Self-Care In Terms of The Seven Types of Rest
You might be reading this title and asking yourself, as I did, “Wait, what?! There are seven different types of rest? What does that even mean?” Well, allow me to happily share with you…
In my previous self-care blog post, Your Guide to Consistent, Effective Self-Care, I define what self-care is (and isn’t) and why it’s so important. My current post acknowledges our human need for various types of rest and outlines factors that may contribute to certain types of exhaustion. Many of us think that if we go to bed and obtain sufficient hours of sleep, we should feel rested in the morning. But the human mind and body are a little more sensitive than we give it credit for.
Today, we’ll be focusing on self-care activities that may help you attend to the actual source of your exhaustion and, hopefully, help you feel more in-tune, grounded, and rested in your daily activities.
When you think about “resting” or relaxing,” what images come to mind?
If your answer was something like, “sleeping,” “scrolling on my phone,” or “watching Netflix,” then you are likely thinking along the belief that rest can only be achieved by physically taking a break. It’s true, sometimes we do need to take a physical rest and sometimes these activities can give us a sense of reprieve. …But what about when these activities don’t replenish your energy? That’s when it might be helpful to ask yourself:
1) Was there something about this activity that did not actually allow myself to rest?
2) What kind of rest do I actually need right now? (hint: consider one of the seven types of rest listed below!)
Can we feel exhausted in multiple ways, all at once?
Yes! Do you ever find yourself feeling stressed or overwhelmed by the state of our world, nation, or your local community? It’s easy to do these days. We have 24/7 access to tiny digital boxes that connect us to events occurring both near and far, and which are really good at claiming our attention with fear-inducing headlines or vivid images. This can take a toll on us mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. I encourage you to pay attention to how you feel after consuming social media and the news so that you can properly take care of yourself along the way. Learning how to attend to each of these types of exhaustion can help you prioritize which kind of rest you may need at any given moment, or give you the opportunity to attend to multiple types of rest, as needed.
Physical Rest
Physical rest is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: allowing our body to take a break from all the activity it does for us on a daily basis. Our nervous system consists of the sympathetic nervous system which is the “fight or flight” system helping us to increase bodily functions needed for physical exertion, and the parasympathetic system, which is the “rest and digest” system helping us to relax, digest, and engage in calming activities. This means that our bodies are often hard at work with both passive and active actions that keep us walking, talking, breathing, working, studying, and connecting with others. Our bodies need physical movement and they also need rest to recuperate energy.
Examples of Physical Rest:
Napping,
Protecting Bedtime Boundaries to ensure getting sufficient hours of sleep each night,
Creating a routine before bed to help your brain and body unwind, which may include stretching, attending to personal hygiene, or mindful meditation of some kind
Taking rest days from exercise routines
Getting a massage, or using a massage tool at home to support sore muscles
Mental Rest
Mental rest helps us recover from overthinking, racing thoughts, brain fog, and feeling mentally drained. Mental rest allows our complex, thinking brain to take a brief break from trying to solve problems or engage in critical thinking. When considering engaging in mental rest, consider engaging in tasks or activities that are not mentally taxing.
Examples of Mental Rest:
Taking regular brain-breaks throughout the work day
Listening to music
Watching a familiar TV show, so you don’t have to think about it too much or worry about being surprised/shocked by unexpected events
Sitting in silence
Reading a book for fun, especially if it is an “easy read” for you
Folding laundry or engaging in a repetitive task of some kind, about which you do not need to think too much
Working on a puzzle
Exercising
Emotional Rest
Emotional rest is expressing your emotions in an effective manner that allows you to acknowledge how you feel and consider what you need in order to move through that emotional experience. There is a lot we can learn from our emotions, and we are missing out on some significant internal cues when we are avoiding, denying, or otherwise “bottling up” our emotions. Emotions are meant to clue you in to a want, need, or experience so that you can learn something about yourself, your relationships, or something you have experienced.
Examples of Emotional Rest:
Expressing emotions
Journaling to offload your emotions
Going to Therapy in order to learn more about emotions, emotional expression, and emotion regulation tools
Allowing yourself and your emotions to be witnessed by others (e.g. family, friends, a partner, a therapist, etc.)
Sensory Rest
First, think about the 5 senses: Sight, Touch, Sound, Smell, and Taste. Sensory rest is allowing your senses to take a break from their otherwise typical vigilance of the world around you. Some of us are hyper-aware of our surroundings on a conscious level and some of us are more subconsciously practicing awareness of the world around us. Regardless, our bodies are often taking in information from a variety of sources, which depending on the situation and your vulnerabilities, can begin to feel incredibly overwhelming.
Examples of Sensory Rest:
Sleeping with an eye mask/black-out curtains, or while wearing ear plugs
Sitting in silence
Listening to soft, instrumental music at low decibel
Turning off and putting away devices
Taking breaks from staring at blue light on screens.
Turning down the lights or sitting in candle light
Taking a warm shower or using a hot tub
Eating your favorite candy or ice cream
Drinking your favorite coffee or tea
Social Rest
Social rest is taking a break from socializing in order to “recharge your social batteries”. There is an assumption that only introverts need time to recuperate from socializing, but the reality is that being around others typically means we are “on” with regard to practicing active listening, being aware of ourselves, paying attention to facial and body cues, and practicing communication skills, etc. There is a lot of effort that goes into social interactions, especially when networking or meeting new people, so taking some time to rest can be helpful.
Examples of Social Rest:
Taking time for yourself to engage in self-care, “me time”
Spending time with familiar friends/family/community in order to engage in meaningful or supportive connections
Nurturing important relationships
Setting boundaries in difficult relationships
Creative Rest
Creative rest is taking a break from brainstorming and problem-solving, especially within the context of coming up with creative solutions at a job, in your academics, or as solutions in your personal life. Sometimes creatives can feel burnout and hit a creative/writing block that makes it difficult to feel inspired and motivated to continue in their craft. Taking a creative break may mean pausing the “production” part of your craft while connecting with your muses, sources of inspiration, or feelings of awe and wonder. Or, taking a creative break may mean taking time to reconnect with your hobbies and crafts in a manner that is purely for fun.
Examples of Creative Rest:
Spending time in Nature
Connecting with a sense of awe or wonder
Allowing yourself to engage with your playful side or playful activities
Engaging in your favorite artistic craft, purely for fun (painting, drawing, story/poem writing, collage, crochet, embroidery, sewing, fashion design, etc.)
Playing your musical instrument or writing/creating music, by yourself or with others
Gardening
Spiritual Rest
Spiritual rest is taking time to increase flexible ways of thinking and connecting with activities or practices that bring you increased feelings of connection, meaning, or purpose. Sometimes we get stuck in rigid thinking patterns or put pressure on ourselves to “figure it all out”. Spiritual rest is giving ourselves a break to question or get curious about our experiences and beliefs, and explore different modes of thought.
Examples of Spiritual Rest:
Meditation
Prayer
Reflective practices
Reading scriptures or daily devotions
Communicating with or spending time with your spiritual community
Hiking in nature
Noticing the little details in nature or the gradual changes of each season in nature
Learning about different spiritual practices, across cultures or belief systems
Wishing you well as you incorporate new forms of rest into your daily life!
If you’re feeling burned out, overwhelmed, anxious, or exhausted, and are seeking the support of a therapist to make positive change in your life, check out my website or contact Dr. Allie
Disclaimer: Please note that the information offered via the Onward & Upward Blog, written and managed by Dr. Allison Meins, is not, nor is it intended to be, therapy or psychological advice. Established therapeutic relationship communications will be managed via telephone or email.
