This post focuses on modern trends of practicing self-care by escaping with technology. We talk about why this is problematic. Then, we list 50 ways to practice soul care through actively producing something to benefit you and your greater community.

On Bedrotting, Smart Phone Zombies, Phubbing, and other Modern Self-Care Trends

There’s a trend that’s been going around Tiktok for the past few months called ‘bedrotting.’ Basically, bedrotting is a term for laying in bed for extended periods of time (think several hours or a whole day) and watching Netflix, looking at your phone, and doing absolutely nothing. You eat in bed, you sleep in bed, and you do all of your (passive) entertainment in bed. A quick search turns up all sorts of opinions on bedrotting. Is is good for you? Bad for you? Reviews are mixed. 

Here’s one take: 

Here’s another take: 

An article on CNN describes why bedrotting can be a ‘toxic activity’ due to its ‘immobile’ nature and its tendency to interfere with sleep. Experts say it should be used ‘sparingly’ though lazy days every now and then can be beneficial. 

Importantly, we need to ask ourselves ‘Why?’ Why is this a trend? Why are people advocating for it? Why is this something that is even a concern now? 

Admittedly, I’m intrigued by this idea. The term bedrotting itself is so provocative. What would be a slur in the past “To rot in bed all day” has now become a trend that others are advocating for as a form of self-care. As I wrote about in our podcast on self-care, self-care has increased exponentially in popularity as we’ve seen a pendulum shift in focus from work and productivity to quality of life issues and a focus on ‘work-life balance.’ Interestingly, bed-rotting is called the epitome of an ‘anti-productivity’ act. Intellectuals are stating that by doing this activity, people are supposedly working against the focus of production (a very Marxist idea but realized in Brave New World ideals). 

It makes me think of an image of a person staring at their phone – little do they know they’ve turned into a Zombie. In fact, ‘Smartphone Zombie’ was a new word added to the dictionary in 2016 (!). It describes someone who is looking at their phone so intensely that they don’t look around at their surroundings, causing particular dangers in cities on pedestrian crossings. Places in Australia even installed lights on the ground so people don’t have to look up while they are crossing the street. A city in Florida put up a sign warning drivers of Smartphone drivers. 

In fact, another trend that is on the rise is phubbing. This is the tendency to ignore others, particularly loved ones, to look at your phone. Phubbing can have all sorts of negative effects for those phubbed. For instance, children who are ignored so that their parents can use their phones are more likely to become addicted to phones themselves and be more hostile online, cyberbullying others. 

In all of these recent trends – bedrotting, smartphone zombies, and phubbing, we see a tendency to desire something that will provide self-care and pleasure. But, through turning to electronic devices, which provide a particular sense of escapism from the hecticness of the modern-day world, we find ourselves losing ourselves. In The Shallows by Nicholas Carr, he writes, “As we come to rely on computers to mediate our understanding of the world, it is our own intelligence that flattens into artificial intelligence.” We are being programmed by our computers to ‘sit and get’. To become mindless consumers of information. The recent rise of AI has heightened this tendency. The last bastion of humanity – the ability to write and think – has been overtaken by ChatGBT and other programs like it. Now, we are not only relieved of the physical responsibility to clean our floors, grow and cook our own food, and the like – we are also relieved of the basic responsibility to even think for ourselves. 

On our podcast, we talked about the importance of putting technology in its proper place. We must be proactive with our boundaries because we can easily allow ourselves to let technology creep back into the place of the Lord of our life. 

I was recently reading about the life of Saul and David. In it, we read about Saul’s decisive leadership early in his life. Before he was officially made king over Israel, he rashly called the Israelites into battle and threatened them with their lives if they did not follow him. He won the battle and the Israelites’ loyalty. That story speaks to a basic human tendency to deeply desire decisive leadership – leadership that makes decisions for us and inspires and motivates us to accomplish great things. In our nihilistic and critical world, we don’t look to people to fulfill that desire for us. We look to our things – and in particular, our technology. We find inspiration, motivation, and ultimately leadership online. And yes, there’s a plethora of influencers producing content (that may eventually just be created by AI), but I would argue that none of these influencers are really leading us.

Instead, we are being led by the algorithm.

We’ve allowed our hearts’ path to be dictated by a series of codes.

Technology quickly becomes the Lord of our lives. 

This is why we see videos espousing the benefits of bedrotting. Why do we have new words and concepts that are all about how we are living ever more deeply in the virtual world rather than the real world around us? And why people are arguing that it’s okay?

How have we twisted our understanding of what is beneficial to include laying in bed all day staring out a screen, mindlessly scrolling and consuming? 

Self-Care vs. Soul Care

In our podcast on soul care, we talked about how self-care prioritizes our own needs and wants while sacrificing the needs of others around us (and again culture tells us that is necessary and beneficial to do that). However, we said that soul care was a way of tending to your mind and body that will make it stronger, more productive, and more resilient. We see this dichotomy in the following situation: Self-care is a day spent bedrotting and phubbing while you escape into your screens ignoring the world around you. Soul-care is a day spent with people, maybe on a hike or making a yummy dinner and eating around the dinner table. One is spent consuming. The other is spent producing. 

In the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the author describes the relationship between the production of desired results and production capability, the ability or asset that produces the result. He uses the example of the story of the goose that lays golden eggs. The golden eggs are the result, but you can’t kill the goose that lays it to get more golden eggs. You have to give the goose time, while taking care of it, to allow it to lay more eggs. I think our conversation on soul care speaks directly to this. We want to produce more and be more productive, but we often don’t give ourselves enough time and care to do so. The conversation on self-care asks us to prioritize certain things, but I believe that they are the wrong things. 

Laying in bed all day is not going to inspire and motivate you in the long run, especially if you spend that day watching puppy videos on YouTube. It is a waste of time. And time is what we really need to utilize if we want to be productive for God’s kingdom. We live purposefully and intentionally with the goal of bringing the most glory to God. 

So are you looking for some ways to not waste time while also glorifying God and caring for your soul?

50+ Ways to Care for Your Soul

Crafting Useful Tools and Trinkets

1. Soapmaking
2. Candlemaking
3. Woodworking
4. Jewelry Making
5. Basket Weaving
6. Calligraphy (and Handwriting)
7. Scrapbooking
8. Sewing
9. Knitting 
10. Crocheting
11. Embroidery
12. Quilting
13. Punch Needle Hooking
14. Painting
15. Drawing
16. Weaving

Soul Care In the Kitchen

1. Learn Breadmaking
2. Meal Planning for your favorite healthy, homecooked meals
3. Brewing Kambuncha or Other Favorite Drinks
4. Become a Barista at Home
5. Have a daily family mealtime

Get Soul Care Outside

1. Try Gardening
2. Go for a Hike
3. Start a Nature Journal 
4. Bring a Book to Read Outside
5. Go to your favorite (type) of place as a child and spend a day there

Reading, Writing, and Thinking Deeply

1. Start a Reading Challenge to Read More
2. Join a Book Club 
3. Start a Common Place book
4. Do your Morning Pages
5. Curate a list of favorite podcasts to listen to

Get closer to God

1. Start a Daily Quiet Time with God
2. Pray regularly 
3. Go to your church every week
4. Start memorizing scripture
5. Practice Gratitude
6. Be hospitable to your family, friends, church family, and community.

Spend More Time with People

1. Weekly Date with a Friend
2. Start Camping
3. Make a Double Batch of Food and Invite Someone Over to Your House
4. Start Regular Playdates to Connect
5. Talk with someone every day about how they are doing. 

Practicing Soul Care in Community

Do you notice what our list includes? Almost all our ways to think more deeply about life. Almost all our ways are to connect with God, nature, and our physical world and produce something – whether that is deep thoughts or an actual physical object.

We practice soul care when we turn away from the spiraling thoughts that screens create and we choose to focus on our ability to produce. And then, focus on actually producing something of value for the world around us.

As 7 Habits of Highly Effective People would phrase it, we focus on sharpening the saw. We focus on personal growth. But, our growth has a ‘win-win’ effect because it allows us to also bless others. Through baking, we can make yummy treats to take to our neighbors. Through a nature journal, we begin to recognize how important it is to steward the beautiful earth we’ve been given. Through beginning a commonplace book, we can begin to think more deeply about what we’ve read and ultimately teach others about what we’ve learned.

In all of these things, we are lifting up others while also caring for our own souls. What could be more beautiful than that? 

Don’t forget to join our Newsletter to get regular updates on posts from the blog and get insider access to devotionals and other printables in our Subscriber Library. You can also subscribe to The More Beautiful Life Collective Podcast wherever you are listening to podcasts. Season 1 is focusing on habits that create a spiritually vibrant life. All of these will help you to better care for your soul!