7 different types of rest and why you need them
Explore the 7 different types of rest that your body needs to support your daily well-being and avoid burnout even when you’re busy and have no time.
Is life so busy, that there’s no time to rest right now?
Do you sometimes wake up in the morning still feeling exhausted, even though you slept well?
Is sleep something you struggle with and therefore find it hard to motivate and energise yourself through the day?
There’s no denying the deep healing that happens when we sleep but did you know that SLEEP and REST are two different things?
You might get 7-8 hours of sleep and still feel exhausted because life is so full-on when you’re awake.
You might find it hard to switch off at night because you’re overstimulated through the day.
You might find yourself waking up in the night or distracted through the day because you’ve got a head full of worries and the weight of the world on your mind.
Restoration is a conscious act of self-care and self-preservation, it allows your body to repair, rebalance, and restore anything that is feeling out of whack.
Rest is what you need for your body to be in (and come back to) a state of well-being.
“I’m so busy, there’s no time to rest right now.”
I’d be rich if I got a £1 every time I heard these words ;-)
I get it, rest means stopping right?
No.
Rest means slowing down for long enough your body can naturally rebalance itself.
Rest means switching off the logical, analytical part of your brain and allowing some creative, intuitive thoughts to flow in.
Rest means closing some of those open tabs in your mind so you can focus.
Conscious forms of rest help you perform better and BE the best version of yourself.
If you know you’re going to be busy, planning time to rest in your diary will help you manage the stress in your body. After all, stress is supposed to be short-lived but for that to be a reality you need to give yourself a break.
Think about this; what are you doing that’s keeping you so busy? What type of activities are you most absorbed in right now?
For example, if you’re busy with meetings, social gatherings, or managing your team for a deadline you will benefit most from social and sensory rest.
Think of rest as the sidekick for your productivity; the yin to the yang. It’s a surefire way to reset and refocus when you’re busy.
Here are seven different types of rest you need regularly to regulate your body
Some will resonate more than others and this might be because they’re the types of rest you get least often and therefore are likely to need the most.
Others will help you appreciate the time you are already dedicating to rest but didn’t realise were so supportive of your well-being.
Hopefully understanding the types of rest you need and appreciating how they could look in your life will encourage you to explore more of those activities or experiences so you can reap the benefits and feel your best more of the time.
These are in no particular order, all of them are as important as each other and many link together nicely, everything is connected after all! Let’s start with the (almost) most obvious…
PHYSICAL REST
When do you need it?
You’re run-down, tired, or tense and achy. Maybe you’ve been exercising more recently, or your work involves a lot of physical activity. You might spend the weekend running around after your kids, or simply running around doing all of the things for everyone at work, home, and in-between!
What could it look like?
Although this is the most obvious one in terms of knowing when your body needs it, there are more ways to explore it than you might think…
The favorite; have a nap. The key is to keep it short and be mindful of the time of day you take it. I can highly recommend a guided relaxation or Yoga Nidra as an alternative that will be mentally and spiritually beneficial too!
The classic; get an early night. You know the drill but my top tip is to have a wind-down routine including no screen time and a book or audio track in bed rather than telly at least 30 minutes before sleep.
The mindful choice; yoga, especially restorative yoga, is a form of exercise that is practiced mindfully so although it’s more active than a nap, yoga helps your body release tension from your body, can help relieve physical pain, and clear your mind.
The salty soak… a good old-fashioned bath with a handful of Epsom salts which break down into magnesium and sulfate in water. help relieve pain and muscular tension, and loosen stiff joints as they absorb into your skin.
What other calmer, slower activities help your body feel less tense, heavy, or tired?
MENTAL REST
Why do you need it?
With so many distractions going on around us and the amount of digital stimulation we consume daily, taking time out regularly is super important to help relieve the pressure and avoid overloading your mind.
If your head feels full, you’re feeling frazzled, or you’re carrying a lot of personal worries around, these are signs you might need some mental rest; aka some rest for your mind.
What could it look like?
Journalling. Jot down your thoughts. This is one of my favourite practices and even though you may not like to journal, this is an exercise that helps you process how you're feeling about everything you have going on right now.
Deep breathing. Take some slow deep breaths to reset when things feel full-on. It could be for just 10 minutes with a cup of tea in your hand. This is a simple yet powerful way to drop from your head and reconnect to your body. Slow down and deepen your inhale to engage your diaphragm, and release your exhale slowly to remind your body to let go and relax. Think of the exhale as your body’s ‘off’ switch.
Meditation is a great one for giving your logical, analytical, and busy brain a break. It doesn’t need to be for too long but the more often you practice meditation the better the results will be. If you want to begin a morning meditation practice, I have a morning mindset ritual for you here.
Get outside. The simple act of changing your environment will change how you feel. When I want to clear my head I get outside for a walk, a run or simply stand in the garden while I have a cup of tea. Resist staring into your phone, instead notice sounds, colours, and patterns around you in nature. Be mindful of spending too much time sitting at a screen and switch to a different mode of thinking, noticing, and experiencing.
Do something different. Neuroscience has proven that when you are stuck on an idea or a problem changing the activity you are doing and focusing on something completely different helps to reset the brain. Have you ever gone for a walk to get away from your desk and a problem you’re facing only to have the solution appear to you mid-walk? Or perhaps you’ve been reading a book at night and seemingly out of nowhere the idea you couldn’t quite piece together slots into place? These lightbulb moments happen when we choose to do something different and give ourselves permission to step away for a while, allowing our brain to function and flow fully rather than staying stuck in the rigid mindset that’s getting us nowhere.
SOCIAL REST
When do you need it?
We are social creatures and although we value connection with one another and seek community, there will be people, experiences, and activities that drain us. Begin to notice what situations make your energy drop. Notice what you were doing right before periods of utter exhaustion. Life is busy and our social interactions require a lot of attention and energy from us. Working environments, meetings, social gatherings, family time, and dating can deplete your inner resources quickly. It's good to notice who and what situations drain you the most so you can limit them weekly, create healthy boundaries around them, and step away for some downtime now and then.
What could it look like?
When was the last time you had some quality time for yourself, or with an intimate group of people you felt totally at ease with? Social rest doesn’t need to be isolating yourself for an entire weekend, (although this can be highly beneficial when you need it!) it is about being mindful of your energy and your changing capacity for social interactions.
Secluded self-care is a precious thing. Run a bath, light some candles, and put on a playlist or some calming music. Do some yoga at home, pop on your favorite movie, or cook yourself a delicious meal. The simplest things can have the biggest impact on your well-being because they are so effortless to do. If you know you have a busy week ahead plan some time for self-care in whatever form you choose to recharge.
Go for a stroll with a close friend, or walk in nature on your own simply noticing sounds, colours, and how you feel. Stepping away from the noise and getting into the fresh air helps to ground you and reconnect you to yourself and nature.
Say no to things that deplete you when you’re already feeling worn out. It’s OK to say no; “Tonight isn’t good for me”, or “I would love to but it will need to be another time." It can be hard and FOMO is real but your body will thank you. Trust yourself, no one knows you better than yourself. I would rather go for dinner with friends when I am feeling 100% and can fully enjoy every moment of their presence than deplete myself further and risk not being my best self.
Connect with your closest companions for an intimate relaxed night in. Do you know the people who you can have comfortable silence with? Those are the people that you’ll be happiest socialisng with when you’re feeling socially exhausted. Sharing some simple yet delicious food or cosying up with a good film can be equally nurturing for your body and mind.
This is the permission slip to spend some time alone, to know it’s OK to be by yourself for a little while, or with a small group of loved ones.
CREATIVE REST
Why do you need it?
Creative rest is a way of doing LESS so you can BE more. You need to feel inspired, uplifted and energised to feel motivated but sometimes it’s like your spark has gone out, or there’s been so much to do you’ve run out of fuel. We are programmed to be ‘ON’ all the time and we overthink and analyse everything we do. It’s important to change things up regularly, doing something different, challenging our brains and dropping from logical thinking into creative and intuitive thinking. This is an invitation to give the most overworked parts of your brain a time-out and allow space for new thoughts, ideas and realisations to come in. Creative rest is about recharging your brain with something new, finding inspiration, or a fresh perspective, whatever that means for you.
What could it look like?
Read a book by someone who inspires you or escape with a fiction novel. I started a book club with colleagues from my old job and it was such a welcome change to do something different, have new conversations and get to know each other in a new light.
Attend a mindful or creative workshop and learn something new. What interests you? What would you love to try but are a bit nervous about? Candle-making, breath-work, goal-setting and visioning, language classes, movement classes, and panel talks with experts on your favourite topic are all available to you online and in person! Embrace what interests you, be brave and try something new.
Visit a gallery, go to a show or attend a talk. See something you haven’t seen before, hear from people with a different outlook or who live a lifestyle you aspire to., and open yourself up to being inspired, educated and empowered!
Use your hands, get messy with art or baking, try out something you saw on Pinterest or YouTube, and be playful, explorative and curious. Go wild or keep it simple!
EMOTIONAL REST
Why do you need it?
This is about switching off and tuning in. Just as you can experience physical burnout you can experience emotional burnout for the same reasons. If you have spent too long carrying too many worries, stress hormones will be playing havoc with your body and this is when your body puts the breaks on and says no more. We can worry about everything and everyone else pushing our own needs to the bottom of the list. We can get caught up in worries about things that haven’t happened or happened years ago. Something to realise is your body cannot tell the difference between an imagined experience or one from the past, and an experience happening in the present moment. Emotions will be felt and the relevant response/chemical release will be activated in your body.
What could it look like?
You could grab a journal and write things down; the good, the bad, your dreams, fears, and worries. No one needs to read what you’ve written, this is to help you acknowledge and process how you are feeling and from there you can choose the next best step for you.
Chat things out with a close friend. Emotional rest is about finding ways to express your emotions freely, giving them space whether privately or with a trusted friend, and honoring your emotional needs. We spend our lives pushing things down and bottling our feelings up so think of emotional rest as a way of allowing your feelings to be released so you don’t burst!
Have a good cry! Sometimes we need a physical release of tears to help our body let go of the tension in our body. You might have a favourite sad song that can stir up emotion or a memory, and it can feel good to let yourself feel sad for a little while and honor your feelings.
Scream, stamp, dance! Self-expression doesn’t need to be neat and tidy, it gets to be messy and fully YOU! When you’re angry or frustrated it can feel good to let yourself stamp your feet and scream (into a pillow if worried about your neighbours) and honor how you are feeling. movement is a great way to free up any stuck energy and can help complete our stress cycle, so embrace movement as medicine!
Create a sanctuary and enjoy secluded self-care with scents, scents, and soothing practices to help you feel calmer, more connected, and safe within your body. Here’s a beautiful technique to help soothe your nervous system when feeling emotionally drained.
SENSORY REST
Why do you need it?
Social media, apps, emails on your phone, work emails on your phone, WhatsApp groups, Facebook groups, busy traffic on the roads, loud music, the sound of people talking on the bus, noisy gyms, people in the office, and the list goes on. Sensory rest is needed because your senses are being overloaded, you can think of it as downtime for your senses. If you spend the day working with children in a room with bright lights and lots of noise, at night you might prefer some alone time and create a quieter, calmer environment. When I am feeling anxious I am more sensitive to sound, this is because my sympathetic nervous system has been activated and my hearing has been heightened. I know this is when I need to pop my headphones in when I’m in busy places or change my playlist to something more calming.
Sensory rest tends to go hand in hand with social or mental rest. You may have noticed they are all connected because everything comes together for overall well-being. These are all great ways to relieve your body of any sensory stress and tension created throughout the day, and avoid burnout.
What could it look like?
Choose a soothing playlist to eat dinner with, and sit at a table rather than in front of the telly.
Dimming the lights or opting for candlelight will help relax the muscles around your eyes which may be feeling strained from focusing all day. essential oils can be hugely beneficial as your sense of smell is so connected to your emotional well-being.
Put your phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’ (only for a little while if you can’t do this for long). Making yourself less available will also mean you feel less activated so you can wind down.
Reduce your screen time and app usage especially at night if you tend to spend most of the day at a screen.
Swap your phone or telly for a book before bed. 30-60 minutes before you fall asleep is a good amount of time to spend minimising the stimulation to your brain.
SPIRITUAL REST
Why do you need it?
We spend a lot of our time giving to others and putting our energy into external experiences. We tend to prioritise everything else before our own needs and lose ourselves a little along the way. Spiritual rest is about self-awareness, self-connection, and spiritual connection through ancient practices. Making time to connect to yourself and the present moment is so important for regulating your nervous system and supporting your daily health and wellbeing however, we can be guilty of avoiding it completely! Grounding yourself, dedicating time to a spiritual restorative practice that benefits your whole body and encourages mind-body connection.
What could it look like?
Meditation and mindfulness are proven techniques to help you feel calmer, more self-aware, and more present. Close the door to any distractions and reconnect with your inner world through mindfulness, I promise those few moments will raise your energy levels!
Aspirational journalling is a great way to connect with your desires, dreams, and future self. Journalling helps you get out of a fixed mindset and into intuitive, creative thinking.
Visioning or Yoga Nidra are two similar but different ways to use your mind and imagination to create a new mindset, set powerful intentions, and connect to your Higher Self.
Chanting, yoga, drumming, qi gong, praying, attending a sound bath, even walking in a beautiful place in nature are all powerful ways to explore and deepen your spiritual connection.
Breathwork. Sometimes 5-10 minutes of conscious and mindful breathing is enough to feel like you’ve hit the reset button. You can find breathing techniques and other spiritual practices within my journal here.
Rest means respecting the fact you can’t be ON all the time, and your resilience to stress and busyness doesn’t need to be worn like a badge of honor.
Rest reminds you to do things with purpose and intention.
Rest is something you get to do consciously, and you get to do it your way.
Most of all, it gets to be simple, short, and sweet when you need it to be.
My friend, you can't serve from an empty cup so find ways to fill yourself up. When you keep yourself topped up you feel like your whole self more often and the people around you will reap the benefit too, it’s the ripple effect!
Big love,
Becki
