We all acknowledge the necessity of rest, yet we seldom allow ourselves this luxury. And when we do, guilt often creeps in.
With work and family commitments, and for some, the fixation on ‘staying busy’, ‘being productive’, or keeping up with social media trends, we can be overtired and start each day with an energy (and enthusiasm) deficit.
Dragging ourselves through yet another day without proper rest. Only to find ourselves starting again with an inevitable feeling of Groundhog Day.
It might seem ludicrous that so many of us have forgotten HOW to rest and have overlooked this essential component of a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
But what is rest?
You already know what rest is, but let’s review the basics again. The Oxford Dictionary defines rest as “cease work or movement in order to relax, sleep or recover strength”. Seems pretty simple, huh?
But when we break down this definition, it essentially says that rest (stopping work or movement) is required or needed to achieve relaxation, sleep, or recovery. Of course, this makes sense because humans are not perpetual activity machines that are always turned on, doing something, and never resting.
But that’s how so many of us have adapted to cope with the ongoing stresses of life, work, family, and all the other stuff. We barely remember to put ourselves on to charge overnight and then start all over again without allowing our batteries to ever fully recharge.
If getting to sleep is one of your major challenges, take a peek at our article Nine Tips for a Better Night Sleep.
Oh, but I don’t have time to rest.
Time has become an influential commodity of modern life. For some, ‘lack of time’ symbolises their importance and value in society. But others have realised that time is our most valuable resource on this planet.
If, like me, you have already lived more than half of your life on this planet, you will have already noticed that as we waste this valuable resource of time, we become increasingly frustrated with this often waning commodity of time.
And who would want to squander this valuable resource by resting?
If you’ve ever commented on how quickly the weeks, months, and years pass, you would understand the value of this ever-depleting commodity.
But how many of us misuse our valuable time on things that really don’t serve us? Hours staring blankly at a TV monitor or a computer screen. Years in a destructive or dysfunctional relationship. Decades in a low-paying, unsatisfying job.
Admittedly, we all squander our valuable time on things that are of no value to us. No amount of money or concentration can enable us to retrieve the time lost on pointless activities.
In contrast, rest, with all of its negative connotations, judgements and social expectations, is, by and large, one of the only techniques effective enough to replenish our energy – physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Learning to rest during perimenopause
As we enter midlife and begin to notice hormonal shifts in our bodies, we can see that rest is as important as, if not more valuable than, time.
Herbalist Susun Weed suggests that as perimenopausal sensations begin to build momentum, a woman may often seek solitude. This time away from responsibilities (if you can manage it) to recharge your batteries can be one of the most valuable ways to ease your way naturally through the menopausal transition and build up your energy for the more exciting part of midlife – regeneration and new beginnings.
The benefits of rest
We all know that we should rest more, but that little guilty voice in our heads can convince us that it’s just not worth it. In all honesty, a thorough discussion on the benefits of rest is beyond the scope of this article (perhaps I will in the future dedicate an article solely to this subject).
While most people are intellectually aware of the benefits of rest, implementing these strategies and techniques and the often seemingly unattainable concept of rest affect our waking lives.
But just to run through quickly (hey, you know this stuff), the benefits of rest include (but are not limited to):
🔸 clearer thinking,
🔸 better decision-making,
🔸 reduced stress levels,
🔸 better digestion,
🔸lower blood pressure,
🔸 improved sleep,
🔸 clearer communication in relationships,
Yeah, I could really go on here.
But you get the picture.
The origins of the seven types of rest
Granted, people have been resting for quite a while, but modern folks really need some recalibration and a better understanding of rest.
Physician Saundra Dalton-Smith introduces the seven types of rest in her 2017 book Sacred Rest. Like any great awakening, she describes the different types of rest in a manner that will make you wonder: Hey, this is pretty obvious. But even the most obvious things, the things that are hidden right beneath our noses, are often the things that we need someone else to draw our attention to.
What are the seven types of rest?
When I first encountered these seven types of rest, I realised that I had been trying to focus on just one kind of rest – physical rest. But I was desperately overlooking the influence of all the other types of rest. I soon learned that rest needs to be acquired in many different forms. While some of you will try to achieve all seven, I assure you that will not be possible – resting is not something you can train to perfection.
Bringing awareness to these different types of rest can be helpful for identifying where you are losing energy and where a beneficial area to direct your focus would be.
So let’s get into it.
The seven types of rest
Physical rest
By far the most obvious of the resting types, many of us just can’t find the time to physically rest. Difficulty sleeping, additional responsibilities, worries, and anxiety can be barriers to ever achieving physical rest.
Mental rest
Remember when you had to ‘defrag’ your desktop computer every now and then to free up space for it to work properly? Yeah, we need to do that for the living computer we have in our heads. Allowing ourselves some downtime, away from work, computers, ‘achieving’ and ‘doing’, can enable our brains to process that day’s activities properly, resulting in a refreshed perspective on life.
Emotional rest
Gosh, just writing about emotional rest can be tiring. If you are a parent, a carer, or in any profession or field where you are working closely with others, you will find emotional rest to be one of your most important types of rest. Difficulties with relationships, partners, children, work colleagues or friends can rapidly increase your need for emotional rest.
Sensory rest
While spending time in a floatation tank may not be your preferred relaxation therapy, let’s use this as an example of sensory rest. If you’ve ever gotten home after a big hectic holiday or from a busy day at work and just wanted to lie on the floor and stare at the ceiling, then you? ‘ll know what this type of rest is about. Feeling overstimulated in this frantic world is fast becoming the norm for many of us. And being able to switch off and not have any kind of stimulation (social media, internet, TV, mobile phone, etc.) is like the ultimate remedy for the modern frazzled mind.
Creative rest
Constantly producing, creating, and being productive can significantly deplete our creativity stores. Creativity doesn’t only apply to those who are considered to be ‘creative’ in their work; it refers to anyone who is continuously producing or productive during their day. Having time to take a break from work, pursue hobbies, or engage in a craft is essential to achieving creative rest.
Social rest
When you’re over ‘peopling’ and just need some time to yourself (even if you’re an extravert), social rest can be a challenging type of rest to achieve. So many of us are easily accessible – phone calls, text messages, WhatsApp, social media, social events, work and so on can rarely leave us with an opportunity to take a breath and just be with our own thoughts. Spending time alone, with close family or practising self-care is an essential part of the balance in this world of always being ‘on’ and contactable.
Spiritual rest
Like social rest, spiritual rest is difficult to achieve when we are constantly in contact with others. Time for prayers, meditation, time in nature or any spiritual practice that you find grounding can bring a greater feeling of peace and happiness in your life.
Using the different types of rest to your advantage
When we think beyond the idea of rest only being physical and begin to understand that we need different types of rest, then we can structure our time and days to accommodate our specific rest needs.
Allocating days without social media, turning off your phone or boycotting your laptop can allow you to not only achieve physical rest but also recharge your soul with mental, emotional, sensory, creative, social and spiritual rest.
Finding time each day to practice your resting techniques and learn to switch off, disconnect, and draw your energy within is one of the best strategies for ensuring that your batteries are charged and that you are capable and present in each moment of your day.
The key takeaways regarding rest
I learned many years ago from an army veteran that you should rest wherever and whenever possible. Make the most of those moments to recharge your batteries and replenish your reserves because you just don’t know what could be around the corner. You need to be fully (or as best you can) ready for the event.
Even if you cannot, for whatever reason, seem to get the physical rest that you need to recharge, sometimes recouping your losses with other types of rest can enable you to float to the surface and feel more energetic. Finding ways that you can achieve mental or sensory rest can sometimes be enough to allow you to feel a little more rested, even if a big Sleeping Beauty slumber on a tropical island is what you really feel like you need.
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