What’s the first thing that springs to mind when you hear the phrase “get some rest?” It’s likely related to sleep.
Sleep is an excellent method to receive physical break, but it is not the only form of rest you require. If you need a different type, you may sleep all you want, but you won’t feel refreshed or energized.
Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith adds, “We don’t fully grasp that there are many forms of rest.” She is the author of Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, and a TEDx speaker.
Every human, according to Dalton, needs seven different kinds of relaxation. This article discusses several forms of rest and how to incorporate them into our everyday routines.
What Are The different types of rest?
The different types of rest include:
- Physical rest is the act of resting your body. Physical rest, in addition to sleep, may include anything that replenishes your body, such as having a massage.
- Emotional rest entails being open and honest about your emotions. When people become caught in people-pleasing or feel compelled to present a specific image, they require emotional respite.
- Social: Pursuing good, stimulating, and supporting social interactions is what social leisure is all about. People often need social rest when they feel drained by their relationships. Alternatively, you might refrain from socializing entirely.
- Mental rest: Giving your brain vacation is what mental break is all about. When people are overloaded and find it difficult to turn off their minds, they require mental rest.
- Sensory rest refers to taking a vacation from your senses. When people’s senses are overloaded with continual stimulation, such as spending the whole day hooked to a computer, phone, or television screen, they require sensory rest.
- Creative rest is defined as being exposed to creative, nature-based, and inventive surroundings without feeling compelled to create something. When people are stuck, uninspired, and unable to develop fresh ideas or answers to problems, they require creative siesta.
- Spiritual rest entails establishing a connection with something greater than oneself. When people become so engrossed in their problems that they cannot perceive or connect with the broader picture, they require spiritual rest.
It’s crucial to pay attention to rest deficiencies if you want to be productive. You can’t perform your best job if you’re fatigued, and you won’t be able to move over that weariness if you’re not receiving the appropriate kind of break.
How to identify which leisure you need?
Assessing where you use energy during the day is the first step in determining what sort of relaxation you require. The places where you use the most effort are likely to be the ones where rest is most important. For example, suppose you work as a graphic designer and spend most of your time developing new designs. In that case, you’ll need to emphasize creative siesta because you’ll be consuming a lot of creative energy throughout the day.
You’re probably using all seven forms of energy daily now. However, determining which regions you utilize the most will give you a decent indication of the sort of rest you should seek. If you’re not sure what kind of rest you need, Dalton-Smith and her team devised a quiz to help you figure it out.
How to be well-rested?
Here are a few strategies to energize you and make you the happiest, healthiest, and most productive self:
Take your time to relax.
As previously said, most people expend all seven forms of energy during the day, which means you might be lacking in more than one area.
It would help to prioritize the areas where the rest deficit has the most significant influence on your rest regimen to give the most bang for your dollars. If you have numerous sleep deficiencies, attempt to figure out which one is the most serious. Taking care of that type first will have a cascade effect, making it easy to find all the other relaxation techniques you need to do your best.
Plan your restorative activities.
Resting may appear to be a passive activity. However, if you want to feel rested, you must make an active effort. Therefore, you must plan stimulating activities throughout your day to restore your energy.
For example, if you need physical rest, you may make time to take an afternoon sleep or get out your yoga mat for a restorative flow. If you need some creative time off, go for a hike in the woods or do a walking tour of your city to see different forms of street art.
Rest aims to replenish your energy, so make sure you arrange restorative activities inside your designated break areas.
Make Time for Rest During Your Workday
If you want to feel refreshed, you must schedule restorative activities. But don’t keep such activities for the weekend—if you’re going to feel as relaxed as possible all of the time. Find methods to incorporate relaxation into your daily routine.
Think of it this way: you do not have to wait until the tank is empty before filling it with gas when driving your car. The same principle applies to rest. Finding methods to refill your energy throughout the day helps prevent sleep deprivation from spiraling out of control. It also leaves you feeling more relaxed (and productive!) as a result.
You might also like to read about Restless Leg Syndrome: Everything You Need to Know.
