To bed rot is to self-care?

By Heartscape Psychology Intern, Valeree Soh

Have you seen or heard of this new trend from TikTok?

The latest guilty pleasure is all-encompassing, involving more than just scrolling on social media or bingeing on Netflix for hours. Let’s break it down, shall we?

From the context as seen on TikTok, where the trend originated,  “bed rotting” can be defined as deliberately staying in bed for an extended period of time, without engaging in their usual daily activities.  Though the term on its own does not necessitate any particular behaviour, it most frequently involves scrolling on social media for hours, bingeing on Netflix, or even eating in bed. All these activities are aimed to help someone cope with whatever they are feeling. 

This trend was first observed in 2023 but has gained some serious traction here in Singapore, especially among the “Gen Zs”. Its name, however, contradicts with its intended purpose. The word “rotting” does not typically elicit thoughts or imagery associated with having good mental health. You probably won’t feel “recharged” or “rejuvenated” when you think of “rotting”... It would probably bring about images of things decomposing, degenerating, and the likes. However, this new trend is actually meant to be a “self-care” approach! Instead of signifying laziness, doing nothing (productive) in bed all day has been redefined by users of social media to be a way to listen to, and care for, your mind and body. 

Many believe bed rotting to be a form of rest. The pressures of life are aplenty, and the associated feelings of stress, frustration, or a lack of motivation may cause people to burn out. Particularly in Singapore where the hustle culture is extremely pervasive, it is more than possible for individuals to get so tired and overwhelmed that they refuse to do anything. A side note: being tired doesn’t just mean one needs to sleep. It could simply mean that individuals are weighed down by responsibilities and obligations, and they just need to withdraw socially for a while to process their thoughts and emotions. 

Whether bed rotting is good or bad all boils down to this question: are you overindulging in it? We should not be hasty to conclude that “bed rotting” is all bad. After all, allowing yourself the time to be unproductive may relieve some of the pressure you feel. However, bed rotting is a double-edged sword. Too much of it could lead to several consequences:

• The development of an ineffective coping mechanism

Spending excessive amounts of time in bed can quickly turn into a form of avoidance coping. An avoidant coping style describes one way that individuals react to stress or trauma, and it means that they disengage with a stressor (Allen, 2021). In the case of bed rotting, individuals could be suppressing the experience of emotions or situations that potentially trigger them by lying in bed and “shutting off”. This may lead to lower tolerance of difficult emotions whereby baseline avoidance coping was associated with both more chronic and acute life stressors in the long run (Holahan et al., 2005). Though this offers short term respite, it could lead to a vicious cycle of emotional avoidance, which is harmful to individuals in the long run. 

• It could adversely affect the quality of one’s sleep. Too much blue light from the use of devices has been shown to alter our circadian rhythms (Wahl et al., 2019). This just means that it causes us to be unable to maintain a healthy sleep cycle, leaving us fatigued and exhausted. 
  

• The content consumed on social media may perpetuate the cycle of negative emotions. Many studies have proven that social media is a platform for sharing information reflecting negative emotions (Lapidot-Lefler & Barak, 2012). Especially since social media is likened to an echo chamber (Cinelli et al., 2021), the more you consume a certain type of content, the more you conform to it. This may perpetuate the negative emotions you experience, leading to what seems to be a never-ending cycle.
  

• It might lead to social withdrawal/isolation. Relationships with other people are important! But if you spend all your time rotting in bed, you lose the opportunities to interact with others. This reluctance to engage in social activities could possibly lead to the deterioration of social relationships.

Overall, these consequences are detrimental to one’s mental health. Not only does it affect sleep, it also promotes symptoms of depression. In excess, bed rotting quickly becomes unhealthy. 

If you feel like your bed rotting has become excessive, here are several steps you can take to kick this habit. 

1. Reduce your bed rotting time by a manageable amount. 

2. Engage in a meaningful activity. Find a new hobby, or spend some time with your family and friends! Take the step to increase your social activity. You never know, you might feel more refreshed after it!

3. Talk to someone about how you’re feeling. Talking it out may offer you a fresh perspective, and help you to feel less alone in the pressures you face. 

Remember! The point is to set small goals that are possible to achieve. You shouldn’t try to go “cold turkey” on this habit. You don’t have to eliminate this self-care trend out of your life, but also don’t let it consume you. Striking a good balance is the most important thing. 

References

Allen, M. T. (2021). Explorations of avoidance and approach coping and perceived stress with a computer-based avatar task: Detrimental effects of resignation and withdrawal. PeerJ, 9, e11265. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11265

Cinelli, M., De Francisci Morales, G., Galeazzi, A., Quattrociocchi, W., & Starnini, M. (2021). The echo chamber effect on social media. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(9), e2023301118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2023301118

Holahan, C. J., Moos, R. H., Holahan, C. K., Brennan, P. L., & Schutte, K. K. (2005). Stress Generation, Avoidance Coping, and Depressive Symptoms: A 10-Year Model. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(4), 658–666. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.73.4.658

Lapidot-Lefler, N., & Barak, A. (2012). Effects of anonymity, invisibility, and lack of eye-contact on toxic online disinhibition. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(2), 434–443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.10.014

Wahl, S., Engelhardt, M., Schaupp, P., Lappe, C., & Ivanov, I. V. (2019). The inner clock—Blue light sets the human rhythm. Journal of Biophotonics, 12(12), e201900102. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbio.201900102