Welcome to part 2 of the types of rest blog post. If you haven’t already be sure to read part 1 so that you can learn about the other 3 types that I talked about last week. This week we will be talking about the 3 types that weren’t discussed, physical, spiritual, and sensory rest. Let’s get into it.
Rest is so important and it’s something that we take for granted often. I know I most certainly do, and recently I have had to pay the price for that. However, I am happy to report that I have learned my lesson and am being more mindful in how I care for myself, and most importantly how much rest I am allowing my entire being to get on a day-to-day basis.
Last week I shared with you the first 3 types of rest that we all need. I even challenged (or more so encouraged) you to try at least do one of those activities. So, I’m curious, did you do any? If you did, send me an email at kimora@monarchserenite.com and let me know what activity/activities you did and your overall experience with it.
In the meantime, let’s get into the final 3 types of rest.
Types of Rest: Physical, Spiritual, and Sensory
Physical Rest
Now for the big one. The second most important type of rest that we all should be getting on a regular and consist basis. Physical rest is the literal embodiment of resting your body, and this means so much more than simply getting proper sleep. When we do not take the time to rest our bodies not only will we pay the consequences for it physically, but the neglect will show up in our emotional, mental, social, and spiritual areas of health as well.
I think it’s pretty clear what happens to us when we fail to engage in proper physical rest. I mean my introduction to the blog post was the perfect example. I got sick very quickly, and often, and increasingly worse as the weeks went by, because I failed to listen to my body until I couldn’t fight against it anymore. I refused to sit down when I knew I really should have, so my body forced me to sit down when it knew I no longer had a choice.
Physical rest is so important to keep our stress level reduced, maintain healthy levels of blood pressure (which is often of the main signs of increased stress and lack of physical rest). It allows for mental, physical, and emotional recovery, it helps to keep our immune system strong and healthy, and it creates so much space for personal healing and self-reflection.
These are all things that we cannot actively be aware of if we are constantly putting our bodies in movement, and keeping them there to the point of over-exhaustion. Physical rest is essential for slowing down, checking in with ourselves, regulating our nervous system, and resetting our mindset. Things that can’t be achieved if we neglect this type of rest.
Spiritual Rest
Personally, my favorite and the type of rest I have engaged in the most since being severely sick. Spiritual rest is the ability to simply connect with your spirit. Check in with yourself, acknowledge all the good and the bad, what’s working and what’s not, where change is needed and what needs to be left alone, and then taking action in a mindful way. Spiritual rest is the rare opportunity and often overlooked privilege to rejuvenate your well-being.
Much like when the body shuts down and other areas of our health follow suit, I believe that the spirit is actually the first parts of our health that slowly start to deteriorate before everything else does. Unfortunately, if we are not connected to ourselves spiritually, this area of health often goes unnoticed and untreated.
Spiritual rest is important for being able to have a realistic and healthy perspective on life, engage in effective self-regulation, be aware of your strengths and weaknesses, and remain tethered to whomever or whatever higher power guides you. It is the foundation of our well-being and the building blocks for everything that helps make us who we are.
Sensory Rest
Finally, the one type of rest that I believe we all subconsciously are aware of but may often have a hard time committing to. Sensory rest. The rest of giving yourself permission to unplug from all devices, phones included. Overstimulation is a serious thing that can lead to a lot of mental health problems. Much like most of the other types of rest we have talked about, sensory rest is so important for our overall brain health and function.
A lack of it may not show up significantly the way a lack of the other types of rest for this blogging topic this may. However, this is the type of rest where if you don’t get enough of it, it will slowly creep up on you. Like wine. The perfect alcoholic drink that does not immediately impact you, but if you drink enough of it, it will start to affect all your senses in one way or another. You know what I mean 😉.
Sensory rest is one of those “lazy” types of rest that truly allows for our brains to relax, our minds and bodies to be as inactive as possible, and our stress levels to be nonexistent. This type of rest relieves you from the pressure of having to be “on” all the time, and gives you a lot of leeway to just simply be, and exist how you are showing up in the present moment without a second thought. You’d also be surprise how allowing yourself to engage in this type of rest may actually improve the way you utilize your sensory skills, and process the way you take in everything.
How To Increase Physical, Spiritual, and Sensory Rest
So how do we increase these types of rest? Like everything else we talk about on the blog the first step is to make your overall well-being a priority. I get it, sometimes we have to be on the go all the time in order to get things done. I know not everyone has the availability to slow down and connect with themselves on a deeper level. I’m also aware that we are living in a day and age where technology of all kinds is the center of our day-to-day living.
All of this is simply part of the daily human experience, but that doesn’t mean we have to succumb to all the pressures and demands of what it all brings. The absolute best piece of advice that I can give you right now to increase rest in these three areas is to put in place boundaries.
Boundaries that are firm, realistic, and easy to stick to. Having boundaries in place will help you remain accountable for what you are and are not allowing to filter into your life, your healing and/or resting space, and the amount of time you allow yourself to ultimately rest.
Just like last week I’ve put together a little guide with some activities that you can do to engage in these different types of rest. Click here to download it, and just like last time, give at least one of these activities a try.
Talk soon loves!
Love and Light,
Kimora