Reclaiming the recline
Written by Shanti Hastings-Kimball. Graphic by Avery Melhado.
“Bed rot” doesn’t exist in my world. My bed is my safe place but also my workspace. I know some people may be weirded out about that, but let me explain. I shared the first room I had growing up with my brother. Once we both turned six, we graduated to our own rooms. I picked out a light blue color for the walls and a grass-looking carpet. I will never forget it or come back to it, but it’s what I liked when I was younger. I didn’t have a desk, and that’s when change started to happen.
I started to push back on the family rule of doing homework at the dining room table. I then also started breaking the other big family rule by sneaking snacks in my room.
When I started high school, they gave us laptops to use. Thus the era of binge-watching Netflix shows in my room while snacking like I was at a movie theater began. After school, my mini theater turned into an office space with papers and textbooks splayed across it.
My family thinks all I do is bed rot, but that’s not true and never will be. I feel the most productive while laying in my bed with background noise. It makes me feel the most relaxed. The calmness and stillness of sitting in my room on a perfectly made bed keeps me undistracted. On my bed, I’m able to hone in and do deep schoolwork.
As I slowly start to do schoolwork at tables or desks, my bed has become only for relaxing and restoring.
Although, my best ideas still come from working in bed. Not working exclusively on my bed and only having downtime on it has not changed my thoughts on “bed rotting.” Anytime I have breaks in my schedule where I can lie down in bed for long periods of time, outside of sleeping, is special and what my body deserves.
