Although I am a personal development blogger by profession, I am in no way a mental health professional. See my disclaimer for more info.
Are you struggling with bed rotting? Do you know what it is? I’m going to teach you all about it in this post.
If you use TikTok, you may see people talk about a “trend” called ‘bed rotting’.
One day, I was scrolling through my for-you page (FYP) on TikTok and saw a girl talking about her experience with this. I had heard about it before, but I didn’t know that much about it. In fact, I thought I went through it myself. But I quickly realized that my experience wasn’t as severe as others. In the video, the girl said that she hates how people are referring to this experience as a trend. While watching the video, I read the comments and took time to understand people’s opinions on the topic.
That inspired me to write this post. I went online to do some further research to try and learn a bit more. But I was surprised that I didn’t see too many articles that reflected what people were saying on TikTok. So, I’m committed to putting this information in this post. I want to give you honest, accurate facts.
So, if you’re either rotting in bed everyday or simply want to learn what it really means to bed rot, this post is for you.
This post is all about bed rotting.
What is bed rotting?
Bed rotting might not be what you think it is.
It’s not a trend. Or at least not a good one. You shouldn’t glorify someone’s mental health issues.
It’s much more than just spending the day in your bedroom. It’s like knowing what you want and need to do, but not having the motivation to do it.
Bed rotting is something that involves things like:
- laying/sleeping in bed for most of the day
- indulging in lots of media
- not socializing with other people like friends and family
- having a hard time taking care of personal hygiene like showering and brushing your teeth
Also, don’t confuse rotting in bed with procrastination. When you procrastinate, you’re able to do something, but you avoid doing it on purpose.
When you bed rot, that’s a completely different story.
“Am I a bed rotter?”
This is, by no means, a list of exact signs you’re a bed rotter. But, these are a few things that people who bed rot, have in common.
Here are some signs that you might be a bed rotter:
- You’ve experienced some type of hardship and lack motivation to get up and do things (job loss/breakup, etc.)
- You have a limited friend circle
- You don’t where to start with your goals
- You’re burnt out professionally, mentally, or academically
- You’re struggling with depression, social anxiety, etc.
- You’re a neurodivergent individual
Some people who bed rot do it as a way to de-stress. They feel overwhelmed by what’s going on around them, so they rest in their beds to cope.
They don’t want to live this lifestyle. Neither do they intentionally choose it. But, it can be easy to fall into the routine or pattern and it’s hard to get out of it.
Is bed rotting healthy?
It depends. If you’re simply taking a few days to rest, that’s not bed rotting. You’re just giving your mind and body some time to relax.
So please don’t confuse a “self care Sunday” with a bed rotting day. These are 2 majorly different things!
But when it becomes an everyday thing, that’s when it gets more serious.
With how the world is today, I understand why you’d want to find comfort in your bedroom.
It’s your safe space. Your sanctuary. The one place where nobody can judge you.
Plus, it’s getting harder and harder to find fun, cheap things to do outside your house. It definitely feels cheaper to just stay inside.
Not to mention you might be battling depression or ADHD paralysis, which are 2 very serious things.
These can really take a toll on your mental health. And then go on to affect every other part of your life.
My Experience With Bed Rotting:
I understand what you’re going through. I really do. In fact, my own experience with this subject inspired the blog that you’re reading right now.
I was going through a time in my life where nothing inspired me. Every day, I’d wake up and dread going to school. It was rare that I’d go to school 5 days a week.
I actually couldn’t even tell you the last time I did that!
That’s how much I wanted to stay home and stay in bed.
But it wasn’t all about being in bed. I didn’t want to interact with people, as I thought I had social anxiety.
If it were up to me, I would’ve done all 4 years of high school online. But I didn’t have a choice.
I tried to convince myself it was good that I still did all my work. Even online. I mean, some people turn all their work in late, so at least I’m still doing something right.
Right?
Well, maybe not. After some time, I realized that showing up to school is equally important to doing your work.
I think all this mostly had to do with the fact that I feel like I need something to look forward to so I can get through the week. I’ve grown to realize that this isn’t healthy either.
Because what happens if you have a week where nothing exciting happens? Just a regular week where you’re doing all your normal things?
How are you going to get through the week without a prize to keep your eyes on?
If you want to see progress, you have to work toward seeing it.
Obviously my experience with this topic wasn’t as severe as others. But I see how hard it can get. I want to share what I’ve learned through my journey.
So, allow me to give you 10 tips on how to lessen bed rotting. I can’t promise that these will make you STOP because that’ll depend on your individual circumstances.
But these should help you work toward spending less time in your bed and more time doing things you need and love.
How to Lessen Bed Rotting:
1. Find something you enjoy doing
If you want to spend less time in your bed, it can be helpful to find something that’ll motivate you to do that.
Ideally, this should be an easy, fun, stress-free activity that gets you out of your bed. No, you don’t have to go outside. The goal is to get out of your bed.
This can give you something to look forward to everyday. It’s basically a hobby. That’s really what I’m trying to say here.
Don’t run off and look for 5 different activities to try!
That’ll just overwhelm you. Then you’ll probably give up and go back to bed rotting. You were trying to avoid this in the first place, right?
RELATED POST: 23 Best Relaxing At Home Self Care Activities to Enjoy
2. Get a support system
Doing things alone is okay sometimes. But other times, you need someone to hold your hand.
Maybe you’re bed rotting because you’re battling with some real mental health issues. Or maybe you’re going through a mid-life crisis.
Whatever it may be, try to reach out and find support. Believe it or not, there will always be someone out there to support you through what you’re experiencing.
Oh, and I know it’s hard to grasp. But you’re not in this alone!
I hope this can give you just an ounce of relief. Knowing that I’m not alone in my struggles really keeps me grounded.
3. Create and stick to a routine
Do you follow a daily routine? If not, let’s try to make one!
I know it can be hard to do something that seems so simple. In reality, it isn’t. Some days, it’s a heck of an internal battle.
But, if you make a routine, that can help you get out of bed easier and more often.
Your brain thrives off of repetition. The more often you do something, the better you get at it.
RELATED POST: 9-Step Simple Morning Routine for a Productive Day
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4. Do some positive self-talk
Positive self-talk is basically your inner monologue that’s made up of positive, encouraging words and statements. It’s like you’re giving yourself a pep talk!
Doing this can motivate you to get out of bed and move around.
It’s important to do this because you don’t want to be your own enemy. Yes, it can be difficult sometimes, but remember to be easy on yourself.
You can only do so much!
Here are some examples of positive self-talk. You’re really just changing those negative statements into positive ones:
- “I am capable of success.”
- “I am a work in progress.”
- “I am willing to grow and heal.”
- “I can’t do it yet.”
5. Go to therapy
If you’re dealing with something serious, consider going to therapy. Talk it out with a licensed professional and see how they can help you.
It could be deeper than a lack of motivation or energy. Maybe you’re struggling to get out of bed because you have nothing to look forward to.
On the other hand, maybe you really do just need some uplifting. That’s what therapy is for!
6. Switch up your environment
Maybe you’re bored of your room, so you stay in it all day.
If you can, try to find somewhere else. This could be your living room, kitchen table, or some other place.
Try not to stay in the same spot for too long. I remember when I’d bed rot, I’d stay in my bed all day, every day, which only made it worse.
But then I started spending more time in my living room. It made a HUGE difference. I feel so much more productive and social now.
7. Make your bed
Something else you can try to reduce bed rotting is making your bed.
See, if you make your bed after getting out of it, you’ll be less likely to get in it. You’ll see how nice it looks and won’t want to ruin it.
And you don’t even have to get all fancy with it, either.
Pull your covers over, put your pillows on there, and there you go! Your bed is made and you won’t be as likely to get in it.
This definitely isn’t the secret answer. But I know that I personally won’t get in my bed if it looks neat!
Say you’re doom-scrolling while you’re bed rotting. Maybe that’s what’s taking so much of your free time.
And there’s nothing wrong with a bit of scrolling here and there. But you don’t want it to go on for too long. That’s when it starts to affect different areas of your life.
If this is the cause of your bed rotting, consider taking a break from social media.
This will quite literally eliminate the cause of the problem. It also has a few other benefits:
- You’ll spend less money because you aren’t being influenced by people online
- You won’t constantly compare yourself to people you hardly know
- You’ll improve your mental health because you aren’t endlessly feeding into negative news and media
THINK: When was the last time you took a break from social media? Tell me in the comments!
9. Get inspired
As I said before, one cause of bed rotting is a lack of inspiration. You might be uninspired to get up and go outside, work, or hang out with people you love.
To fix that, the solution is pretty simple:
Get inspired! Here are some ideas — if you’re uninspired to…
- take a walk, look at beautiful scenery on Pinterest.
- do your homework, think about where you want to be in the next 4 years.
- do something creative, find ideas online.
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10. Change your mindset
Change your mindset about bed rotting. Don’t think of it as an activity for lazy people who don’t want to get any work done.
If you think this way, you’ll probably be more inclined to do it, as it sounds kind of interesting. Plus, you’ll only feel worse about yourself over time.
Instead, acknowledge that you may be dealing with something interally or externally. Know that you can and will work to heal.
Let’s recap!
We made it to the end of the post!
Today, we talked about bed rotting.
This is a serious topic and I wanted to inform you about it. It definitely isn’t a trend! If you are a ‘bed rotter’, use some of these tips to hopefully do it less.
Please remember to take time to take care of yourself!
I know, in this economy, it can be hard to find free things to do that are fun. That’s why I put together a list of 7 free self care activities to enjoy today!
In the midst of chaos, don’t forget to smile,
DeMarcus – your self care buddy
PIN IT FOR LATER:
This post was all about bed rotting.
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