7 Ways You Need to Rest
What does it mean to rest? Or, more importantly, what does rest mean to you? It’s possible to talk about rest and think that we all share the same definition. After all, rest is rest, isn’t it? On the surface, it seems that way, but apparently, it’s a little more complex.
The Oxford Dictionary defines it like this:
Cease work or movement in order to relax, sleep or recover strength.
The thing is that when we stop work to rest, we all have different ‘go-to’s. We have things that we do that are restful for us but may not be restful for someone else. We also have a habit of doing the same thing to rest even though we may not regain energy or recover strength at the end of the process.
I stumbled across an article that got me thinking about how I rest and whether it is effective. The article was ‘The 7 Types of Rest You Need to Actually Feel Recharged’ by Molly Shea. I clicked on the link because it grabbed my attention. I frequently don’t feel recharged when I’ve rested. It turns out that rest is a whole lot more complicated than I thought.
She’d received her inspiration from a book called ‘Sacred Rest’ by Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith, one that is now on my ‘to read’ list on Goodreads. I had always wondered why I could sleep and still feel tired or veg out in front of the TV without feeling any more relaxed at the end of the process. One thing I did know was that if I went for a walk, I often felt a whole lot more rested than if I sat on the couch and did nothing. Understanding the seven different types of rest really helped me; hopefully, it will help you.
The seven types of rest we need are: physical, mental, social, creative, emotional, sensory and spiritual.
Physical
Physical rest is a bit of a no brainer; we usually recognise when we are physically tired and need to get some shut-eye. That doesn’t mean that when we feel physically tired, we’ll actually be proactive and take ourselves to bed. We’ve all seen sleepy little children who fall asleep at their dinner while playing with their toys or while standing up. These children refuse to acknowledge their exhaustion and keep going. When the adults around them dare suggest that the child might need to rest, loud protests of ‘I’m not sleepy’ are made. Many of us haven’t grown up that much; we stay awake to see the end of a movie, to finish an email, to do that last job and suffer sleep deprivation as a result.
Having said all of that, doing something physical can also be a source of rest, especially when you need to switch off an overactive mind! That’s why mental rest is on the list.
Mental
Most nights, I fall asleep quickly; that’s something I’m really thankful for. I’m not so happy about the sudden whoosh of ideas that pop into my head when I wake in the middle of the night, though. I find those thoughts challenging to shut off. I’m physically tired and mentally tired, but finding the off switch to my brain is not that easy. For some people, all they need to do is write down the things that are on their minds. I’ve tried that, but it hasn’t been that effective for me. What does work is getting up and doing something, especially if that something requires zero brainpower. I know that seems counter-intuitive, but once I’ve managed to stop the whirr of thoughts, I suddenly find I’m tired enough to sleep.
You can feel mentally exhausted in the middle of the day too. Roy (my hubby) finds that going into the garden and doing something active works well for him. Digging is his first go-to when he’s feeling overwhelmed or has too much pressure. I’ve found that doing a jigsaw works especially well for me. I know you might be thinking that this takes brainpower; that’s not mental rest. It’s true it does make use of my thought processes, but it also distracts me from the other things that can crowd in. When I’m doing a jigsaw, I’m thinking about colours, shapes and images. I’m not thinking about my growing job list.
What helps you shut off your thoughts?
Social
This one confused me. That’s because I’m an extrovert. So I have to ask myself, is this something I need a break from or something I need to do? Again I think it depends on your personality type. Roy being an introvert, often requires a break from social interaction so that he can recharge his batteries. Social interaction is the break for me, don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel every interaction I have is helpful, but often hanging out with friends re-energises me.
I often think of it like this. Some phones have longer battery lives than others. Phones with shorter battery life than others need to be plugged in more frequently and potentially for a longer time. That’s similar to how it is for an introvert. An extrovert has a longer battery life as it were, and spending time around people can be equivalent to being ‘plugged-in’. Occasionally they need to spend time back at the socket, but a lot less frequently.
I don’t like being back at the socket. There are times, though, when I need solitude. I’m not good at recognising those times. I often spend the first five or ten minutes of ‘alone time’ working out what I’m going to do. I’ve forced myself to practice the discipline of solitude, to push past that antsy feeling and to simply be. It’s been good for me.
Creative
This is probably one of my favourite go-to’s. I love doing something creative. I love painting, doing crafts and even doing DIY if it allows me to have a creative expression. I like gardening when I can move plants around or re-design an area of the garden. I don’t like weeding so much because that doesn’t tick the creative box. Cooking falls into a similar category for me; I don’t like doing the mundane. I do like experimenting with food or even arranging it nicely on a plate.
I was surprised when the seven different types of rest book suggested we might need to take a break from being creative! I guess the point is that sometimes things can energise you, and at other times they can steal your energy.
I wondered where I had found this to be true in my own life, and then I remembered times when I found that painting wasn’t a pleasure; it was frustrating. I took up my paintbrush, but it didn’t seem to be moving the way I wanted it to. At other times I simply lacked inspiration; my creativity tank was empty. Now I’m quicker to recognise that if I feel like I might need to step back from creative solutions and find something else to do, like reading a book.
Emotional
How do you get emotional rest? I know many people who try to distract themselves or stuff their emotions deep inside, doing their best to ignore them. The problem with that is they will come to the surface eventually. The more you stuff down, the more will come out, and it’s usually in an uncontrolled or ugly way.
I have two ways of getting emotional rest. The first is by talking to God about how I feel — really being honest about what’s going on. The second is by talking to someone else. I don’t need someone else to fix me, but I do need to feel heard and understood. We all have that need.
Sensory
Perhaps sensory rest wouldn’t have been on the radar at all years ago. Now, screens play a big part in the daily bombardment we receive. Sensory rest is a big one for me! Since we (Roy and I) use Zoom or Skype a lot to work with relationships, it’s easy to spend long periods of time in front of screens. We can jump from one on-screen thing to another. We go from a skype call to answering emails; from there, we might jump to social media where someone is reaching out with a query, then writing articles or making progress with the latest book. Unless we’re diligent, we could have technology in our hands 24/7. Just as with physical rest, sensory rest is difficult to impose.
My personal challenge was to stop checking messages before I go to bed. I now have a cut-off point, after which I don’t look at my phone. I’ve also turned off notifications between certain hours. I’ve rediscovered the joy of reading a physical book.
Spiritual
Spiritual rest is one of the most essential elements of the seven areas of rest, and yet it’s one that a lot of people ignore. One of the indicators that I need spiritual rest is when I feel discontented or unsettled. The best way that I can describe it is that it’s like my soul and my spirit are out of sync. I often mistake that feeling and have tried to fill my need with snacks, binge-watching a show on Netflix or blaming someone else for the way I’m feeling. The Bible describes the feeling as thirst.
Psalm 42:1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.
Just as people don’t always reach for a glass of water when they’re thirsty, we can ignore our spiritual thirst. Next time you’re feeling like that, why not try spending time with God.
Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
