Rest: why do we need to rest & which kind do you need? We all hit a wall sometimes. When we do, it’s not because we’re incapable of getting it right. Sometimes, exhaustion comes to play & all we need is a little bit of rest.
When do we need to rest?
When we have had a day filled with physically demanding activities, when we’ve been missing out on sleep or when we get sick. I used to take an entire day off after filming. Filming requires me to physically move around carrying heavy gears while managing & executing the technical details of the script with accuracy; coordinating the schedule & shot list with the clients; and managing my team. I also pulled my gears around the location during the shoot. So, I used to plan for the next day for doing absolutely nothing & just catching up on my sleep.
When you’ve been missing out on sleep, you are highly susceptible to poor productivity & performance. Our brains need to process data overnight. So, when we don’t – there’s too many backlogs for the brain to process. When you get sick, you also need to recover first before going back to your normal daily routine.
Rest is also crucial when you’re mentally or emotionally stressed. It could be draining & could cause you to have difficulty in concentrating on any tasks. It goes the same for when you’re visually exhausted from watching too much tv, being stuck in traffic for so long, or reading non-stop. It’s important to listen to your body when it’s telling you that you need to take a break.
Types of rest
Let’s see which kind of rest your body needs. Here are some types of rest we need regularly.
PHYSICAL REST
It’s important to rest when we are physically drained. And although this type of break is the easiest to spot, we still need to practice awareness to know which could replenish our needs. You could recover physical energy by the following: taking power naps, drinking lots of water, having a healthy diet, stretching & exercising regularly, taking deep breaths, and having enough sleep daily. This also means having a space where no one can easily disrupt your rest & is well designed for the type of rest you need.
Quick tip: Learn how to differentiate when you need to nap or simply lie down vs when you truly need to eat. When you confuse your actual needs & don’t correct it early, it could lead to subconscious self-harm like overeating & alcoholism. Unbeknownst to many, torturing your body by eating too much food even when you’re already full is the most obvious form of self-harm. Even over-exercising or drinking too much water is not good for you. Everything should be practiced with moderation.
MENTAL REST
Delivering tasks while also keeping our lives organized on a daily basis can be mentally exhausting. Despite getting sleep or eating well, we fill our brains with overwhelming tasks. And our brains keep processing – sometimes even when we think we’re resting! In order to remain productive, we actually need to unplug from constantly thinking & worrying about a certain task. It’s the only way we will solve it. We should give our minds space to rest & think & process any data. This will pave the way for our long-awaited Eureka moment!
Try to do something that keeps you focused on that activity alone as a form of meditation. Walking, running, gardening, swimming, driving, cooking & reading are things that help me clear my mind. I focus on my breathing when walking, running or swimming & working out. Then, I concentrate on my speed, turns, map, and spatial awareness when I drive. I need to create the right chemistry between ingredients when cooking. Finally, I’m grounded by nature’s aesthetics when gardening.
EMOTIONAL REST
Sometimes, we just have to truly acknowledge how we feel in order to let our emotions go. Grieve if you need to grieve, be sad or hurt or furious or exhilarated if you need to be. Consume it completely, then find a way to release it. Again, energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It can only be transformed.
However you felt at the moment, something must have triggered it, but it’s important to train yourself to learn how to go back to neutral. Emotions should be acknowledged in order for you to process it. Find your supportive circle too!
SENSORY REST
Build a calm environment so you could rest yourself from too much bright lights, loud sounds, or anything that is too stimulating. Listen to classical music to take things slowly or just play some asmr that helps calm you down. One of my favorite noise-blocker is the sound of rain – all industrial noise just fades in the background when it rains.
CREATIVE REST
What activities encourage you to feel more creative? Do you love to sketch, draw, play music, skate, write or record songs? Whatever it is that helps you express yourself better & freer, do it. Sometimes we need a break, even a short one, from our daily routine so we could simply be our most genuine selves.
SOCIAL REST
We also need to be reminded that we’re not alone & that we have some form of social support. It is best to connect with people whom we love & treasure, and who don’t pressure us to do anything we don’t like to do. Spending good times with our supportive circle can energize & motivate us.
SPIRITUAL REST
When we want to see our lives from a bigger picture, it helps to re-connect with our truest selves through nature. When we’re reminded about how small & vulnerable we are, it could give us that one push we need to fully embrace life in all its beauty & harshness. There’s this certain fear that each of us have deep within but when we get to be genuinely grateful & fully take in the vastness of the world when we travel, or swim in an ocean, run in the mountains, and expand our internal world through books, film & music, we re-align ourselves & embrace our changes & growth.