By Raven Hanning, Nicholas Kolsin, Devin McCullough, Noah Britt and Kia Wynne
A new TikTok trend that soared to popularity with Generation Z in the past couple months has been dubbed “Bed Rotting.”
The fad of staying in bed doing passive or low-energy activities can have either positive outcomes when used as a coping mechanism for stress or it can increase feelings of depression when used long term for escaping day-to-day life. Students on the UNC Pembroke campus who have taken part in the trend have experienced both.
Caleb Spencer, a sophomore in physical education, said he is prone to bed rotting. In one instance, Spencer didn’t leave his room for two days except to go to the kitchen for food or to the bathroom before going back to bed.
“My roommates did not know where I was. They knocked on the [bedroom] door but I did not answer, they started to get worried,” Spencer said. “I knew what I was doing was unhealthy, and I realized I just needed to be around people and stop suffering in silence.”
For Spencer, being around his friends brought him “back to reality.”
Bed rotting, with its encouragement to stay in bed to de-stress or take a mental health day, may impact student success. Kobe Kinlaw was initially unfamiliar with the term but declared that he is “a victim of it.”
“When I was in that state, I felt like there was no point in going to class,” Kinlaw said. “What got me out of bed was the internal feeling of needing to do something productive and not feeling bad about myself.” Kinlaw said he knows there are mental health facilities on campus but wishes they were publicized more with signage. Counseling and Psychological Services at UNCP did not respond before deadline but information on the services offered are at the end of this article.
Jessica Fleming, a resident advisor for Pine Hall, said students who bed rot too often may decline academically.
“I feel like once you start doing it so often, you get into a type of depression, with just sitting there and not doing anything,” Fleming said.
A UNC Pembroke faculty member has similar concerns. Shilpa Pai Regan, PH.D., a Psychology professor’s biggest concern is that “people will see it as a good coping technique instead of getting treatment [through therapy]” and emphasized that “if it is being used as an escape then it isn’t beneficial.”
“It makes me think of Major Depressive Disorder because people who suffer from [the disorder] may want to stay in bed all day, but doing so isn’t beneficial. It can make the feeling of loneliness, fatigue and sadness worse instead of better,” Regan said. “[The effectiveness] is going to vary depending on why they’re doing it, how frequently and how long they’re rotting in bed. As long as they’re genuinely using it for what we call a mental health day, then there shouldn’t be any long-term issues.”
“There’s so much variability, I don’t know if the majority are doing it temporarily, or all the time which can make symptoms worse like with Major Depressive. Laying in bed can make it worse because you aren’t changing any of your neurotransmitters like you could by getting up and doing things,” Regan said.
“Everybody needs a day of bed rotting as long as it’s not every day,” said sophomore Cassidy Hill.
UNCP offers counseling and psychological services through the CAPS program: Counseling is available to all students virtually or in-person. Counseling services include orientation to counseling groups, psychotherapy groups, individual counseling, and medication management. Consultation and referrals are also available.
Intake services are available from9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. These 1-hour sessions are focused on finding the services that best meet a student’s needs.
Advocacy services are free and confidential for any students who are survivors of, or accused of, sexual misconduct including stalking, rape, bullying, cyber stalking etc.
Crisis Services are available through our 24- hour crisis line at 910-775-4749. Crisis services are also available in the office (2nd floor, Brave Health Center) from 8am -5pm.
The “988” Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day in both English and Spanish.