I have hardly left my bed this week. Havenβt showered, havenβt brushed my teeth. I donβt even get up for food anymore (i think i lost a few pounds).
Everyone around me always makes it seem so easy to get out of a time like this-its not. Iβm left stuck in bed begging Youtube videos to tell me how i can change my life-this cycle i feel like I'm never going to get out of.
Being in my junior year of high school makes times like these even worse as Iβm drowning in other peoples expectations of myself, the need to be perfect. Iβm expected to be so ready for my future without getting a heads up, a guide, hardly even help. Then when Iβm burnt-out, Iβm a failure and falling behind. Itβs difficult to get out of this place.
My way of restarting from a time like this is changing my mind set. It still takes me a few days to feel βone hundredβ again, however, pushing out as many negative thoughts as I can at least gets me through days as I slowly pick myself back up. Hopefully to get you out of your next bed rotting state, try and remind yourself of these things:
You donβt need to do everything this instant
I personally am burnt-out from my never ending to-do list. Iβm worried about all the school tasks I need to get done and also stuck punishing myself about all the other things I should be accomplishing at my age. If you are stressed about what you should and shouldnβt be doing, what you can and canβt control, shut it out. Youβre not a robot, you canβt do everything. You also need to acknowledge the state you are in and adjust your task list to it. Allow yourself to take your time with things. Doing just one of those tasks on your list is an achievement.
Itβs okay to feel like this every now and then
You are not crazy for how you are feeling right now and the state you are in. Many people go through it, donβt let yourself feel so abruptly different from others. However, whatβs not okay is letting yourself stay stuck in bed, unproductive and maybe even giving up. Letting behavior like this become a habit will only make it harder to pick yourself back up.
A bad day does not mean a bad life
Iβll say again, times like these are common. These bad days do not mean itβs time to give up. Instead, create a plan or maybe envision what you would be doing instead if you werenβt in bed-not to make yourself feel worse but rather to give you a little motivation and willpower.
Resting > Bed Rotting
Donβt let yourself get comfortable in the state youβre in, however, be aware of what your body needs. Do you need to rest or are you bed rotting? Are you really tired or are you giving up? To rest means to give yourself a break, a quick stop. To bed rot is to give up, letting the negative words and negative thoughts win. Listening to the voice that tells you βwhatβs the pointβ or βI canβt do it anyway so why even tryβ will only keep you where you are.
Now, I donβt mean to sound like every other simple influencer online but itβs true. Breaking the cycle with small steps like changing your mindset can help prevent a next time. Even if next time does come around, youβll know what to do.
To get out of bed is something youβll have to do on your own. Sometimes itβll feel like youβre dragging a corpse around but anything to get out of bed
See everything as an accomplishment
Similar to one of my points before, when Iβm bed rotting I usually have so many other things I want to do or get done. Iβll start to beat myself up about how little I got done that day. Instead of over thinking about all the other things, focus on getting one task done-no matter how small or large.
Taking a shower
I know it can be hard dragging yourself out of bed to do even the smallest of tasks. Something that is always keeping me in bed are the negative thoughts flowing through my head. In my experience, the best way for me to βrun awayβ from these thoughts is taking a shower. Donβt even let your mind know what youβre doing yet, run out that bed and head straight to your shower. While this may sound cliche, use the shower as a way to restart. Pretend youβre washing away that old you that was stuck sinking deeper and deeper into your mattress. Maybe make a plan for what you want to do for the day, or do some breathing exercises to let your body truly relax. Even if that shower ends up being the only thing you did that day, pat yourself on the back for even pushing yourself out of bed.
Change your clothes, even if you didnβt shower
Changing out of the clothes you let fuse to your skin is a great step to breaking the pattern. For me, changing out of my day (maybe even week) old clothes feels like telling myself βIβm starting overβ or at least making change to my routine. As simple as the task may be, changing into new clothes can feel like new beginnings and new energy. Being stuck in the same old clothes for a whole week leaves with the negative energy youβve been stuck in. I mean, why would you even want to try and change things when youβre stuck in sweaty clothes?
Making your bed
Doing anything that will get you standing for even only seconds can change your day, even if it involves making your lowest times more comfortable. Making your bed may be a larger task depending on who you ask but for me (with a twin bed and a mountain of stuffed animals) itβs not the worst thing to do. While making your bed, use that time to let go of everything else and focus on the task at hand.
While these techniques and tips are what I use to get myself out of bed, hopefully they also may work for you. Also donβt expect instant results, going back to your old self from a time like this is not easy and takes much longer than others may realize. Any progress you make to at least try and get up is enough, no progress will only leave you like this longer.
P.S.
first time writing something like this β₯
follow my substack to keep up with anything new i write β₯
