How to Build Rest Into Your Life Intentionally
Over the past couple of months, I’ve covered a pretty wide range of emotions, and they’ve primarily been the less than pleasant ones.
Now, it’s time for a rest.
That’s right, this week is all about rest and rejuvenation and why it’s important to build rest into our lives in an intentional way.
Maybe you’re saying “Yeah, Jess, but like, I sleep and that’s enough!”
Maybe it is, but with most of my clients, I can identify a clear split between getting some sleep and getting rest (and I’m not even getting into the quality of sleep or anything of that sort). Or maybe it’s the opposite, and you get tons of sleep, but never wake up energized. What’s going on beneath the surface?
Humans are not built to be go-go-going 24/7. Just like the world around us, we have our own seasons and some seasons are meant for pausing. Rest is critical for better mental health, increased concentration and memory, a healthier immune system, reduced stress, improved mood and even a better metabolism.
Defining rest, relaxation and sleep
So many of us are caught in the grind and hustle of work, family responsibilities and ongoing stress. Often, we only allow ourselves to truly rest on holidays or vacations (that is if you even allow yourself to take those). It’s also important to prioritize adequate rest and quality sleep in everyday life. Rest and sleep are two different things and both are equally important to your mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health. In addition, prioritizing rest can actually improve your quality of sleep.
Rest is difficult to define because it looks different for everyone, however, rest is any behaviour aimed at increasing well-being. It can be active, such as going for a walk outside, or passive, such as taking 10 minutes to sit down in meditation. Daily rest can help you recover and recharge from both physical and mental effort. Rest is linked to better physical and mental health.
Sleep, on the other hand, is an essential function of the body and impacts every system from our cognitive function to immune health. Quality sleep can help us reset, recover and recharge. It’s absolutely vital to brain function, memory, concentration, immune health and metabolism. Unlike rest, sleep is something your body cannot function without. If you are sleep-deprived, your body will force you to sleep.
Don’t resist it!
I’ve found that my clients resist the concept of rest because there is always too much to do and there’s a sense of not being “allowed” to truly rest. I notice this in my own life, where being still within my own environment poses serious challenges when I can practically HEAR my to-do list calling me from each room. But the very real fact of the matter is that once rested, there is so much more space for creativity and drive to keep driving on the items on that list, though I hardly recommend that be the primary driver.
The benefits of rest and “unplugging”:
Heals your body
Reduces stress
Boosts creativity
Improves productivity
Enhances decision making
How can you tell when you’re in need of deep rest?
1. Physical Fatigue
Physical and spiritual fatigue can be two different things, but when we're tired in our souls, we're mostly also tired in the physical as well. The body, soul and spirit are so intertwined that they actually affect each other.
2. Spiritually disconnected
Some exhaustion exists beyond the physical realm; you could be starving spiritually. This is also another sign that your soul and spirit need rest. If you feel distant from your soul and spirit, this disconnection is a warning to proactively pause and take time to reconnect.
3. Resentment
The need for rest can sometimes cause us to resent those who depend upon us. If that resentment is building, it’s a clear sign that rest is needed.
4. Feelings of Uncertainty
Hopelessness is not just the absence of hope, but also the absence of a good amount of rest for the soul. It's hard to find hope when we're tired.
Start small
If you’re unaccustomed to rest and the whole idea seems foreign, start small; pencil rest into your schedule just as you would a meeting or appointment and build in simple routines for your day that cue you to rest. But you might also wonder what type of rest you need!
The 7 Types of Rest
Physical
Mental
Sensory
Creative
Emotional
Social
Spiritual
You are going to need every type of rest on this list at some point or another. If you’re feeling the need now, chances are high that you need more than one type. Depending on what you’re currently spending your day doing, and how you’ve been feeling about what’s on your plate is a huge clue.
Do you dread work? Maybe it’s time for a mental or sensory rest.
Are you procrastinating finishing content because your mindset is tanking? Creative rest time.
Did you just spend eight months planning a giant project or launch? A spiritual rest is calling. Let the cares of your world go. It’s OK to go into a state of inaction and free yourself from the merry-go-round of your goals, lists & desires.
Rest, detachment and neutrality are critical. The busy mind can block you from creativity and inner wisdom. It’s time to just, BE. In that space, let your dreams surface and flow through you, without forcing them or making them have conscious direction.
Practice gratitude
Take deep breaths
Cultivate healthier habits
Practice good sleep hygiene
As with anything new, it’s important to make the changes one step at a time, in small increments. Making sweeping changes makes it that much more challenging to make it a permanent shift. Be gentle with yourself and honour what your body, mind, spirit and soul are calling for.
How will you be spending your time of rest? Share with me in the comments!