It seems I was destined to write about rest this week, the elusive but coveted restorer so many of us would like more of, or wished we had enough time for more of it. But maybe we are looking at it from the wrong angle...
How to 'rest well'...
First of all, this quote was shared in a Facebook group, which I thought was a brilliant perspective on rest:
“Instead of asking ‘have I worked hard enough to deserve a rest?’, I’ve started asking, ‘Have I rested enough to do my most loving, meaningful work?’” – Nicola Jane Hobbs.
I would bet most of us see rest as something we may warrant as a ‘reward’ after we’ve done our hard work. The thing is, there’s always more to do, so rest can get pushed to the end of the day – and we are probably thinking of ‘rest’ in very orthodox terms, e.g. sleep!
And then I came across a Tedx talk by Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith when I was browsing on LinkedIn, on the 7 types of rest that humans need to replenish. Wait, there are 7?! Of course, I had to watch! (It’s just under 10 mins, and you can watch it here if you fancy tuning in too), but in the meantime, I thought I’d share some views on this.
So, we all know that we need rest, sure, and it usually comes when we crash out on the sofa / crawl into bed at the end of a long day of work or childcare, or chores or all three... right? This might be where we are going wrong!
The seven types of rest explained
As Dr Dalton-Smith so succinctly puts it: ‘sleep and rest are not the same thing’. Boom! Sleep is the tip of the rest iceberg it seems – it is passive physical rest, and forms just part of one of the seven types of rest that humans need to focus on replenishing. So, if you are wondering why you don’t necessarily feel energised after a night’s sleep, this could be one of the factors at play (as well as other factors such as sleep quality for example).
We may be experiencing ‘rest-deficits’ in other areas, and this is because during our busy days, we are drawing upon our energy and resources in these areas but not necessarily giving them the time and attention they need to replenish like we do for our typical night’s sleep.
Dr Dalton-Smith categorises these areas of rest as follows:
· Physical (passive and active) rest.
This would be the one we’d most likely think of when we hear the word ‘rest’. A daytime nap or night’s sleep are probably the most obvious examples we think of, but the active physical rests, like yoga or stretching are also a means of achieving a replenishment of physical rest.
· Mental rest.
If you’ve ever experienced that ‘can’t see the wood for the trees’ kind of block after staring at a problem / an email you can’t manage to word properly / a blog you are struggling to write (!), then you might need a mental rest from this task to see it with fresh eyes later.
· Sensory rest.
As someone who spends a lot of time staring at a computer screen, I’m very aware how much I enjoy my downtime from it at the weekends. And yet I could probably do with a few more intermittent weekday sensory breaks from it too, even if they are brief.
· Creative rest.
I see this one as ‘sources of creative inspiration’ – whether that’s in the arts or nature. Brilliant ideas rarely evolve from uninspiring monotony!
· Emotional rest.
This is about being able to freely express how we are feeling, not cover up the truth, and not pander to people-pleasing too often, which you can easily recognise could be draining.
· Social rest.
If we focus on the relationships and social interactions that boost us, as opposed to drain us, we will be socially rested. I think we can all recognise those interactions that we may not be able to avoid that are draining, but perhaps we don’t focus on the boosting ones elsewhere to compensate.
· Spiritual rest.
This doesn’t just apply to people who consider themselves to be particularly ‘woo’ (I am not one of them!). This is about feeling belonging, love, and acceptance, whether that is from a higher power or community or purpose.
How to use the seven types of rest
The beauty of these 7 types is that you don’t have to find your 8 hours a day, like we are supposed to for sleep, to accommodate these rest rejuvenations.
They could just be a few minutes here and there, and unique to you and what you enjoy, to fulfil in to at least one of the 7 categories, hopefully more. Meditation for a few minutes could accomplish spiritual, physical, mental and sensory rest for example.
And you may immediately notice that some areas may be in more deficit that others, meaning you can pay more attention there too.
I’d love to know what you think – and whilst I hope I have argued that time should not be a barrier to addressing these deficits, I know that for many of us, other factors are at play, like not feeling able to prioritise ourselves, or feeling guilty for not doing the ‘hard work’ part first. If you recognise yourself in this, please do get in touch as I’d love to see if I can help: kathryn@kbmindfulcoaching.com .
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