More Than Just Sleep: The 7 Types of Rest You Need to Feel Truly Recharged
Are you tired of being tired? Many of us believe that a good night's sleep is the only solution for exhaustion. While essential, sleep is just one component of Physical Rest. The truth is, modern life depletes our energy in ways that sleep alone cannot fix, leaving us feeling burned out even after eight hours in bed.
It’s been a week in the clinic. Every other person coming in has been showing signs of needing some kind of rest. I’ve had people calling and texting, telling me their stories. Exhaustion is quickly becoming an epidemic, and something needs to be done - for all our sakes.
Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, an internal medicine physician and author of Sacred Rest, identifies seven different types of rest our body and mind need to combat chronic rest deficits and achieve true restoration: Physical, Mental, Emotional, Sensory, Creative, Social, and Spiritual. Understanding which type of rest you're missing is the key to feeling genuinely recharged.
The 7 Essential Types of Rest
Here is a breakdown of each type of rest, why you need it, and how to get it.
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Physical rest is about restoring your body’s energy and relieving muscle tension from the demands of daily life.
Purpose: To allow your muscles to repair and recover, reduce fatigue, and boost energy levels.
Signs you need it: Persistent body aches and pain, constant fatigue, or feeling physically exhausted even after a full night’s sleep.
Examples: Passive: Sleeping, taking a nap, or simply lying down. Active: Stretching, gentle yoga, massage therapy, or a leisurley walk.
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Your brain is constantly processing information, solving problems, and making decisions. Mental rest provides a necessary break from this relentless cognitive activity.
Purpose: To reduce mental fatigue, enhance focus, improve problem-solving, and give your mind time to process and organise information.
Signs You Need It: Racing thoughts that keep you awake at night, difficulty concentrating, brain fog, or forgetting simple things.
Examples: schedule short breaks every two hours during work, practice mindfulness/meditation, journal your thoughts before bed, or engage in low-cognition activities like laundry, cleaning, or even running.
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Emotional rest is the freedom to be authentic and express your true feelings without the pressure of having to project a positive image or constantly caretake others.
Purpose: to restore your emotional balance by cutting back on people-pleasing and emotional labour.
Signs You Need It: Feeling the need to hide your true feelings, always saying “yes” to others when you want to say “no”, or feeling emotionally exhausted from caretaking.
Examples: practicing setting boundaries, saying “no” to emotionally draining requests, processing your feelings authentically with a trusted friend, therapist, pet, or journal, crying, or attending a comedy show.
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In a world full of bright screens, loud noises, and constant notifications, sensory rest is about reducing the overload on your nervous system. How many times have you felt overwhelm and gone to your phone to doom scroll, or zoned out in front of the TV? This is the time to focus on sensory rest instead.
Purpose: to reduce strain on your senses, calm the nervous system, and achieve a more focused state of mind.
Signs You Need It: feeling overwhelmed by bright lights or loud noises, headaches/eye soreness after screen time, or becoming increasingly agitated and irritable as the day progresses.
Examples: Turn off electronic devices, dim the lights, spend time in a quiet room, or try a “No Screen Saturday”.
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Creative rest isn’t about doing a creative activity, but rather about letting your creativity regenerate by engaging with the beauty in the world and stepping away from “thinking outside the box” demands.
Purpose: to reawaken your sense of awe and wonder, spark new ideas, and fill your soul with imagination and hope.
Signs You Need It: feeling uninspired or “stuck in a rut”, having ideas that feel tired or stale, or lacking a sense of joy or wonder in your life.
Examples: Spending time in nature, visiting an art gallery, listening to music, sitting in a new place and allowing your mind to wander without pressure to produce, colouring in
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Social rest involves evaluating your relationships and making conscious choices about how you spend your social energy.
Purpose: to create space from draining relationships and surround yourself with positive, supportive people who replenish your energy.
Signs You Need It: Feeling lonely even when surrounded by people, avoiding social situations, or feeling the need to constantly be “on” when you’re with others.
Examples: Spend time alone to recharge, limit interactions with draining people, or intentionally prioritize time with friends and family who uplift and support you.
*Note, this is not about cutting people out of your life. Those kinds of conversations should be done with trained and licensed therapists. This is about finding those who are positive influences on your life and energy, and focusing your time on them.
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This type of rest is about connecting to something greater than yourself to find a deep sense of belonging, purpose, and peace. This is not necessarily about religion, but about connecting to that sense of something greater. It can be achieved regardless of beliefs.
Purpose: to nurture your soul, realign your priorities, and provide a renewed perspective on life and a sense of calm.
Signs You Need It: feeling disconnected, questioning your purpose or direction in life, feeling that your life is only about your job, or experiencing a sense of emptiness/cynicism
Examples: meditation, prayer, community involvement, volunteering for a cause you care about, or simply taking time to reflect on your core values.
After reading through these types of rest, have you found which one or ones you need most right now? Take some time and reflect on these and how you are feeling. I personally find I need Emotional Rest the most. After a lifetime of people-pleasing and bottling emotions, it’s time to let it out. I used to tell my cat about my emotions, and let me tell you, she was an impartial and comforting ear. Now I find rest in journalling, having a good cry after a stressful situation, as well as practicing my boundaries.
To move beyond chronic exhaustion, the key is to be intentional about your rest. By identifying which of the seven areas you are depleted in, you can choose a restorative activity that truly meets your needs, instead of defaulting to yet another night of restless sleep.
Sources:
verywellmind.com
psychologytoday.com
mindfulhealthsolutions.com
calm.com
