The 7 Types of Rest - That You Might Be Missing

Have you noticed that you get enough sleep, but you're still not feeling rested? Sleep and rest are not the same thing, and sleep doesn't provide all the different kinds of rest we need.

Feeling tired may have nothing to do with not getting enough sleep. There are 7 different kinds of rest that you need to have; each requires unique activities to help reduce the rest deficit.

Physical Rest

There are both passive and active forms of physical rest.

Sleeping?and napping are the two most common forms of passive rest. To maximize the likelihood of getting restful sleep, make sure that you follow a proper sleep protocol (e.g. consistent bedtime, control temperature, not drinking caffeine late in the day, wind-down routine).

Active physical rest includes activities like?stretching?or?yoga, breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, hot baths, and massages.

Mental Rest

Signs that you may need mental rest include irritability or decreased frustration tolerance, avoiding activities, feeling like you’re in a mental fog throughout the day, and feeling overwhelmed by daily tasks.

One way to ease the mental load is through the use of good time management skills.?Another thing you can do to help get mental rest is meditating. Giving yourself little meditation breaks throughout the day is a great way to improve your mental stamina.

Emotional Rest

Some signs that you may be experiencing an emotional rest deficit include beating yourself up for small mistakes, excessive worry or anxiety, feelings of self-doubt, and over-apologizing.

The first step in getting more emotional rest is being mindful of your environment. Emotions are contagious! Are you around people who complain all the time or are judgmental? As best you can, modify these environments by removing unnecessary negativity and coping ahead for when you have to be in stressful situations.

Emotional awareness is key for identifying emotional drains and emotional restorers.?Additionally, look for more opportunities to be your authentic self and express yourself openly, and increase your contact with things that you find emotionally restoring.

Spiritual Rest

Spirituality is broad. It can include organized religious practices, it can include prayer or other kinds of religious practices that are following your beliefs.

Social Rest

A social rest deficit occurs when we fail to differentiate between relationships that restore us and relationships that drain us. It can also occur when we are engaging in too much or too little social interaction.

Signs that you have a social rest deficit include feeling alone, feeling detached, finding it hard to maintain close relationships, isolating yourself from others, or finding that you are attracted to those that mistreat you.

The first step that I suggest here is to identify your social needs. This will vary from person to person.

Sensory Rest

Sensory rest is about giving your senses a break. People need sensory rest when they overwhelm their senses with constant stimuli.

You want to think in terms of each of your 5 senses.

How to cope with this? Unplug. Spend some time away from your electronics. Go to a place where there is greenery. Turn off the lights with nothing but gentle white noise or music in the background. Eat a healthy fresh meal. Listen to your senses—give the one(s) that appear overwhelmed a break.

Creative Rest

If you’ve ever felt like you’re just out of good ideas, you’ve experienced being creatively drained. Most people experience it as being uninspired or feeling blocked from their creative minds. And if you’ve been there, you know that pushing through doesn’t always work.

People require creative rest when they feel stuck, uninspired, and unable to generate new ideas or solutions to problems.

The key here is to make time for the things that you don’t normally make time for that can refill your creative cup. Go into nature, decorate your environment so that it’s pleasing, visit a museum, or go to an art gallery.