5 Types of Rest You Need

Ever pull an all-nighter in college? We’ve all been there. What about playing the role of first-time parent knee-deep in the newborn stage? Both instances require enough rest and probably a little sleep too. The act of sleeping is self-explanatory, but do you know exactly what rest is and the different types of rest you need?

The dictionary definition reads as, cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself or recover strength.

What you may not know is that rest isn’t just about getting a sufficient amount of sleep at night. There are multiple ways of resting you should adopt.

Physical Rest

When done correctly, being physically rested means you’ve curbed exhaustion and have incorporated a certain amount of rest into your day. Physical rest is a mixture of sleeping enough and adding in activities that give your body the restoration it needs. For example, performing yoga, doing breathing exercises, and stretching are all passive examples of physical rest. If it’s working, you’ll find yourself yawning less and acting more.

Mental/Emotional Rest

Ever feel like you’re in a mental fog? You can’t focus on things the way you want, you feel more negative in your responses, or your brain won’t turn off when it’s appropriate to. Give yourself the opportunity to step back and take breaks. In fact, be proactive by building breaks into your day to provide the mental rest needed through meditation or just by “turning it off.” If you’re someone who finds themselves up at night thinking about things, put a notepad next to your bed so you can jot down ideas as they come to mind or keep the notes app open on your phone to capture the information filling your mind.

Emotional rest is all about voicing and talking challenges. Lean on friends, family members, therapists, or whoever you’re comfortable talking to. Mental health and anxiety can be debilitating when not managed appropriately. Find someone to confide in and although yourself to work through it.

Spiritual Rest

This type of rest is about finding your sense of purpose. Whatever provides that for you, turn to it and feed off the energy it exudes. Spiritual rest gives you the grounding needed and helps you take a pause and reevaluate where you’re at. Engage in prayer, meditation, or whatever allows you to tap into your spiritual beings and make sure it is consistently implemented into your daily routine.

Social Rest

Depending on if you’re someone who gets drained in a social atmosphere or finds energy through one, you’ll have to step back in some way or another and disconnect, from your devices, specifically. Spend quality time with loved ones and cut ties with those who bring more angst to your life than anything else.

Sensory Rest

Devices have a way of overstimulating. Catch up on this type of rest by pushing technology to the side and getting outside. However, there’s no hiding the fact that it’s 2021, so whether work or life-related, sometimes you can’t keep the screen off or away. In those situations, ask yourself if staring at the screen is necessary, and if not, ask yourself if it’s really the decompression or “rest” you need. If scrolling gives you any sort of anxiety, put the iPhone down.

Which type of rest do you need to incorporate into your daily practices more? Share your thoughts by commenting below.