Reframing Rest - The 7 Types of Rest Your Body Needs

Are you burned out, tired, fatigued? We are a nation of perfectionists always striving for better, working harder, longer hours to reach the next target and accomplish our goals. We think to stop is to be lazy and we live in a constant state of stress, pushing ourselves beyond limits often because we fear failure. 

Many of us wait to rest until we’re so exhausted we have no other choice, so perhaps we don't fully understand the power of rest. 

What does rest mean to you? It could be binge watching a series on netflix, or sleeping a good solid 8 hours, but have you ever had a good solid night's sleep and woken up still feeling exhausted? Chances are you’re not getting enough of the other 6 types of rest the body needs. The dictionary definition of rest is to cease work or movement in order to relax, sleep, or recover strength but is it still rest if the body is still and the mind is racing? 

Dr Dalton-Smith suggests that sleep and rest are not the same thing. In her book Sacred Rest she talks about the concept of needing 7 different kinds of rest: mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, social, sensory and creative. 

Physical Rest 

Is your body feeling physically drained? Physical rest is allowing the body to recover through lack of movement or activity like sleeping. However active physical rest also allows the body to recover from restorative activities such as walking, yoga, massage and pranayama (breathing techniques). Stimulation of the lymphatic system and circulation helps your muscles to relax as well as improving your quality of sleep. This doesn't have to be a full yoga class, it could be as simple as a ten minute stretch throughout the day. Gentle restorative yin yoga is perfect for recuperating the mind and body. 

Mental Rest

I’ve been there, spreadsheets by day, wired all night! If your occupation relies mainly on your mental resources tiredness tends to come in the form of irritation, loss of concentration and ‘brain fog’. Mental rest is about stepping away from your thoughts and switching off the brain. Calming the chatter with mindfulness meditation or scheduling short breaks throughout the day away from your computer. Journaling nightly can help you to let those thoughts go by mind dumping them onto paper so you can have a good night's sleep. Or if you prefer digital, Trello is a great tool. 

Emotional Rest

Do you feel anxious, unappreciated, disconnected, depressed? Putting on a brave face can be exhausting over time. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable and acknowledging your feelings rather than hiding them is seeking emotional rest. Journaling, counselling, talking to a friend or family member can be really helpful to build your emotional resilience and provide that emotional rest your body craves. 

Spiritual Rest

Spiritual rest is feeling aligned to our life's purpose, having a feeling of belonging, love and acceptance. If you feel disconnected from your soul's purpose relief can be found in art, volunteering, meditation, prayer, yoga, joining a support group, working on something really close to your heart or seeking guidance from a life coach.

Social Rest

Energy is exchanged in every relationship, some people pull on your energy more than others. It’s important to recognise this so you can take a step back. Feeling overwhelmed by others demands may mean you need some social rest. This could be setting boundaries, asking for help or spending time with people who are supportive and inspire you.

Sensory Rest

Eye strain, headaches, overwhelm, we have all experienced sensory overload from glowing screens throughout lockdown. Phones, tv’s, zoom calls, face time, bright lights in offices, all this over stimulation means you need to schedule in periods of stimulation-free time throughout the day. Find somewhere peaceful, switch off and unplug. Remember doing nothing is not lazy!

Creative Rest 

Are you lacking in motivation or inspiration? Perhaps you need some creative rest. You don't have to be an artist to be creative, this includes any activity involving the imagination or problem solving. Creative rest is stepping outside with nature, enjoying the beauty, becoming more in touch with your sense of wonder, exploring art, music, even hanging wall art of calming scenes in your home or office. Seeking out new and interesting things can help to restore your creative spirit. 

Reframing Rest 

We guilt ourselves out of rest and into high achieving every single day, it’s important that we reframe rest as a positive necessity rather than a negative lazy activity.

Take some time to explore the type of rest your body is craving. What small adjustments could you make to give your heart and soul the rest it's asking for?

Life doesn't always have to be about doing more, positive results can be found in restorative inaction, doing less and welcoming peace and stillness.