“If we could learn how to balance rest against effort, calmness against strain, quiet against turmoil, we would assure ourselves of joy in living and psychological health for life.” - Josephine Rathbone
Ever wondered why you wake up in the morning just as tired as when you went to sleep the night before?
Why your body longs for bed and your mind craves the aimless amble of social media?
When Doctors prescribe rest to their patients, it’s assumed they mean more sleep. While sleep is an important aspect of rest, it’s only one of many methods for recuperation.
Saundra Dalton-Smith is a physician, researcher and author who promotes the implementation of seven different types of rest:
Physical Rest: Passive (sleeping, napping, laying down). Active (yoga, stretching, massage).
Mental Rest: Pomodoro technique, reflection, brain dumping, daydreaming.
Sensory Rest: Sensory deprivation (closing eyes), mindfulness.
Emotional Rest: Set boundaries, be authentic.
Social Rest: Life-giving relationships and conversations, setting boundaries.
Creative Rest: Time in nature, art, recreation.
Spiritual Rest: Prayer, meditation, community involvement, expression of values.
Dr Dalton-Smith’s TEDx Talk gives examples of specific areas of fatigue and how to apply the corresponding restful strategies.
So how can YOU apply the habit of rest in your daily life?
Acknowledge and prioritise your need for rest:
We’re all too happy to complain about our low energy levels…but honestly, when do we ever take the appropriate action to improve them?
“If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.” Henry Ford
The first step forward, is acknowledging that you’re tired of being tired, and that you’re willing to change old draining habits to create new life-giving ones. Only with a mindset of improvement and determination will you be able to embrace and apply the seven types of rest.
Identify the areas of your life causing fatigue:
It’s time to do some investigative thinking. What are the big stressors in your life? What requires the most energy from you? What events/tasks leave you feeling depleted?
Once you have a few answers (e.g. work, relationships, finances) continue to dig a little deeper. What specific aspects of these areas drain you?
For example: What part of work drains you?
Is it the physical labour?
The personalities and interactions of staff?
Is it boring, with limited creative expression?
Does is contradict with your values?
Is the physical environment uncomfortable?
Only by identifying whether the fatigue is caused by physical, mental, sensory, emotional, social, creative or spiritual (values) stress can you then implement the corresponding restful strategies.
Brainstorm strategies to prevent fatigue:
The first approach is to remove the identified stressors to prevent the fatigue from occurring in the first place.
It’s up to you how far you go with this idea…you could quite your job OR you could ask to be moved to a different role. You could end a toxic relationship OR you could limit time spent with that person. The idea is to entirely remove the stress where possible. But just know that it isn’t always possible…that’s where step four comes in.
Brainstorm strategies to manage fatigue:
Stress and draining situations are apart of life, you can’t always avoid them. Therefore you need some strategies in your arsenal to help you deal with, and recover from, these stressors. If you can’t quite your job or change your role, then you’ll need to find another way to address your fatigue and restore your energy.
Some idea’s:
Takes regular physical and mental breaks.
Start a creative hobby in your downtime.
Practice mindfulness and meditation.
Speak to a counsellor/psychologist.
Set relational boundaries.
Try a number of different strategies and see what helps. Your situation will be unique to you, therefore no-one can give you the magic key, you have to discover it for yourself. It may be one type of rest, or it may be several.
Implement strategies:
As you’re discovering what types of rest reduce fatigue and facilitate recuperation, think about how to incorporate rest into your everyday routine. Habits can be hard to form, therefore you need a plan.
Examples:
After a long day at work (where you have been fatigue emotionally and socially from interactions with staff and clients) sit in silence on your drive home. Then if you feel so inclined, call your favourite friend or family member and have an authentic, restorative, 5min conversation.
After doing the grocery shopping (where you have been fatigued by the bright lights, physical activity and decision making), have a soothing cup of tea in a quiet corner, and just daydream.
After writing an assignment for school (something boring and tedious, that you don’t really care about), get your creative juices flowing with some artistry. Paint something beautiful that aligns with your values.
Notice that the rest comes directly after the tiring event. We want to address the fatigue asap! Don’t let it compound over days, weeks or months. Couple the two events together so that you always follow up a stressful event with a restful one (e.g. shopping then tea, assignment then painting). Think of rest as an essential reward for your efforts.
The fact is there isn’t one hidden key to reducing fatigue…there are seven! And you must use all seven to unlock the powerful effects of rest.
Restful Recommendations
“He that can take rest is greater than he that can take cities.” - Benjamin Franklin
The lost practice of having a day of rest
The underappreciation of rest in today’s society
One woman’s personal experience with seven types of rest
The Art of Rest with Claudia Hammond
“A change is as good as a rest…”
That student, in sciences deep,
(With time's sterling value impress'd)
Now turns to My Novel, not thinking of sleep -
A change is as good as a rest.That merchant gets up with the lark,
His duties are aught but a jest;
These over, he rides with his son in the park -
A change is as good as a rest.My wife, in the kitchen below,
For dinner provideth her best,
Then crochets a nightcap for "dear little Flo" -
A change is as good as a rest.They have no Utopian desires,
Their spirits are seldom depress'd
Well-occupied leisure contentment inspires -
A change is as good as a rest.
This is a snipped of a 1857 poem (author unknown) aimed at “Ye children of Fashion and Wealth…Ye sloths who exertion detest”, warning “To lavish your time is degrading and rash”, therefore “A change is as good as a rest”.
I believe the author isn’t condemning all rest, but instead making the distinction between restorative rest and draining “rest”. A modern example of this might be…
Reading a inspiring book verses mindlessly scrolling instagram.
Going for a quiet walk verses watching TV for the entire evening.
Having a personal conversation with a good friend verses listening to commentary on Youtube.
Question: What types of rest do you think would help reduce your fatigue?