Holiday Stress Antidote: The Seven Types of Rest

People tell you to “get some rest,” so you lye around and watch television, order takeout, and skip a social activity.  Does that resolve your stress or boost your energy?

I recently discovered “The 7 Types of Rest” by Sandra Dalton-Smith, which illuminates how we still feel tired even after sleep, and how lying around being lazy doesn’t satisfy the kind of rejuvenation we are seeking.

Dalton-Smith explains that there are seven kinds of rest we require, and once we identify our need we can take action to pursue it.  Or not, depending on how you look at it. Ha! 

The Seven Types of Rest are:

• physical

• mental

• emotional

• sensory

• creative

• social

• spiritual. 

We need adequate amounts of each category, and the kind that suits our personal needs most.   Reduction of rest has lead to a culture of overworked, overstimulated, burned out, exhausted, and chronically unhappy souls.  America’s production driven economy has tricked into thinking being busy, stimulated, learning and producing all the time leads to happiness.  We took the bait. 

Exploring each type of rest tunes each of us into ourselves and reflects on the past, exposing that how we live today is robbing us of joy and energy. 

Here’s a quick overview:

Physical Rest
Physical rest means exactly what you think.  Your body is tired from hard work, labor, caretaking, moving, exercise, or some other physical exertion.  When your physical body needs rest, sleep and slothing around can be the restoration needed to regain physical strength and stamina.  Good nutrition goes a long way here, too. 

Mental Rest
Mental rest a bit more challenging. Since the nature of work in America became intellectual and informational more than physical labor people have entered a mental rest deficit. After working all day people listen to talk radio, podcasts, 24-hour news, and other informational programming that never gives your brain a chance to stop thinking.  At bedtime, when you are desperate to lay down and sleep, your overworked brain can’t stop churning out lists, narrative reviews, and other worthless minutia that prevent you from resting.  Only to wake up and perform it all again. 

Emotional Rest
Emotional rest is nearly impossible in today’s everchanging, hot-button, highly sensitive environment.   A constant presentation of deeply personal and troubling scenarios, on display beside great achievements and times of joy, creates an emotional twist that drains the battery.  Political and news dramas instigate emotional turmoil and upheaval and leave viewers bereft, hopeless, and frustrated.  

Sensory Rest
Sensory rest is another one that is much harder to maintain than generations before, the contrast between today and the old world is shocking.  Our present environment keeps our senses amped all the time.  Bright and flashing lights, hand-held screens, music on demand, and “flavor explosions” have hyped our senses in a way that leave us completely saturated and overstimulated most of the time, without even realizing it.  With constant exposure to light and sound, insomnia, anxiety, and depression have steadily risen along with it. 

Creative Rest
Creative rest is about the reconnection to a sense of awe and wonder and the expansive kind of thinking that blooms with boredom and freedom.  Being locked in to a rigid schedule stifles creativity, which requires time and flexibility. Creativity renews itself easily when given he opportunity, but an overfilled schedule of intellectual and competitive pursuits zaps creative inspiration.  Intellectual pursuits, problem-solving and multitasking also drain the creative battery, as they use up the energy of production needed to spark creativity.  

Social Rest
Social rest might be different for each person, as introverts and extroverts, and those who work with people versus those who work solo might need differing levels of social interaction.  For those who are often solo or reclusive, sometimes a group activity can help reengage a feeling of connection that increases energy and quality of life.  On the other hand, social overexposure can have the opposite effect, creating feelings of loneliness or disparity.  Being social doesn’t equate belonging or connection, those social bonds must be nurtured to be lasting and reenergizing. 

Spiritual Rest
Lastly, spiritual rest should be a staple food that lands on your plate every day.  Defining spiritual pursuits is also very individual as some people believe spirituality is based in religion while others see spiritual pursuits as those that stregnthen the connection to God, Mother Earth, the natural world and humanity.  Spiritual rest can come from infinite places or people.  A church, temple, synagogue or other house of worship is a beuatiful place for rest, especially when visited in the quiet moments between service.  Natural beauty calms the mind and brings deep connection to the environment.  Yoga, meditation and prayer all deliver spiritual healing.  Community engagement and volunteerism are also sources of divinity.  

As the year 2023 winds to a close, take stock in the list above and prioritize the kind of rest you need the most.  Some types might come easier than others, but in general, looking beyond sleep at the ways your spend your time can help ground you back into a life that is filled with wonder and inspiration, even in the midst of strife. 

Set a family or relationship goal to work harder on spending less money and increasing quality time with those you want to be with.  Get creative with handmade gifts or wrappings.  Listen to music, sing carols, and frolic instead of binging another show.  Light candles and snuggle up for a book or game by the fireplace.  

Being intentional about the way you live and celebrate will reflect in how you feel, and making holiday memories that bring you back to life, ready to tackle the next year.