For a long time, when I thought about rest it looked essentially only one way: taking a nap to recharge. It was about banking hours of sleep like they could retroactively pay off the sleep debt I’d accrued in the past and not much else. In reality, rest is a lot more than that.
Rest is about how we nourish ourselves, how we soothe ourselves, and how we fill our cups back up to take on life with vibrancy. It’s crucial for our existence—not a gift, not a luxury, but a necessity for everyday functioning. While every person’s body has different needs, every body needs rest, and how that rest looks varies.
A breakdown that helped me reframe is Saundra Dalton-Smith, MD’s 7 types of rest. She divides the concept of rest into the following categories:
Physical Rest. What we typically think of when we consider rest—sleeping, napping, yoga, stretching.
Mental Rest. Quite literally a brain break. It often looks like mindfulness or meditation.
Sensory Rest. Taking a step back from things that stimulate our senses. Less lighting, sound, and physical discomfort (heat/cold, restricting clothing, etc.) are examples.
Creative Rest. Reawakening our connection to awe, passion, and inspiration. Viewing or creating (as long as it's created without the intent of stakes/judgment) art, being amongst nature, stargazing.
Emotional Rest. Giving yourself time and space to express yourself without fear of judgment. Time to be authentic, honest, and say no to what doesn’t serve you in the moment.
Social Rest. Spending less time on relationships in your life that drain you and more time on the dynamics that are supportive.
Spiritual Rest. Seeking moments of belonging, love, acceptance, and purpose. For some this is prayer and for others it’s meditation or reflection. It might even be spending time within communities or families.
While this is one way to break down our body’s multifaceted needs, you might find a different perspective more aligned with your mindset—you get to decide what rest looks like for you, personally. The reason I bring these to your attention at all is to point out that while our body needs rest, the style of it might change. If we’re waking up exhausted, perhaps there’s another type we’re missing. Whether it’s physical or emotional rest, spiritual or cognitive, all are equally important for our daily wellbeing. All are worthy of having time made for them, which really means for us.
I’d never considered how restorative and how important moments of creative or spiritual rest could be until seeing these different modalities. Life is busy and fast and sometimes it feels like we never have a moment to breathe, but sometimes I get to sit in thick grass and feel the blades between my fingers. I can tilt my face to the sun and feel how it warms my skin. I am reminded that the world holds beauty, that I am part of it, and the power of that carries through to the everyday. Or at least sometimes it can, and if not a moment of peace and awe is never a bad thing.
Maybe for you there’s a different area you find yourself neglecting, and I’d challenge you to brainstorm opportunities, no matter how small, to give yourself those moments of rest. Even savoring your morning coffee or standing up for a brief stretch are deliberate choices to fill the tank back up. When it comes to prioritizing rest, it’s about what works for you. We all have different schedules, different likes, and different bodies.
The most important thing to remember is that you need rest. You deserve it. It isn’t something you have to be ‘worthy’ of or ‘earn’ but instead something vital to the human experience. Whether the rest you need today looks like a classic power nap, time in nature with your animals, or a ‘no’ day where you make no plans, I hope you make time for it. I hope you see why it’s important that you do—because everything that makes up you, from the body to the brain to the spirit, matters.
Written by: Annie Lindenberg, MFA Creative Writing, Menari Blogger