If you spend most days feeling tired or wake up feeling exhausted even after a solid night, that’s a likely sign you’re not getting enough of the quality rest you need. Turns out there are seven types of rest everyone requires. And here, we’re talking rest, not just sleep.
"Rest is not the same thing as sleep," says Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, the author of Sacred Rest. "Rest encompasses the restorative activities we do that help us refill our tanks, which become depleted throughout the day. It truly re-energizes us.”
The kind of rest necessarily varies from person to person. “One size does not fit all when it comes to rest,” Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith says. “Everything you do draws from a different pool of energy. The best rest occurs when you revive the specific kinds of energy you regularly deplete.”
According to Dalton-Smith, these seven types of rest affect us differently:
Creative: Engaging with things that motivate and inspire you. That might mean enjoying nature, visiting an art installation, attending a performance – or something else entirely.
Mental: Time quieting your mind and focusing on what’s really important to you, perhaps through meditation.
Physical: Relieving and restoring your body to ease muscle aches and tension and improve sleep. You might try restorative yoga or another gentle form of movement – or even stretching out on a blanket in the park.
Social: Spending time on relationships you cherish and with people who make you feel supported and cared for. This could look like a date night with your partner, reprioritizing family mealtimes or starting a tradition like movie or game night. Maybe it means joining a club or group around something you enjoy and meeting like-minded people.
Emotional: Expressing your deepest feelings and opportunities to feel safe being your genuine self. That might look like a coffee date with a dear friend or it might mean journaling at the end of a busy day.
Sensory: Taking respite from background noise, which includes negative self-talk and screens. You might try lowering the lights, lighting a candle and relaxing with some calming music or indulging in a bath. This is anything that gives your senses a break.
Spiritual: Tapping the feeling that you are part of something bigger – your family, your community or something else – and noticing a sense of belonging.
The moral? Rest goes far beyond sleep, and it’s important to replenish ourselves by tapping into each of the kinds. Rest up!