I’m super behind on the trends, especially trends you see on social media. Mostly because I try to avoid social media for the sake of my mental health (hello, mute button), but also because I frankly just don’t care. (Sorry, not sorry).
However, when one of my good friends recently bought a brand new water bottle and my other friend started commenting on it being her emotional support water bottle (shout out to Jane), it made me do a double-take and think, wow, my friend is so creative and downright witty with her comments.
Later that week, I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Girls Gotta Eat, and I heard Ashley reference her recent hydration journey with her emotional support water bottle. It was at that moment that I knew this had all of the earmarks of a trend that I clearly had missed the boat on. Enter the emotional support water bottle TikTok trend.
What is an emotional support water bottle?
Okay, so back it up. For those late to the party (I’m talking about myself here), what the heck is an emotional support water bottle?
According to an article in The Sydney Morning Herald, the emotional support water bottle trend emerged on social media during the COVID-19 lockdowns. It was driven partly by content creator Christina Najjar, better known as Tinx, who said a reusable water container “literally changed her life,” after observing supermodels carrying the item. Now the emotional support water bottle hashtag has received 64 million views on TikTok.
Who knew hefty water bottles would now be just as common as Apple watches, yoga mats, and Whoop devices? Forget about tracking your 10,000 steps for the day — let’s look at how many ounces of water you’re consuming on the daily.
Benefits of an emotional support water bottle
Investing in a ridiculously large water bottle and carrying it around with you all day may sound, well, absolutely ridiculous — but according to a 2022 article, “Adult Dehydration,” 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. Having an extra large water bottle that holds the recommended amount of water you should be drinking daily may help you to stay well hydrated so you can better support optimal health levels.
For the record, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), the recommended fluid intake for men is 125-130 ounces a day (approx. 16 cups) and 91-95 ounces a day (approx. 12 cups) for women. Keep in mind fluids from all food and beverage sources count toward these amounts.
By using an emotional support water bottle, you can forget about having to use an app to track your daily water consumption. Instead, the proof is physically right in front of you. Yeah, so they weigh a lot at the beginning of the day, but that’s all the more motivation and reason to keep on chugging. Sip, sip, hooray!
Are there any downsides to using an emotional support water bottle?
Like with anything in life, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing — and that includes following the emotional support water bottle TikTok trend.
Hydration is important as water assists in a variety of key bodily functions such as digestion, lubrication of our joints and tissues, and thermoregulation (how the body maintains its internal temperatures). Not to mention clear, glowing skin. This is all according to Harvard Health, by the way.
However, let’s keep in mind that our bodies use electrical systems. According to the University of Maryland Graduate School, electricity is required for the nervous system to send signals throughout the body and to the brain, making it possible for us to feel, move, and think. Not to mention the heart’s pumping action uses electrical signals that coordinate the contraction of the various heart chambers, notes John Hopkins Medicine. (You know, just keeping you alive and all, so no big deal or anything. Kidding! This is a huge deal.)
Drinking water is good for our overall health and well-being, but our electrolytes (think of things like calcium, chloride, magnesium, potassium, and sodium) all need to be in balance to maintain healthy blood, heart rhythm, muscle function, and other important functions. Drinking too much water can cause the electrolyte levels in the body to get out of whack and cause sodium levels to plummet, writes Gundersen Health.
This is called hyponatremia, which occurs when there is a sodium imbalance in the body. Hyponatremia can be caused by excessive amounts of water, ultimately flooding the cells. It’s sometimes also called overhydration, water intoxication, or water poisoning. Now, don’t freak out — this will likely not happen if you’re enjoying the refreshing sips of your emotional support water bottle throughout the course of the entire day. Just don’t chug or drink it all at once. It’s a marathon not a sprint here, people. Okay? Okay. Let’s also not forget about the psychological effects as well.
Joe Gardizna, a licensed psychiatrist and the founder of ADAPT Programs, an alcohol and drug rehabilitation center, says there are a few negative impacts of using an emotional support water bottle that can negatively affect one’s psychological well-being. One of the biggest ones is that an individual can become way too dependent on an object for their emotional well-being. This is commonly referred to as object attachment.
“It may disturb them mentally when they are not around that object,” says Gardizna. “For example, a person may feel anxious or stressed when they forget their emotional support water bottle somewhere.”
Gardizna continues that moreover, one may not explore other options for emotional support and confine themselves to only one medium. This will not allow an individual to find emotional support within themselves or in the people around them.
Is an emotional support water bottle right for you?
Like with most things in life, it’s really up to you whether or not you’re in the market for an emotional support water bottle. Hydration is important for optimal health, but like with most health and wellness practices, don’t overdo it for the sake of your emotional, mental, and physical health.
P.S.: If you need any emotional support water bottle recommendations, my personal favorite one is the Rehydration 25 oz. Insulated Water Bottle.
