are buried deep for a reason, and probing them can trigger panic attacks and extreme emotional reactions.
It’s not a bad idea to help people introspect and accept difficult parts of themselves. But facing such mixed emotions can open up old wounds. Without the right help, traumatic memories can leave people feeling trapped and overwhelmed in an even more complex space than before. That’s why it’s important to involve experts in this matter.
But it may not be easy either.by National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM), Almost half (49%) of the U.S. population lives in areas where there is a shortage of mental health professionals. the current, 1 in 5 people In America, people have some form of mental illness. Additionally, 1 in 25 people suffer from a severe mental illness such as bipolar depression or schizophrenia.
Treatment also costs money.Therefore, when people follow her TikTok trends and self-help A book to help you solve your own problems. The problem arises when these trends try to offer silver bullet solutions to everyone’s problems. Videos on the internet cannot teach someone how to heal themselves or trick them into giving them an epiphany. People can share their personal journeys with mental health and their stories can help someone else. They can provide tools and tips to help you during the process. These TikToks provide common solutions and questions. They do not take into account people’s unique problems and situations.
This article was created by The age of bookworms Syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
Ananyaa Bhowmik is a neurodivergent queer pop culture journalist at Wealth of Geeks. She has previously worked with brands like Sterling Holidays, Myntra, Bajaj, and The Loud Interactive. She is an independent scholar, cat parent, and performance poet. Her research and areas of interest focus on digital she marketing, Canadian Indigenous history, queerness in media, and pop she culture and fandom studies.
