The new TikTok trend among Gen Z college students is “bed rotting.”
Get out of the way, hustle culture! Instead, Gen Z college students are learning how to “bed-rot.” The term “bed rotting” is all over social media right now, and you might be a part of it without even realizing it. These days, it seems like new trends come out all the time and fill up our feeds.
TikTok in particular has become a lively place to find the newest memes, dances, cooking projects, and lots of other weird and fun things to do. In fact, the phrases “bed-rotting” and “soft living” can mean different things, leaving room for confusion. It could mean that you haven’t washed your sheets in a long time or that you always leave your bed unmade. The phrase isn’t very clear, which can cause misunderstanding.
So, what does the phrase “bed rotting” really mean?
The act of staying in bed all day is what bed rotting really means. Not worried about what’s going on in the outside world. Getting into a cocoon-like state and acting like the world doesn’t exist is part of it.
Since there are so many stressful things going on in the world today, like the rising cost of living, it’s not surprising that “soft living” has become a term for this kind of behavior. It shows how people are dealing with the huge problems they face.
But is this really the way to go?
There’s nothing wrong with having a lazy day once in a while, but too much soft living could be a sign of a deeper problem. Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Washington University, Dr. Jessi Gold, talked about common worries about bed rotting on TikTok and encouraged people to think about why they do this.
Bed rotting, according to Dr. Gold, is when someone is so tired and stressed out that they can’t function. So much so that they choose to stay in bed as a way to deal with it. A lot of us feel this way sometimes, and we blame it on being tired from worry, anxiety, and not getting enough sleep.
mage Credit: oliviagobrien / TikTok
Dr. Gold says it’s not always necessary to fight the urge to let things go to waste, but it is important to think about why people are doing what they’re doing. Figuring out why you feel like you have to do soft living can tell you a lot about your mental health. Which can help you figure out if there are bigger problems that need your attention.
It looks like the Gen Z group has made people less motivated to work hard, but is that really the case?
People from Generation Z and baby boomers recently got into a new fight after someone on Twitter shared a picture of a sign outside of a shop. After this, this picture was posted on r/antiwork, which caused a stir.
The sign told customers they were sorry the store was closing and said it couldn’t find enough staff. The message in the post that went with it was: “I’m sorry to close AGAIN.” Two of my new cashiers quit because I told them that their boyfriends couldn’t work here all shift. Gen Zers don’t know what work is, so don’t hire them. What does it look like the real trouble is?
