Have you ever crawled into bed completely wiped out, slept a solid eight hours, and still woke up feeling like you’d been hit by a truck?
I have. More times than I care to admit. And for years I thought I was just “bad at resting.” Turns out I wasn’t bad at it – I was just doing the wrong kind.
Like a lot of us, I treated rest as one single thing: sleep. Close the eyes, recharge the body, done. But the more I burned out – despite perfect sleep hygiene – the clearer it became that something was missing.
Then I stumbled across the idea that there are actually seven different types of rest. Not seven ways to nap. Seven completely separate needs that our bodies and souls have. Ignore even one, and you’ll still feel empty, no matter how many hours you log under the covers.
The moment I started paying attention to which type I was actually missing, my energy came back in a way that felt almost unfair. So today I want to walk you through all seven – and more importantly, how to figure out which one you’re short on right now.
The Seven Types of Rest Most People Have Never Heard Of
Before we dive in, a quick reality check: you can be deficient in several of these at once. I usually am. The trick is learning to notice the specific flavor of exhaustion you’re carrying.
1. Physical Rest – Yes, There Are Two Kinds
We all know passive physical rest: sleep, napping, lying on the couch scrolling with your eyes half-closed. That’s the obvious one.
But there’s also active physical rest, and honestly, this was the game-changer for me. Things like gentle yoga, stretching in the morning, a slow walk where you’re not trying to hit 10k steps, a long bath, foam rolling, or booking that massage you keep putting off.
I used to think if I wasn’t sweating, it “didn’t count” as taking care of my body. Turns out my muscles were screaming for the opposite – gentle, restorative movement that says, “Hey, I’m listening.”
Sign you need it: aching shoulders, random tension headaches, feeling “heavy” even when you’re not sick.
2. Mental Rest – Giving Your Brain a Real Break
Ever catch yourself lying in bed at 2 a.m. rehearsing tomorrow’s to-do list or that awkward conversation from three days ago? That’s a screaming sign of mental rest deficit.
Mental rest isn’t about zoning out on Netflix (though that can help). It’s about giving your brain permission to stop holding everything. Some of my favorite ways:
- A “brain dump” before bed – write every swirling thought on paper so your mind doesn’t have to keep it in RAM
- Scheduled worry time (yes, really – 15 minutes to feel all the feelings, then move on)
- Short meditation or simple breathwork
- Turning off notifications for an hour (radical, I know)
In my experience, when I give myself real mental rest, I actually get more done the next day – and with way less friction.
3. Sensory Rest – The One We’re All Starving For
Raise your hand if your phone buzzes, your laptop dings, the group chat explodes, and someone’s Zoom camera is glitching – all at the same time. Every single day.
Our nervous systems were not built for this level of constant input. Sensory overload is real, and it’s quietly frying us.
Sensory rest can be as simple as:
- Closing your eyes for 60 seconds every couple of hours
- Using blue-light blocking glasses after sunset
- Spending ten minutes in a completely dark, quiet room
- Wearing noise-canceling headphones with no sound at all
I started doing the “dark room minute” in the middle of chaotic workdays, and the difference in my irritability levels was shocking.
4. Creative Rest – Feeding the Part That Dreams
This one hits different if you do any kind of problem-solving for work. Creative rest isn’t about making art (although it can be). It’s about letting yourself be awed again.
Watching a sunset without taking a photo. Walking through a museum slowly. Lying on the grass looking at clouds. Surrounding yourself with beauty that asks nothing of you.
Creativity needs space to breathe. When we’re always producing, we forget how to receive.
I noticed that when I’m creatively drained, everything feels harder – even tasks I normally enjoy. A single afternoon in nature usually fixes it.
5. Emotional Rest – The Freedom of Not Fixing Everyone
If you’re a recovering people-pleaser like me, lean in.
Emotional rest is the deep exhale that comes when you stop carrying everyone else’s feelings. It’s saying “no” without a three-paragraph explanation. It’s not jumping to soothe someone the second they look upset.
It’s also creating space to feel your own emotions fully instead of stuffing them down with productivity.
For years I thought being “strong” meant never needing anything from anyone. Turns out real strength is knowing when you’re emotionally spent and protecting that boundary fiercely.
6. Social Rest – Choosing Who Gets Your Energy
Not all relationships are created equal when it comes to energy.
Some people leave you buzzing and alive. Others leave you needing a three-hour nap. Social rest is deliberately spending more time with the first group and lovingly limiting time with the second.
This doesn’t make you a bad person. It makes you human.
- Make a quick list right now: Who are your “charge me up” people?
- Who are the “drain me dry” ones?
- Schedule something this week with someone from column A.
Rest isn’t always solo. Sometimes the most restorative thing you can do is laugh until your stomach hurts with someone who really gets you.
7. Spiritual Rest – Connecting to Something Bigger
This one sounds woo-woo until you feel the absence of it.
Spiritual rest is that sense of belonging to something larger than your to-do list. It’s purpose. Meaning. Feeling held by the universe, or God, or community, or whatever language works for you.
For some it’s prayer or meditation. For others it’s volunteering, or being in a room full of people singing, or simply sitting in silence feeling connected to every living thing.
When this tank is empty, life can feel oddly pointless even when everything looks perfect on paper.
Here’s the truth I wish someone had told me sooner: you don’t have to earn rest. You don’t have to hit a certain level of exhaustion before you’re “allowed” to take it.
Rest isn’t the reward for hard work. It’s the foundation that makes the hard work possible – and sustainable.
Start small. Pick one type that jumped out at you while reading this. Give yourself permission to fill that specific tank this week. Then notice what happens.
Because the most radical thing you can do – for your relationships, your career, your peace – is stop treating rest like a luxury.
It’s not.
It’s oxygen.
