Rethinking Rest
Have you ever had a solid eight-hour sleep but still woke up feeling exhausted? Perhaps we are not fully resting in the way that we need to refuel ourselves. Saundra Dalton-Smith says, “if you’re not filling back up, that’s probably a place of deficit”. We need to know where we are lacking so we can intentionally rest and recover.
We are very busy human ‘doings’, but we should also take the time to rest, recharge, and have time to be human ‘beings’. Our bodies and minds need the time to fully rest and recover if we give every ounce of ourselves to what is outside of us (our work, relationships, external events) and not to what is inside. We need rest.
According to Dalton-Smith, there are seven different ways that we can rest:
No. 1 – Physical Rest
There are 2 different types of physical rest - passive and active. Passive forms of rest include sleeping and napping, and active forms of rest include yoga, stretching, or receiving a massage. Sometimes we can still feel very tired after a good night’s sleep because even though we are getting rest, we may need it in a different form.
No. 2 – Mental Rest
Our minds need a break from overprocessing and overthinking information. If we are constantly thinking and processing information, our brains never have a chance to rest. We can intentionally create a form of mindful resting, perhaps by doing a physical activity (eg., like going for a run to clear our heads), or choose one task for our mind to focus on so we can facilitate deep concentration.
No. 3 – Spiritual Rest
The concept of spiritual rest creates space for us to be in tune with our spiritual self and belief in something that is bigger than ourselves. Humans also have a need to be interconnected with one another as a form of a shared humanity. If we are spiritually depleted, we are likely not feeling as if we are a part of something greater than ourselves, or contributing in some way to help others. Taking time to spiritually rest creates space for us to replenish our internal belief system.
No. 4 – Emotional Rest
In many areas of our lives, we play different roles in our relationships. We may be a parent, sibling, spouse, coworker or friend. Within these different roles, we can carry an emotional load and hold on to how we perceive ourselves in relation to others. When we are emotionally rested, we can have the freedom to express ourselves fully without fearing that we are burdening others in some way. By taking care of our own emotional load, we can fully show up to support others. We can emotionally rest by having a good cry, taking time in solitude, or creating boundaries with others to fully reset.
No. 5 – Social Rest
Particularly after experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic, we may be looking at our social interactions with others differently. Perhaps we are not willing to give as much time and energy to others as we once used to. Being intentional with who we are spending time with and the opportunities we are saying yes to is a way that we can maintain social rest. Having the ownership of saying ‘no’ to opportunities can be very powerful, and in doing so we are being authentic with ourselves and how we are feeling.
No. 6 – Sensory Rest
Have you ever logged onto social media, lost track of time for how much you were scrolling through your feed, logged off, and had an exhausted and overwhelmed feeling? You’ve likely experienced sensory overload from your device. Technology can overwhelm us and raise our stress hormone, cortisol. An increase in cortisol can leave us feeling over-stimulated and exhausted at the same time. We can engage in sensory rest by drawing boundaries for how much time we engage with social media; removing notifications or keeping your phone on do not disturb at a certain time of day can allow your mind to rest from being over-stimulated.
No. 7 – Creative Rest
Experiencing creative rest provides the space to engage in creative or innovative tasks that make us feel good, innovative, and inspired. Perhaps it’s engaging in a form of art, such as painting or drawing, or maybe it’s watching a theatre or dance performance. When we are creatively engaged with the world around us, we are expanding our energy to problem solve, innovate, and think outside of the box. When we are truly resting in this way, we are appreciating what has already been created in this world, and allowing it to awaken something inside of us in a deeper way.
A final thought to leave you with:
Resting is a replenishing form of energy. Where are you pouring out the most energy in your life? If we want to continue to give, we must take care of ourselves and intentionally fill back up the area of rest in our life where we may be lacking.