Being a high achiever means you are always on. You are always looking for the next best thing to get you closer to your goal. You make a conscious effort to only commit to activities that move you towards your goals.
While this is good, you need to be careful.
If you are like me, you have probably heard of burnout. But before it happened to me, I didn't believe burnout was real.
I thought once I worked on things that I cared about, getting me closer to my goals, and balanced it with enough sleep; I would never burn out.
I thought burnout was an excuse for lazy people who didn't want to work.
Boy was I wrong.
I started noticing the signs early. I was stressed and would break down at everything. Little tasks began feeling overwhelming. Instead of taking a break, I convinced myself I needed to push harder.
To do this, I cut down on a lot of extracurricular activities so that I could have more time to sleep.
I didn't realize that sleep was not the only rest I needed.
And this is what led me to discover the seven different types of rest we need.
To avoid being burnt out again, I try to fill my life with these seven types of rest.
1. Physical Rest
This rest can be passive or active. Passive things are things like sleeping, napping, or yoga Nidra. Passive physical rest allows your body to have minimal movement. Active rest consists of activities that help your body relax but require more movement than passive rest. These include yoga, stretching, or getting a massage.
2. Mental Rest
This type of rest is stepping away from things that require brain power. Activities such as taking breaks between meetings and work sessions. Or other things like creating a nighttime routine that tells your mind it's time to switch off and let go of work. It can also include things like short mindfulness and meditation sessions that allow you to calm your mind.
3. Sensory Rest
Today, we are surrounded by stimulants. There is a new trigger around every corner of our homes. We call them screens. Taking a break from screens, bright lights, and social media can help to give your senses a much-needed break.
4. Creative Rest
These activities give your creative side a break. It can include going out in nature for a walk, enjoying the sunset, visiting a museum, or experiencing a new culture.
5. Emotional Rest
You should make it a priority to spend time with yourself. When you are alone, you can allow your emotions to be at ease and be present. It's easier to focus on learning who you truly are and reflecting on how different things make you feel.
6. Social Rest
Try spending less time with people who require a lot more of your energy. Instead, make time for those people in your life that are easy for you to connect with. These people usually energize instead of drain.
7. Spiritual Rest
Connect with something bigger than you. Find a purpose or meaning you can contribute. Your purpose can be anything from volunteering to participating in spiritual activities. Make some time to give more or to a cause greater than you.
No Time For Rest?
Although it may seem like there is no time for you to get all these different types of rest into your busy days, you can be creative and combine multiple types of rest into one activity.
For example, you can go hiking with a close friend while leaving your phone at home. With this activity, you get social, mental, and sensory rest.
Or you can sit on a beach and enjoy the sunset. Doing this can give you physical, mental, creative, emotional, and sensory rest.
So, it's easy to combine them and find ways to get all the different kinds of rest you need.
The challenge:
This week, brainstorm creative ways to get all seven types of rest for the week. Then, compare it to weeks when you don't get all.
You can also share your ideas with us in the comments to help others who may struggle to figure out how to get different types of rest.
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