For most of us, even mentioning the word “salad” would bring tears to our eyes, usually from the anticipation of kale, cucumber, and cold chicken, but the latest “salad”-related social media trend is making Gen Zers cry for a very different reason.
Instead of mixing together a selection of vegetables and superfoods, Gen Z is taking to social media to share their “trauma” by making a “candy salad” with candy, revealing their life struggles as they add candy to a bowl.
The growing sugary trend has garnered 70.2 million views on the app, with young people sharing shocking “trauma releases”.
In one clip, one creator says: “Hi, I’m Abby and when I was 16, my aunt threw me off a cliff,” while another scandalous “dump” reveals: “My name is Bella and when I was born, my dad hid his drugs in my crib.”
At each emotional release, users will then “dump” a packet of candy into a large bowl, usually amidst painful laughter.
But now a leading psychologist has warned that relying on friends to purge our emotions might not be so healthy.
Vikas Keshri, clinical director of Bloom Clinical Care Counselling and Therapy Services, said that while the trend might be helpful for some to unload their trauma in a unique way, it should not crowd out more pragmatic healing methods.
The latest version of the trend sees Gen Z whipping up a candy mix while sharing their deepest “trauma.” A TikToker
Pictured: In one of the more light-hearted clips, social media influencer Joseppi Baggzelini filmed a ‘candy salad trauma dump’ with his family, revealing a funny story from his childhood.
In another clip, two British social media creators share their “trauma” over their work as influencers.
The video begins with a creator saying, ‘My name is Angelina and one time a group of 16-year-old boys started throwing rocks at me while I was doing interviews.’
The confession is followed by a second traumatic account from a friend who reveals: “I once received so much hate for a video that I was driving while crying and then crashed my car.”
In another dramatic video, amid piles of candy stacked in a container, one revealed: “I was robbed at gunpoint on a first date and then the guy ignored me.”
Another ‘dump’ revealed: ‘My mother has blocked me on Facebook and we haven’t spoken in over two years.’
The end of the video even revealed the two young women standing next to a pile of medications, offering a darker side to the trend.
A pair of American TikTokers have shared their terrifying childhood memories, including an incident where one of their mothers used their money for drugs when they were younger.
In one of the funniest clips, British social media influencer Joseppi Baggzelini filmed a “candy salad trauma spill” with his family.
During the clip, he tells the bizarre story: ‘Hi, I’m Joe and when I was two years old and I was potty training, I saw my poop for the first time and I was so scared I didn’t poop for 11 days and they took me to the hospital… these are Minion pumpkins.’
Next in line to offer comical ingredients said: ‘Hi, I’m George and when I was in seventh grade, we ran out of moisturiser so my mum put fake tan on me and I got bullied… I have Randoms.’
Several viewers took to the commentators to express their concern for the creators of the video that appeared to reveal some of their deepest pains.
One concerned viewer wrote: “I’m so happy they’ve found each other. I’m so sorry for all the trauma they’ve been through. I hope they’re living wonderful lives now.”
One commenter wrote: “You guys are so strong for getting through all that. Plus that candy salad looks amazing.”
A third said: “You all seem so sweet. My heart aches for you all. Hope you’re all doing well.”
Several viewers took to the comments to express their concern for the creators of the video who appeared to reveal some of their deepest pains.
A pair of American TikTokers have shared their terrifying childhood memories, including an incident where one of their mothers used their money for drugs when they were younger.
A psychologist warns that oversharing in order to “unload trauma” might not always be so healthy and should be avoided
However, the recent trend towards “trauma dumping” has surprised psychologists, who warn that relying on friends for emotional purging may not be so healthy.
Vikas Keshri, clinical director of Bloom Clinical Care Counselling and Therapy Services, said that while the trend might be helpful for some to unload their trauma in a unique way, it should not crowd out more pragmatic healing methods.
She told FEMAIL: “Everyone deals with trauma differently, so this could be a method of dealing with traumatic events through something light-hearted and fun like the candy salad trend.”
She said several of the clips deal with “traumas” dating back many years and several mention childhood grievances.
Vikas warned that it is essential for people to seek professional help rather than relying on complacency on social media.
“Generally speaking, if you are experiencing flashbacks, insomnia or are struggling with traumatic memories of events that occurred more than a few weeks or months ago, it is best to talk to a licensed mental health professional,” she said.
Psychologist, and Nelisha Wickremasinghe, a research associate at the University of Oxford, has previously encouraged those who have experienced trauma to avoid “trauma abandonment.”
Psychologists warn that people should not rely on making light of traumatic events and should use more pragmatic tools for healing.
A woman shared her terrible experience when her ex-boyfriend told her he wasn’t interested in “big women”
“People who ‘unload’ traumatic thoughts, feelings and energy on others, who speak and behave with ‘wild vulnerability’, have great difficulty organizing, processing and filtering their feelings appropriately,” she said.
She said the act of shedding trauma can sometimes suggest the person is experiencing a deeper psychological problem, such as borderline personality disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In everyday life, however, the expert said the lines between what should be shared with a friend and what should be kept to yourself or discussed with a professional are becoming increasingly blurred.
“People are increasingly confused by culturally mixed messages about what and when it’s okay to share,” she said.
The author also explained that there is such a thing as oversharing and that it has become the norm.
‘Excessive emotionality is encouraged and has become the norm on social media and on talk shows and reality shows.
“In fact, there is now a mountain of self-help manuals and messages instructing us to get in touch with our feelings and share them with others,” she explained.
She explained that trauma withdrawal was also a consequence of what she calls the “threat brain,” the “part of our emotional system that is alert and responds to danger.”
“An overactive, threatening brain will flood us with powerful feelings and thoughts that, if not calmed and contained, will eventually spill over into daily life and our relationships,” she explained.
‘Our threat brain can be activated by both real and imagined threats, and that’s why, for some people, relatively minor problems can feel terrifying: our ability to replay, imagine and overthink them makes them that way.’
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