Rest is perceived by many as an expression of laziness or a waste of time, but in fact, it can be the most important thing you're not providing your body. Even if you maintain a healthy lifestyle and even fulfill all your aspirations, without rest you won't truly be able to enjoy anything, and you may even harm yourself in the long run. But what does "rest" mean? You'll be surprised to discover that there are 7 different types of rest that your body, mind, and soul need, and today you'll get to know all of them and learn why they're important and how to achieve them.
1. Physical Rest
This might be the type of rest you thought of when we started talking about the subject, but it can also be divided into 2 subtypes: passive rest like sleep, and active rest like yoga. Your body needs such rest to repair and build itself, regulate hormones, manage your appetite levels and metabolism rate, and generally, it's required when your energy levels are low, so that you can continue to function in daily life.
How to get physical rest:
- Learn how to calculate the hours of sleep you need and sleep accordingly every night.
- Take a nap when needed, without feeling bad about it.
- Perform stretches at different times throughout the day - even during work.
- Go for a meditative walk, where you combine walking with meditation.
2. Mental Rest
If physical rest is required for the body, mental rest is required for the brain. Sleep won't be enough for this, because when your brain needs rest, it may even keep you from falling asleep. This rest is essential for your cognitive and emotional processes, and it helps improve your memory and concentration abilities, as well as your mood. If you're struggling with a particular problem that you can't solve, it's likely that your brain needs such rest.
How to get mental rest:
- Write yourself a to-do list that will help you transfer all your tasks from your head to paper and clear your thoughts.
- Create a transition ritual between work and leisure, so you can really stop thinking about work when you're done with it. It can be anything you choose and that is consistent - even one of the tips for achieving other types of rest.
- Take a break from trying to solve the problems that arise in your life. If you can't solve them, you need to release your thoughts from them in order to return to them with a clear head.
- Meditate - you can experiment with various techniques until you find the one that suits you.
3. Spiritual Rest
To allow the soul to rest, you need to feel that you are part of something bigger. Some people get this from the religion they belong to, and if you regularly go to synagogue or have Friday dinners, you're actually providing your soul with good rest. Every weekend. But you don't have to be religious to get spiritual rest, and there are many other ways to achieve it. It can encourage the compassion that exists within you for yourself and others and make you appreciate more the life you've been given as a gift.
How to get spiritual rest:
- Volunteer and give of yourself to others.
- Work in a job that has real meaning for you.
- Try to incorporate more practices from your religion into your life, according to what fits your lifestyle.
4. Social Rest
The purpose of this rest is to make you reassess your social circle, so you understand who is right for you and who is less so. There are people who drain your energy, while others bring happiness into your life, and you need to identify who does what for you and dedicate your time to those who really do you good.
How to get social rest:
- Spend less time with people who drain your energy and learn how to cope with them.
- Dedicate more time to people who give you energy - your true friends.
- Don't be afraid to be alone and spend some time with yourself.
5. Sensory Rest
Nowadays our senses are constantly overwhelmed. Most of us look at screens and listen to music or podcasts through headphones for many hours of the day, and sometimes we just need to let our senses rest a bit. You may not understand it now, but overwhelming your senses like this only increases the stress levels you experience, and sensory rest can help you slow down your pace of life and thus also reduce stress levels.
How to get sensory rest:
- Take a break from social media or limit your usage hours throughout the day
- Silence your mobile phone and don't feel obligated to answer every message or call immediately.
- If you really want to listen to music through headphones, you can slow down the pace a bit with relaxing music instead of upbeat music.
6. Emotional Rest
The intention is not to take a break from feeling things, but on the contrary - to get emotional rest, you need to learn how to express your feelings in a healthy way, and of course also take a break from people and places that weigh on your soul. This is especially needed for people who feel they need to wear a mask most of the time, for example, someone who works in a field where they have to be polite to customers and always smile. This will help reduce your stress and anxieties and prevent you from falling into depression, as well as strengthen your soul and deepen your connections with others.
How to get emotional rest:
- Spend more time with people who allow you to be who you are around them.
- Talk to a psychologist with whom you can fully open up about topics you can't talk about with anyone else.
7. Creative rest
Here too, the goal is not to rest from creativity, but on the contrary - to open up to it so that it helps your soul gain complete rest. To achieve this, you need to engage in things that will strengthen your connection to creation and even to nature, which will ultimately strengthen your connection with yourself. Such rest is what will help you understand what your true passions are and what intrigues you, and it will help you develop hobbies that you'll want to persist in and that will help you gain it consistently.
How to get creative rest:
- Go for a walk in nature, and if that's not possible, you can also do it at the beach or during sunrise.
- Visit museums or art festivals.
- Create something using music, writing, movement, etc. - there are many creative hobbies you can engage in.
