Tips For A Successful Bed Rotting

The holiday season is officially over and you've been very busy and exhausted. Now all you want to do with your free time is to spend it bed rotting.

Bed rotting? 

Bed rotting is GenZ's self-care term for lying in bed all day to sleep, eat, scroll mindlessly through socmed, binge-watch fave movies/series- or whatever you want, you call the shots.

"At a time when we try to squeeze in as many activities as we can in a day, it's only natural to step away from all the busyness to decompress, breathe and simply do nothing," said Dr. Anna Marie Lantano, Psychiatrist at MakatiMed.

Other countries and cultures, in fact, have their own version of bed rotting. In the Netherlands, 'niksen' means embracing idleness and relaxation; in Italy, 'dolce far niente' means- the sweetness of doing nothing.

"Bed rotting, which first trended on TikTok, isn't about being lazy if done sparingly and for a specific purpose," added Dr. Lantano. "It's all about giving yourself permission to take a break from the world."

Here's a tip though: Be aware about how you stay in bed, as if there's a fine line between self-care and self-sabotage. "Give yourself enough time to rest without compromising your responsibilities," continued Dr. Lantano. "Schedule it on a day or weekend when you can take off. Anything longer can make it difficult to get back into the real world. Make sure you're not using bed rotting as a way to avoid certain people, feelings or responsibilities."

While there are no rules about what you can or can't do when you bed-rot, taking your work to bed with you defeats the purpose of this mental health break. "Resist the urge to answer emails from your boss, catch up on a backlog of reports, or make a PowerPoint presentation," she added. "Use the time to reconnect with loved ones through a voice or video call." Or read an actual book instead of Facebook, call a friend, not send messages. "Bed rotting doesn't necessarily mean cutting yourself off from the world."

Sleep is definitely part of bed rotting; it's relaxing and recharging all at once. Experts, however, fear that having some shut-eye during the day might disrupt your sleep at night. "Try napping for a few minutes after lunch," suggest Dr. Lantano.

Although it is called bed rotting, the expert encourages you to get up from bed every 2-3 hours to walk and stretch. "This promotes circulation and reduces the risk of blood clots."

Finally, if you're going to bed-rot, commit to it! "Feeling guilty for 'doing nothing' has no place in a mental health day," says Dr. Lantano. "Think of bed rotting as a reward for all that you do for others, and how much better you'll be once you get back in the swing of things."