Rotting days are a professional sport.
Kicking back in bed under a cloud of comfy blankets. Incessant scrolling on social media. An occasional nap to offset the other simple activities. Maybe a Starbucks drink or mug of coffee next to a kindling, warm-scented candle.
This description is what many weekends look like for people, especially after enduring a tiresome week at work, school, or persistent socialization on the whole.
Although the act of laying in bed and doing nothing for a few hours—or an entire day—has been around for a long time, the people of TikTok have classified the activity of doing nothing as a “rot day.”
On the surface, when I first heard of the term, “rotting” in bed seemed extremely detrimental to me and counterproductive to what I typically engage in: the weekend reset, which involves relaxing, preparation for the upcoming week, and completing any lingering activities.
Rot days, however, involve the art of nothing.
The people who support the concept of rotting in bed and doing mindless activities to ease stress have a valid point: the purpose of this type of alleviation is to help people avoid the out that comes with working really hard without designated break periods, and the main mindset is that it isn’t deterioration but instead revival.
As a high school student who is involved with rigorous courses, extracurriculars, and sports, I understand the importance of taking occasional breaks for both my mental and physical health.
While “rotting” in bed for a few hours a week might be necessary to recuperate—especially for naturally introverted people—the activities such as mindless scrolling on social media can have counterproductive results.
Most people participate in rot days to terminate any nagging flurries of stress, and even though mindlessly scrolling on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram seems relaxing and simple at the moment, the action repeated over multiple hours causes fluctuations in natural dopamine levels.
The brain gets natural dopamine rushes from social connections and other related activities and by combining a false sense of real-world interaction with the anticipation of the next piece of content. Additionally, with all the existing problems regarding social media and body image, scrolling only increases negative thoughts and feelings.
“Rot days” provide people with necessary relief from the day-to-day demands of life, yet they also don’t necessarily address the root cause of long-term stress and anxiety. These days are also supposed to be used sparingly as an investment in one’s lifestyle instead of a habitual occurrence.
I look at “rotting” in a literal sense: if you let food or plants rot, it will likely draw out unpleasant scents or ruin the food. This, however, is beneficial in small doses because it recycles the matter that plants require to continue growing and stay healthy. For humans, occasional “rotting” helps avoid the hopeless feeling of burnout and allows for full-capacity functioning during the week.
Because people take their rot days seriously—and rightfully so, considering the benefits associated with it to avoid burnout and fatigue—I think that a proper balance between mindless exercises and reset-oriented activities like showering and cleaning is imperative to maximize a true rot day.
