Recently I read an article that spoke about rest. The focus wasn’t so much on the how and why, but rather that there are different forms of rest. For some of you, this may seem common sense, but for me it really gave me a moment to pause.
As someone with a chronic illness, rest is vital in helping me create balance to function in life. I’m sure many can relate. We’re no good when we don’t rest. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there are many of you out there who don’t rely on as much rest as some, and that’s totally acceptable. We are all individuals and sometime within these fleeting lives of ours should be spent figuring out what works for us and what doesn’t.
For me, I need rest and plenty of it. But I’ve only ever thought of rest as being an early night, or a lazy day. But no. It seems there is a little more to it than that. Let me elaborate.
In the article (and accompanying Tedx talk), I’ll post the link at the bottom, Saundra Dalton-Smith states that sleep and rest are not synonymous to each other. They aren’t the same thing. This blew my mind to be honest. Having ME, which is also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, my wellness depends on rest which for me has always equated to sleep (so I thought!). However, in listening to her talk, and reading the article it’s given me pause to ponder.
There are seven types of rest that we all need. These types will have a value to everyone based on which area you exert most energy from. And that’s the point Dalton-Smith makes. Our day to day lives require energy and that energy isn’t always physical.
She lists the seven types of rest as,
- Physical
- Mental
- Sensory
- Creative
- Emotional
- Social
- Spiritual
Throughout the day, situations arise when the energy we use comes from multiple sources. For example, I think of my teaching practice. When I’m in the studio with students, I’m drawing on physical, mental, and creative energies. Versus when I’m out on the motorbike which draws on mental, physical, and sensory energies.
Dalton-Smith proposes that by stopping to consider where you’re exerting most of your energy from throughout the day, you can more effectively respond by providing yourself the opportunity for the rest you actually need, and not the sleep only approach which you may have relied on before.
Let’s consider each type of rest.
Physical Rest – this is the rest we’ve come to know as sleep, napping and chilling on the couch. The opportunity to physically stop.
Mental Rest – we tend to be on the go all the time in our brains. I know I often feel like that. As if my brain won’t shut off or just pause. However, I’ve found that taking breaks throughout the day helps massively. I schedule in time away from my desk, usually to go for a short walk, or a short stretch session. Just enough to create a pause in the mental demands on my brain. Meditation is also a great strategy for mental rest too!
Sensory Rest – for me it’s lights. I hate a bright light. Also known as the ‘big/top light’ for those Scottish readers. After a while they make me feel uncomfortable. Of course, we can’t consider sensory energy exertion without accounting for all the screen time we have. Even being in a busy space with too much going on can very swiftly maximise our sensory energy output. I’ll be honest, sitting in a quiet, dark room does me the world of good! Although even finding a moment to shut my eyes or having a silent car ride home can be enough to get that sensory rest in! Please note, eyes are not shut at the same time as driving the car.
Creative Rest – this is about achieving rest through the appreciation of the arts and beauty in the world around you. It’s about igniting passion and inspiration! Giving space to allow your creativity to come into being is what creative rest is all about.
Emotional Rest – if you find yourself as a people pleaser, this one will relate to you. When you’re the person who constantly supports others, but feels undervalued, you leave no space to support yourself or others to support you in return. So having open conversations where you let people in and be more honest about how you’re feeling, even when it’s hard, will help with emotional rest. You’re not using emotional energy to suppress the feelings, but rather feeling them and being open about it.
Social Rest – Dalton-Smith points out that social often goes hand in hand with the emotional. However, the difference is about the energies expelled within the relationships of the people around us. I see it as there are people who give you energy – they are the boosters. Then there are those who will suck your energy dry. I call them the drainers. When you spend your time being around people who drain you, you can’t help but feel depleted. Therefore, it makes sense that to get social rest, it’s about being around the boosters! And when you can, make it face to face!
Spiritual Rest – the idea of connection, belonging, love, acceptance, and purpose. Believing in something more than just you. Whether that is religion, faith, or community. Again, creating space for that belief creates the rest.
Now that I’ve gone through each of these, consider your own life. Do you turn to sleep but wake feeling unrested? That’s definitely the case for me. Therefore, maybe it’s because that’s not the rest I really need. How about you join me in the days to come, by trying to be a little more aware of where your energy is going, and let’s try to better target that rest! I’d love to hear how you get on!
This has been a SmartPonder.
Thanks for reading!
Steph x
Dalton-Smith, S. (2021) The real reason we are tired and what to do about it [online] available from https://youtu.be/ZGNN4EPJzGk
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