Sacred Rest
By: Jana Nightingale
Tags: Self Care, Psychology, Self Development, Rest, Relaxation

What do you think of when you hear the word rest?

If I were to guess, I’d say sleep.

Am I right?

Sleep is obviously one of the most important types of rest — we know from our own experience how rough we feel without it — and in the long term it can lead to serious health issues. It’s something many people have been only too aware of in the pandemic — #CantSleep has trended globally in this time when an uncertain future and lack of sleep have gone hand in hand.

However, sleep is far from the only type of rest. Actually, in our high producing culture, many of us are chronically tired even though we sleep for 8+ hours a night. We don’t necessarily feel any more rested in the morning than when we went to bed.

I see this with so many people I work with daily — and I would confidently state that in the modern world most of us are in a state of rest deficit.

So — what’s going on here? Why doesn’t sleep alone cut it?

7 Kinds of Rest

According to Dr Saundra Dalton Smith, we have combined the concepts of sleep and rest in our modern culture — and it is to our great detriment. She explains that there are actually 7 kinds of rest — physical, mental, emotional, sensory, social, creative & spiritual. I find this way of thinking about rest really useful, because it reminds us that we need so much more than a kip to feel well day-to-day.

Regularly experiencing various kinds of rest is what’s missing for people who consistently feel tired, foggy, find it hard to focus, knock back the coffee to cope — or are chronically fatigued. Studies show that we don’t necessarily need a huge lifestyle overhaul to do this — short daily moments go far. Some options include:

Physical rest — this includes more passive rest like having a nap or sleeping and more active rest, like massage, breathwork or a restorative yoga session.

this includes more passive rest like having a nap or sleeping and more active rest, like massage, breathwork or a restorative yoga session. Mental rest — the brain needs regular breaks to help reset, which also balances out our nervous system. This could be a few minutes spent looking out of the window every 90–120 minutes, or a tech-free walk.

— the brain needs regular breaks to help reset, which also balances out our nervous system. This could be a few minutes spent looking out of the window every 90–120 minutes, or a tech-free walk. Emotional rest — when we take the time we need to focus on ourselves rather than others, we allow space for emotional rest. This will look different for different people, but when we feel emotionally fried, it is often because we are people pleasing too much or looking after others too often. Emotional rest could be about saying yes to ourselves in the evening and switching off phones rather than always being available to friends and family.

— when we take the time we need to focus on ourselves rather than others, we allow space for emotional rest. This will look different for different people, but when we feel emotionally fried, it is often because we are people pleasing too much or looking after others too often. Emotional rest could be about saying yes to ourselves in the evening and switching off phones rather than always being available to friends and family. Sensory rest — turning off bright screens and being aware of the impact blue light has on us is key here. This also includes not looking at 2 screens simultaneously, something that many of us do to ‘rest’ of an evening (e.g. messaging our friends on WhatsApp while watching a film on the sofa). Even a minute spent closing your eyes in the middle of your working day has a big impact, as well as turning off all tech in the evenings / for a few hours on the weekend.

— turning off bright screens and being aware of the impact blue light has on us is key here. This also includes not looking at 2 screens simultaneously, something that many of us do to ‘rest’ of an evening (e.g. messaging our friends on WhatsApp while watching a film on the sofa). Even a minute spent closing your eyes in the middle of your working day has a big impact, as well as turning off all tech in the evenings / for a few hours on the weekend. Social rest — this involves allowing ourselves space from relationships that take a lot of our energy, taking a break and surrounding ourselves with relationships that give us reciprocal support and bring positivity. This goes a long way to making sure our social contact isn’t unnecessarily draining on our time, energy and resources.

— this involves allowing ourselves space from relationships that take a lot of our energy, taking a break and surrounding ourselves with relationships that give us reciprocal support and bring positivity. This goes a long way to making sure our social contact isn’t unnecessarily draining on our time, energy and resources. Creative rest — taking a rest to rediscover your passion, what feels meaningful to you and being more creative. It could involve connecting with nature and a sense of wonder. It could include making or engaging with art to feel juicy creatively, or a creative hobby like baking or cooking.

— taking a rest to rediscover your passion, what feels meaningful to you and being more creative. It could involve connecting with nature and a sense of wonder. It could include making or engaging with art to feel juicy creatively, or a creative hobby like baking or cooking. Spiritual rest — making space to connect to something greater than ourselves. This doesn’t have to be through religion or prayer — it could be through connecting to our communities, meditating or feeling more purposeful about our lives through connecting to our ‘why’.

Assessing the 7 Areas

Depending on your day to day, there could be one or more of the 7 forms of rest that really stand out for you — e.g. if you’re on screens all day, perhaps you would benefit from more mental and sensory rest in your daily life. If you’re in a job or situation that requires consistently being with others or nurturing and caring for people, perhaps emotional and social rest is what’s needed. People I work with often feel an instant benefit by picking one or two rest areas and committing to one sustainable action in each — it could be booking a regular massage or deciding to have a tech free afternoon every Sunday. Little actions go a long way.

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people say that self-care is selfish, that it’s a luxury that isn’t essential. And yet — imagine how much more energy, time and value you could give to those around you if you rested more, beyond sleeping. If you looked after yourself like it’s a necessity. From that point of view, you — and all of the people and priorities in your life — would benefit. When you see it from that perspective, it is a selfless thing to do. As the famous saying goes, we’re not human doings but human beings: energy is our most precious resource for living a healthy life, and when you put your own energy first, it’s inspiring to see what’s possible. Can you imagine what your life would look like if you took being as seriously as doing?

My Rest Go-To

For me, when my brain and body feel fried and drained, my rest activity of choice is to be in nature. It literally never fails me. I walk more slowly than normal, I tune into my senses. I look around me and take in my surroundings. I ask myself how I’m feeling. I come into the present. Come rain or shine, this experience helps my tension to shift and I remember there is more to life than any worries that I’m facing. I actively feel held by my surroundings, safe in the comfort of knowing this is a human experience we all face. This is also where I ultimately find I can access my inner Knowing — I connect to the voice of my intuition, I feel my feelings, I open up my imagination, and I feel a sense of play and creativity. Nature gives me a deeper understanding of life beyond the thinking mind and helps to restore the frazzled feeling that sleep doesn’t necessarily touch.

To join me at my favourite nature spot and ultimate resting place, tune into my YouTube Channel for my latest update. I’m inviting you to try a deep rest practice you can use anytime (that consolidates all 7 types of rest) to rejuvenate yourself, the latest instalment in my ‘Know Yourself in 2021’ series. Perhaps this one is for you or someone you know this month.

Rest easy.