How to Rest (Because It's Not as Easy as You Think)
Rest is the foundation of wellbeing-driven productivity. If you don’t rest well, you’re not prioritising your wellbeing. If you don’t prioritise your wellbeing, you won’t be productive.
I used to think I was fantastic at rest. Why? Because I sleep like it’s a competitive sport. I can comfortably do nine hours a night. I sleep like the dead.
On the other hand, my husband used to think I was terrible at resting because I was always doing something (except when I was asleep).
In many ways, we were both wrong. Rest is not just about sleep, and it can be active.
What I know now is this: to learn how to rest well and make it a priority, you need to understand the different types of rest, then work out your version of each. After that, it’s time to plan your rest.
The Seven Types of Rest
According to Calm, there are seven types of rest:
Physical rest includes sleep and other ways of relaxing your body, such as yoga or a gentle walk.
Mental rest is about resting your mind; practices like meditation work for some, but it can be as simple as taking a break at work.
Emotional rest means different things to different people. For some, it will be having the freedom to express emotions. For others, it will be removing themselves from emotionally draining situations.
Sensory rest is taking time away from anything that overloads your senses, for example, reducing screen time or resting in a dark, quiet room.
Creative rest is often a pathway to creative inspiration, idea generation, and – for me – complete joy. This type of rest might include doing handmade crafts or listening to music.
Social rest, depending on your personality and needs, might be abstaining from all social interaction for a period or being with people who do not drain your social battery.
Spiritual rest helps you find meaning; for some, this could be prayer or being in a specific community.
How to Rest
Now you know about the seven different types of rest, try to think of examples of how to do them. Below, I share ways I like to do each type of rest to give you a concrete example.
Physical rest: sleep, naps, and gentle dog walks.
Mental rest: listening to a fiction audiobook.
Emotional rest: being with safe people or alone.
Sensory rest: turning off lights, listening to white noise, and being outside in nature.
Creative rest: knitting, embroidery, doodling, listening to show tunes, colouring, walking and thinking.
Social rest: being alone.
Spiritual rest: journalling and drawing tarot or oracle cards.
Understanding your needs is key when deciding how you want to rest and making it a priority. For example, I am autistic, so that affects the priority I give certain types of rest. I am likely to need more social and sensory rest. When I refer to “safe” people, I mean people who do not drain my energy. My mental rest example (listening to a fiction audiobook) might not sound like mental rest, but it means I am only thinking about one thing – the story – so for me, it is the perfect form of mental rest.
Activity: Write about the types of rest in your journal and reflect on them; this is an excellent way to explore the topic of rest further.
Using Rest in Wellbeing-Driven Productivity
Unfortunately, knowing how to rest is not enough; you must do it. And it won’t just happen – you need to plan it. Wellbeing drives productivity – to do well, you need to be well.
It’s time to plan some rest.
