Seven Types of Rest - Why Time Off Didn’t Recharge You

If you’ve ever wondered why you can take time to relax and slow down over the holidays but still come back feeling drained and low energy, or woken up from a full night’s sleep still feeling just as exhausted as when you went to bed the night before, this article will help explain some potential reasons why, and how you can get the rest you’re looking for.

“But I feel guilty for resting…”

First, a quick note: if the holidays are one of the few times you really allow yourself to pause and make time for rest without feeling bad about it, you may need to shift your thinking about what rest really means before you’ll be able to get much out of it.

It can be easy to buy into the idea that resting is the same as being lazy, unproductive, or unmotivated. The truth is that good rest is the best way to prevent burnout, manage big emotions, think clearly, and be mentally and emotionally present and aware of the things we appreciate about our lives.

It is important to reframe the idea of rest to be less about sleeping or doing nothing, and to realize that it is actually the way we talk about “a form of self-care that decreases the tension, so when that stressful phone call or email comes, you won’t snap.” That’s not nothing. That’s crucial if we want to enjoy participating in our lives, interacting with the people we come across, and feeling our best as we do.

Rest is an essential part of our wellbeing, and there is nothing lazy about taking care of yourself. If you would spend time, money, effort, and energy caring for your vehicle so you can get around smoothly, or for your home so it can be an enjoyable space to be in, or for your pets so they can be healthy and enjoy themselves, you can and should give yourself even more care and careful attention through high-quality rest!

The Seven Types of Rest

You already know that you need to take care of different aspects of yourself to feel your best, but you may not have considered how that same concept applies to how you rest. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith wrote a great book called “Sacred Rest” where she explains the seven types of rest we need at different times to feel refreshed and reenergized. Let’s explore how you can use this framework to get real, restorative rest when you need it most and turn down the volume on your stress.

Physical Rest

If you go to the gym regularly or have a job that involves a lot of physical work or raise kids who seem to run on endless energy, you understand this idea. Physical rest is when we give our bodies time to rest and recover from lots of activity. This can look like taking a nap, going for a walk or run if we’ve been still all day, stretching, taking a day off from the gym, or getting a massage. It’s about using physical input (or a lack of that input) to relieve some of the demands on our bodies.

Mental Rest

This is what we mean when we say “I need some time off” or “why don’t you take a break for a little while?” When we give ourselves mental rest, we are unplugging from the things that keep our minds busy every day so we can sort things through, better process information, and stay more alert and mindful. If you’ve ever felt like your brain was stuffed full after trying to digest a heady textbook or an hours-long all-staff meeting at work, you know the feeling of needing some mental rest. This might mean turning off your phone or laptop, taking time to meditate, or distracting yourself with something “mindless” like a game or some small-talk.

Emotional Rest

When it seems like the emotional toll of life just keeps demanding more from you, even more sleep or going for your usual run to process the feelings may not be enough. Emotional rest means finding ways to maintain our own emotional balance without needing to care for the emotions of others at the same time. This kind of time for yourself can be tricky to create if you are a primary caregiver (like parenting young children), but everyone in your life will see the benefits of it, even if you start small. You can get that emotional rest by talking to a trusted friend, setting boundaries and avoiding stressful situations, being alone for a few minutes, or spending time in nature without your phone or people or situations you feel you need to manage.

Sensory Rest

Whether it’s an escape from bright fluorescent lights and the ping of emails and messages in the office or a few minutes of doomscrolling in a quiet house after everyone else has fallen asleep, we all need a break from the constant sensory input we experience everyday. Finding rest from sounds, light, textures, and other stimuli is an important type of rest that helps avoid feeling overwhelmed when your partner asks you how your day was. This can look like turning off the tv or your phone, having a bath, using noise cancelling headphones or weighted blankets, or turning off the lights and closing your eyes just to “reset” in the quiet for a few minutes.

Creative Rest

Think of creative rest as making opportunities to do something just for the enjoyment and curiosity of it. You don’t have to consider yourself a creative person to benefit from this type of rest, you just have to be willing to take a step back from always needing to be productive or profitable and let yourself have fun with it. This kind of rest might mean picking up a hobby (without monetizing it or pressuring yourself to do it perfectly), leaving work tasks at work, or making something just because, like baking or painting or music or journaling.

Social Rest

Even extroverts have a limit to how much socializing they can do before they need to unplug. Social rest is about giving yourself space to maintain your boundaries and sense of self before social burnout creeps up and resentment seeps into your relationships. You can practice this kind of rest by running errands or going for coffee or lunch by yourself, turning down an invitation when you know you are already exhausted, setting a boundary in a relationship you’re always (and only) giving to, or letting a friend know that you only have 45 minutes to chat this afternoon instead of staying all day.

Spiritual Rest

You may have a faith that you engage in to find this kind of rest, but if you don’t you can still find meaningful practices that help you feel grounded and purposeful and restore you. This kind of rest might look like participating in your church or faith community, praying, meditating, or volunteering for a cause that is close to your heart. Spiritual rest feels restful because it fulfils our need for deeper meaning in everyday life, and that can look differently in different seasons of life for everyone.

Conclusion

Sleep is just one kind of rest, and with all seven of these approaches in your toolbox, you’ll be able to engage in the kind of rest you need to feel refreshed and restored (even without using up more sick days at work). If you’re not sure where to start, or finding time for yourself in the busyness of life is tricky, working with a trained counsellor is an investment that can help you discover ways to include more rest in your life.

Remember that it is more than okay to let yourself rest in ways that help you most. Your mind, body, and soul will feel the difference.