What type of rest are you getting?
Did you know there are seven types of rest that we need on a regular basis? Yep. Some of these types of rest are well known, and we do our best to observe them. Others may come as a bit of a surprise but can be an underlying source of chronic fatigue. Read on to see what these seven types are and determine whether you’re really well rested.
The list below is based on the Dalton-Smith’s list of seven types of rest with my own interpretations thrown in for good measure (because why not). If you’d like to learn more, you can find her book ‘Sacred Rest’ here.
PHYSICAL REST
This is probably the most obvious type of rest. Physical rest can be active or passive. We move during the day, we exert pressure and demands on our physical bodies, and we are tired (hopefully) at the end of the work day. We sleep during the night hours to allow the physical body time to for cell regeneration and repair, and we may nap during the day to give the body a quick reprieve from daily activities. This is passive physical resting.
I didn’t really embody the concept of active resting until I became an endurance athlete. The notion of active resting was introduced in my 16 week training programs, in which I was to assign at least one day each training week for active rest. As a competitive athlete, this seemed rather absurd…until I didn’t heed the suggestion. I started suffering overuse injuries. Shin splints, sore muscles, tired joints, and mental exhaustion were all becoming commonplace symptoms. I stopped enjoying my running. I eventually relented and began introducing active rest. Unremarkably, those nagging overuse injuries began to disappear. My active rest days included walking my dog, practicing restorative asana, and visiting with friends or family. Although there was no lying on the sofa or long afternoon naps, these days were the magic bullet that kept me from feeling exhausted and burned out and kept my body in peak condition.
Active physical resting can include any restorative activity, such as gentle stretching, massage, or even a relaxing sit in the steam sauna.
MENTAL REST
Again, this is a type of rest that easily makes sense until we break it down. It’s actually easier to understand the symptoms and effects of NOT getting mental than to explain the concept of this type of rest. If you’re the type of person whose brain kicks in the moment your head hits the pillow, chances are good you have a deficit in this type of rest. If you can’t get through the morning without a jolt of caffeine or energy bars throughout the day, you may be fighting the fatigue and exhaustion that comes with a lack of mental rest.
It’s so easy to tell a person to stop thinking. It’s another thing entirely to actually do it. We’re taught to be multi-taskers, problem-solvers, thinkers, analysts, judges, etc. We’ve honed and trained our minds to perform mental gymnastics every waking moment of our day. All of this doing (mental processing) is exhausting. When we experience physical tiredness, and we desire sleep or physical rest, the mind won’t let it happen. This is mental exhaustion, and it can have a profound effect on the physical body.
Mental rest involves easing the tension in the thinking mind so that it has space and time to rest. This can be achieved in many individual ways, from leaving your desk and taking a walk break throughout the work day to simple meditations and relaxation techniques. Conscious breathing can work wonders in easing constricting thoughts and reconnecting the mind with the body. Consider climbing into bed 15 minutes earlier than usual and focusing on belly breathing and body relaxation. Journaling before bed can help move internalized thought patterns onto paper, freeing the mind to find the clarity it needs for rest and eventual sleep.
SENSORY REST
Hoooooey boy, this one is a mess, especially in our hyper-connected daily lives. We are constantly plugged into our social constructs. The endless stream of stimulation from texting, screen time, online meetings and meetups, light pollution, noise pollution, advertising and marketing competes for our attention every moment of every day, and in nearly all daily activities. We cannot escape the stream. A colleague of mine and I have a standing joke about the ways in which Maria Menounos enlightens us while we’re pumping gas (you know who you are). All this stimulation is hazardous to our senses, but asking someone to hand over their smartphone is akin to asking for a body limb.
Consider turning off screens and phones 45 minutes to an hour before bedtime. Spend those last few minutes of waking time in quiet contemplation or meditation. Take back your awareness by revisiting each of your five senses in the evening before bed. Help them reconnect with an environment that is calm, relaxed, and inviting. Unplug.
EMOTIONAL REST
Emotional rest doesn’t mean suppressing the turmoil of expressive emotions that we may be experiencing. Instead, it means taking time out to acknowledge that we’re actually feeling something that requires attention and compassion. Responding to every emotional confrontation with “I’m fine” (yep, I see you) just adds tension and resistance to the emotions that need to move and release.
Consider giving yourself safe space and needed time to explore the depth of emotion that may need to be expressed, and express as you see fit. There’s no judge in this process, so be yourself and honor your needs.
SOCIAL REST
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Are you energized in groups and with other people, or do you quickly tire and look for escape? Socialization, in whatever form you may find appropriate, has its limits. The practice of socializing is like a battery. When we socialized with others – with our communities and families – we charge this battery. When the battery is charged, we are at capacity. It then becomes time to take a step back and let the battery naturally drain or discharge through quality along time so we’re ready to go at it again.
CREATIVE REST
Let’s face it – if you’re a creative artist, designer, problem-solver, etc, the creative process is exciting, passionate…and exhausting. Exhaustion leads to burnout, and our muse goes into hiding. We experience writer’s or artist’s block, and our inspirational light flutters and fades.
There are many ways to rest the creative push within us while addressing and overcoming creative blocks. The proverbial walk in nature is always a solid start. Consider visiting an art museum or gallery. If writing is your thing, turn your book or computer screen upside down and marvel at the way the words and letters look and feel different in your mind. Take the time to witness creativity and beauty around you without the need to participate in or change what you see. Stepping away from the creative problem or block will allow the mind time to recharge, and we can re-approach with fresh insight.
SPIRITUAL REST
My favorite! I have a different take on spiritual rest than Dalton-Smith. She writes, “Spiritual rest means connecting on a deeper level with something greater than ourselves. This can mean adding prayer, meditation, or purpose to our lives.”
Remember the running reference at the beginning of this post? It’s relevant here as well. Let me explain…
An endurance runner will rigidly and almost dogmatically follow a 16 week training program to the letter. We eat right, we run every scheduled mile no matter weather or motivation, and we train and train and train. We burn through shoes, we wear holes in socks, and we forsake significant time with friends and family for the punishing isolation of pavement or trail. Then, the week before the event, we start what’s called the taper. We rest. We don’t run. We eat and put on weight. We get antsy but don’t succumb. We wait with both patience and faith in the process we’ve endured. Then, on race day, with a body that has had time to rest, recover, and energize itself……..we fly.
I work with many, many spiritual seekers in my line of work (life). In this process of seeking, people often incorporate personal ritual and devotional practice to help them elevate their discipline and devotion. They begin adding more and more ritual, more altar pieces, more works of devotional art, more books on the shelf, and so on, in an attempt to elevate and push forward in this relentless process of seeking. In other words, their training program is in full swing. This myriad of rituals, objects, and resources can hinder (mild) and even actually block (significant) the very spiritual progress these people seek. They become suffocated by and obsessed with the stuff. Dogmatic ritual does not suffer fluidity.
“Am I saying the right petitions/prayers?”
“Am I devoting the right amount of time to my practice?”
“Did I buy the correct size/color/representative statue of person/thing/deity?”
“Is my altar/devotional space set up the right way?”
“Oh no, I’m out of sage! What do I do now?”
“What am I missing? What more should I be doing?”
If this sounds like you, consider taking a rest. Ease up on the rigidity of ritual. Take a day (or 3) off. Embrace a breather from the constant effort. Enjoy the fruits of your labor, and taper your effort toward rest and recuperation. Our greatest breakthroughs can come not through repeated dogmatic process, but rather in the delight of spontaneous, unanticipated wonder.
Enjoy your taper, because it will help you fly.