Making your rest productive does not have to mean working on a hundred different things. In fact, the key to making the most out of your rest, whether it’s a vacation or a short break from work, is in recognizing and fulfilling different types of rest you need!
Physical Rest-
Everyone knows it’s important to take care of your physical health, but you also need to remember to put this into action. Give yourself some physical rest and relieve your body from all the work you’ve been doing!
Catch up on sleep (without oversleeping of course), recharge through exercise, and get some fresh air.
Emotional Rest-
Let out your feelings regularly through emotional rest! Emotional exhaustion happens when we allow these to build up, so being able to process them healthily prevents these feelings from all coming out at once.
Talking about these things with a friend, journaling, or just being open with ourselves on how we are feeling at the moment are all ways to give ourselves a break from work-related stress, anxiety, or even anger.
Mental Rest-
If you have trouble recalling what a person just said, you tend to lose your train of thought a lot more, or maybe if you have trouble falling asleep, it’s probably because your brain needs a break.
Give your mind a break from the constant noise. While listening to songs can be relaxing, you can also try turning our speakers off every now and then, or maybe listening to instrumentals or music without any words like some Bach or Debussy. Go out for a walk watch a sunrise, or engage in quiet, repetitive activities like crochet.
Sensory Rest-
We are exposed to a constant overload of stimulus and information from our screens, multitasking, and hopping from one Zoom call to another. Especially now, we have to give our senses a rest by taking a break from this.
Deciding to take a few days or even hours off can be very rewarding. This gives you time to engage in hobbies outside of our personal devices, be with family, and take things slow. If you’re really busy, start with something as simple as finishing breakfast before checking your phone in the morning.
Social Rest-
Social rest is just all about taking care of one’s social life: our interactions with friends and colleagues, but the great thing about social rest is that it also means taking a break from other people, taking time to be alone and to recharge on our own.
This could mean different things for everyone. It could mean video chatting with friends, but it could also mean a movie night alone, doing hobbies you haven’t been able to do with other people, or something even as simple as painting your nails and listening to music on your own!
Creative Rest-
We use our creative thinking a lot more than we realize; thinking of solutions to everyday problems, finding ways to do our tasks and assignments, the list goes on. So, it’s good to take a rest and get inspiration from time to time. Creative rest is basically just another term for getting inspired.
One of the best ways to do this is through experiencing and appreciating art in various forms; whether it's watching a good movie, reading a book, or even just listening to some music. RM from BTS also recommends the 3Bs: bath, bedside, and bus (or just being outdoors!) as the best places to have a creative breakthrough and allow our minds space to breathe outside of our usual work areas.
Spiritual Rest-
Spiritual rest is about finding or rediscovering meaning and purpose in our lives.
Spiritual rest can mean taking time to meditate and pray, and it can also involve volunteering your time and effort to help others. These would be worthwhile for both yourself and for those around you. Self reflect, spend some time in nature, and think about what gives you hope or how your values have impacted your decisions and actions.
What kind of rest do you need? It’s important to take short breaks throughout the day, and take time off from working every now and then. Remember, rest is just as important as the hustle!
References
Champion, L. (2021, February). There Are 7 Different Types of Rest. Are You Getting the Right Kind? PureWow; PureWow. https://www.purewow.com/wellness/types-of-rest
Park, A. (2018). 3 Ways to Ditch FOMO and Own Your Choice to Stay In. Shine; Shine. https://advice.theshineapp.com/articles/3-ways-to-ditch-fomo-and-own-your-choice-to-stay-in/?utm_source=Shine&utm_medium=Blog
Saundra Dalton-Smith MD. (2021, January 6). The 7 types of rest that every person needs. Ideas.ted.com. https://ideas.ted.com/the-7-types-of-rest-that-every-person-needs/