Are you feeling tired?

I have asked this question to so many of my colleagues and friends I still have to get a ‘no’ for an answer. But isn’t this peculiar? How is it possible that we are all tired. We do different jobs, we live different lives, some have families, other children (furry or not), others are single. Some live in the middle of busy London while others in the Greek countryside. So how is this possible then? What is the common thread for all of us? It seems that there is more than one type of rest you need in order to be the best version of you and very few of us are aware. I first came across this context in a ted article but soon I realised it is also a published book. Now I will be honest, I haven’t read the book but the sound of 7 types of rest makes sense to me. And by the way, rest and sleep are not the same thing..

Physical rest: This is a no brainer. We all know we need to sleep and nap to properly rest our bodies. This is called passive physical rest. However, there is also what is called active physical rest and includes stretching and yes, you guessed it right, massage.

Mental rest: How many coffees do you have per day? Never mind, TMI*.. Just think if every additional coffee offers you something. And when you try to sleep at night what do you do? You go over your to do list again and again.. Now stop! You need a mental break. And you need to plan for your future self. That means, write down your to do list before you go to bed, prep your food, and schedule a day to do nothing but relax..

Emotional rest: This is defined as the freedom to authentically express feelings and eliminate people-pleasing behaviours. Are you in that category? (Take the test). This seems to be really important today as with our social media consumption we seem to need to always look and feel incredible even if we don’t.

Social rest: This is directly connected with the above. Sucked into social media, we often fail to understand which relationships feed us and which drain us. To truly experience social rest make sure you only keep in your life the former kind. 

Sensory rest: This is also kind of intertwined with social media as well. Or rather the pace of our everyday life. We are constantly using one of our senses all the time and that feels overwhelming even if you haven’t pinpointed that yet. Try dark mode on your electronic devices to relieve your sight, listen to soothing music, eat by savouring each bite and doing nothing else, or go out to nature without TV and laptop and do all at once.

Creative rest: Creative rest reawakens us from the inside and is particularly important for brainstorming new ideas. Turn your workspace into a place of inspiration by displaying things that make you happy. It doesn’t matter if it is your favourite painting or a picture you took of your partner during a recent holiday. And don’t forget to dance while blasting your favourite song during your lunch break. And no, you shouldn’t care if anyone is watching..

Spiritual rest: Now I left this for last just because I found that difficult too. Some might have complicated relationship with religion, and that’s ok, spiritual rest is less about organized religion and more on your own personal relationship with the world around you. So this can mean many things, like connecting with like-minded people and belong to something greater than yourself. But what I loved the most when I was reading into spiritual rest is the concept of crying. So many of us try hard not to cry, but when we hold back we are not doing ourselves a favour. Tears allow our body to release stress hormones in order for you to heal! Think about that!!!

So go in then! Get some rest and then come and tell me if you are still tired!

*ΤΜΙ: Too much information