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Are you overwhelmed?
Do you sleep, but never really feel rested?
When you try to rest, is your mind still going 100 miles an hour, or your "to do" list is still looming and hovering around your "restful" space?
Unfortunately, even though 42% of your day sounds like a lot--you do not have a choice. If you don't take 42% of your time to rest, it will take you. (42% of 24 hours is ~10 hours, 8 of which should be sleep, so that's only 2 hours of some type of rest).
"Your body and exhaustion will grab you by the face, shove you to the ground, put it's foot on your chest and declare itself the victor! " - Emily Nagowski, Burnout
A lot of us experience burnout, and sometimes it's because we don't know how to truly rest, or even that there are multiple kinds of rest. So let's go through some and see if you can incorporate more into your life!
Every type of rest is necessary for your well-being, what I didn't know before, is there are SEVEN types of rest, and they are all important:
Physical rest - taking a break from physical stuff, this could be lying down, or sitting down, getting a massage, something that lets your body fully rest
On the flip side, another type of physical rest is to increase your physical activity - setting some time for moving more intentionally, exercise that clears the mind and gives fuller range of motion than you normally get
2. Mental rest - taking a break from the mental stimulation you get during a normal day
Examples might include turning off your phone for a period of time, meditation, time outside, journaling to get stuff out of your head and away from those anxiety spirals.
3. Emotional rest - spend time alone, or avoid a stressful situation, spend relaxing time with friends, journaling, some way to dump out your emotions that feels good for you
Give yourself proper time to get your emotional balance back.
4. Sensory rest - Taking a break from sensory input, being in a quiet park, headphones, lay down in quiet room, something where you can reduce/control sensory input, reading might do this, too. Give your body time to recover from sensory overload and stress
5. Creative rest - Low pressure, hobbies, some creative activity that is enjoyable, could be cooking, making a collage, something that lets your mind explore and play.
6. Social rest - This can be being alone, but it can also be hanging out with family or friends you trust, it might be in-person visits, it might be online chats, it depends what feels restful for you.
7. Spiritual rest - This can be religious, but it doesn't need to be. Whatever spiritual activity recharges your soul, this may be church, prayer, volunteering, spending time in nature, meditation, yoga, something that for you has purpose and feels fulfilling. Something that supports your well-being and gives you purpose, a feeling of a meaningful life, which may include others, but doesn't have to.
Hayley Honeyman has a good video that talks about a lot of these elements, if you want to check it out (though most of it is already laid out right here).
I hope this helps you make more opportunities for rest in your daily life--and remember, it doesn't have to be ALL the things ALL the time, just make time for a few things throughout the week so you truly get some space to recharge and avoid burnout!
If you find this is helpful, I hope you will consider donating to help support new posts coming out, thank you!
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