Five Types of Rest

We can go through life thinking we’ve rested well because we’ve had good sleep — but in reality we may be missing out on the other types of rest we desperately need. 

We can suffering from a rest deficit because we don’t understand the true power of rest, or not aware of the different ways we can restore energy. Here are five avenues to achieve true and rightful rest –

The first type of rest is physical rest. Physical rest can be passive or active. Passive rest are sleeping and napping, while active rest pertain to restorative activities such as yoga or stretching that help improve the body’s circulation and flexibility.

The second type of rest is mental rest. You need this when you lie down at night to sleep, but struggle to turn off your brain from thinking or wandering. You can achieve mental rest by taking short breaks that remind you to slow down.

The third type of rest is sensory rest. Bright lights, computer screens, noise and online meetings can cause our senses to feel overwhelmed. This can be countered by doing something as simple as closing your eyes for a minute, or intentionally unplugging from gadgets at the end of every day. 

The fourth type of rest is social rest. Some relationships exhaust us. To experience social rest, surround yourself with positive and supportive people. Even if your interactions occur virtually, you can engage by turning on your camera and focusing on who you’re speaking to.

The final type of rest is spiritual rest. Your ability to connect beyond the physical and mental and feel a sense of belonging, love, acceptance and purpose is what this is about. To receive this, engage in something greater than yourself or add prayer, maybe meditation, to your daily routine.

As you can see, sleep alone can’t restore us to the point we feel rested. So it’s time for us to begin focusing on getting the right type of rest we need.