We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much. We don’t allow our bodies to heal, and we don’t allow our minds and hearts to heal. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Do you think that sleeping is actually resting? Or rather when the word rest comes to mind, is sleep or taking a nap the only way you understand it?
You may be sleeping…but are you actually resting?
“I’m so exhausted and nothing is helping” is an actual concern in today’s society. Exhaustion is a real thing. Unfortunately, sleep alone doesn’t fix the issue. In fact, only focusing on sleep may increase burnout because other key areas of rest have not been attended to.
In my line of work I speak to and counsel so many souls who are somewhat new to the healing, wellness and personal development space — and one of the things that usually comes up in our conversations is “rest.” Or the lack of it, which is causing an imbalance in their healing journey.
Physical rest is something you are surely familiar with and you may have also heard of mental rest. But do you know that there are many types of rest (other than sleeping) that you should be prioritizing for your well-being and mental health?
If you’ve been feeling unwell, tired, fatigued, cranky, irritated but can’t figure out why, you’re going to want to read this article!
4 types of REST you need(but might not be aware of):
Rest is the most underused, chemical-free, safe and effective, alternative therapy available to us. Here is how you can incorporate the right kind of rest in all areas of your life, so that you can actually rest.
1. Emotional Rest
When you find that you are bottling your feelings or lacking an emotional release, this is when you’re in need of emotional rest. If you’re a caretaker like a teacher, parent, doctor or nurse, or honestly any sort of care giver, your emotions could probably use a break!
Positive tip: Attending weekly therapy sessions to release your emotions helps. Spending time with people you can be fully yourself around helps. Finding the courage to admit “I’m not okay” paves the way for emotional rest too.
2. Sensory Rest
Are your eyes and head hurting from being in front of the computer/mobile screen for too long? Or maybe the constant noise around you is draining you? Whether you’re consciously aware of it or not, your senses are constantly bombarded with endless amounts of stimuli all day long. You need to make space in your day for sensory rest by taking a break from sensory inputs and screens.
Positive tip: Turn off all the sources of lights in your house. Use noise-cancelling headphones when you need a bit of peace and quiet. And when all else doesn not work simply step away from your screen and go for a walk and soak in the nature around you.
3. Spiritual Rest
If you feel imbalanced, ungrounded and just feel off your spiritual energies need recharging. Spending time working on creative hobbies recharges you spiritually and can bring you back to yourself. Spiritual rest is usually necessary if you’ve been heavily occupoed in personal or preofessional projects that have been taking a lot of your energy. Regardless of what you’ve been working on, tireless striving towards “to do lists and goals” can leave us feeling disconnected from our higher self and the rest of the world.
Positive tip: Spend time working on a hobby that brings you joy. Go out and simply be in nature. Do volunteer work for your community in whatever capacity you can. Visit sacred spaces which have a history of spiritual energy attached to them.
4. Social Rest
Someone told me lately that they found spending time with their friends on weekends relaxing. But then they also said it caused them a lot of anxiety because everyone got into a disagreement at some point and the energy of the whole weekend tanked. Sometimes, we confuse being social with “relaxing” simply because it tends to happen during our free time. If the thought of hanging out with certain people feels exhausting, it’s a sign you need to give yourself a social break of sorts.
Positive tip: Do things that make you happy on your own. Go out on a solo date. Simply go about and walk the streets one evening and see how exhilarating it can make you feel. No drama, just you and your thoughts.
You need to understand that simply sleep is not enough to fully rest, restore and heal. Sleep is not enough. A vacation is not enough.
Having a deeper understanding of the different types of rest allows us to identify and attend to what we actually need. So, instead of pleasing the whole world while feeling energetically depleted, focus on what kind of rest you need and commit to your healing instead.
What do you think…what kind of rest do you need to focus on this week? Share in the comments.
If you’d like 1-on-1 counseling sessions and spiritual guidance with me, come on over here.
Thank you SO much for your presence here! I appreciate it! If you’re NEW here, please subscribe 
for free updates and special gifts by Email. I publish New mental health, emotional healing and spiritual growth articles every week!
top photo by Valeria Ushakova on Pexels.com
