How to Actually Get the Rest You Need

When was the last time you felt rested? Like really, deep-in-your-bones, deep-in-your-mind rested?

Rest may seem like a simple thing, but many of us have forgotten what it’s like to actually, deeply rest — both physically and mentally. We live in a world that prizes productivity and often labels rest as “laziness,” a world that monetizes our attention and profits from our constant activity.

We might joke about how burned out we feel with memes on social media, but rest is a foundational need, like oxygen and water. If we don’t get enough of the right kind of rest, our physical and mental health takes a big hit — sometimes causing burnout, which can lead to serious health issues.

Restorative practices, then, are not just the occasional “self-care,” spa day, though that can be part of it.

It’s first important to realize that rest doesn’t only mean sleep. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), there are seven types of rest.

This is the rest we’re all most familiar with. Getting enough sleep at night, taking a nap, and resting sore muscles after a workout are all essential for recharging your physical energy. It can also look like stretching, getting a massage, practicing tai chi, or taking a gentle walk.

Improving the quality of your physical rest involves good sleep hygiene and consulting a health professional if you experience any sleep disturbances that can’t be resolved with sleep hygiene alone.

According to the 2024 National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Workplace Mental Health Poll, which surveyed more than 2,000 adults, 52% of employees reported feeling burned out in the past year due to their job. Plus, there are a million things outside of work that can contribute to mental exhaustion!

Taking a much-needed break for your brain before you feel completely drained is key.

A few things you can do include taking frequent mini breaks throughout your workday, connecting with friends who don’t drain your energy, limiting your time on social media and news, and practicing meditation and deep breathing.

If you often avoid emotions or “file feelings for later,” then you may not be authentically processing and expressing your feelings, which is an important part of emotional rest.

Processing emotion with a therapist is a great way to emotionally rest, as is journaling, speaking with a trusted friend, and spending time in places where you can be your truest self.

Setting boundaries with people, places, and conversations that drain your emotional energy is also a good step to take.

Similar to emotional rest, social rest focuses on time away from other people — especially those who drain your energy. Some people need this more than others, but it’s not just introverts.

Committing to fewer social events, socializing for shorter periods, and choosing social situations that feel supportive and enriching rather than taxing are all good ways to find balance in your social energy.

Tech breaks are fantastic for sensory rest. Sensory overload is common with the constant focus on screens, but it can also occur from things such as loud background noise, simultaneous conversations nearby, strong smells from food or air fresheners, bright lights, or crowded supermarkets.

Things like noise-cancelling headphones, a quiet space to close your eyes for 5 minutes or more, and getting fresh air can all help. If you know you’re going to be in a place that will overload your senses, plan out scheduled breaks for some sensory rest.

If you do anything creative for a living, you know how important it is to replenish those creative reserves.

Refilling your creative well might look like taking a pause from your usual creative demands and then doing things that inspire you or that you don’t typically do. Maybe that’s touring a museum, visiting botanical gardens, or learning to knit for fun with zero pressure to “get it right.”

Regardless of whether you have a routine religious or spiritual practice, doing things that invoke a sense of awe can feel spiritually replenishing.

Maybe that’s watching the waves at the beach, taking in a sunset or sunrise, spending time in prayer or gratitude meditation, or listening to music that makes you feel connected to the bigger picture. Contemplative practices like these have been shown to reduce stress and allow deep rest.