Rest: It’s Needed and It’s So Much More than Sleep

Last updated August 7, 2021

What does it mean to get some rest? This is a phrase we hear often, usually when we’re run down or overwhelmed. Instinctively, we might think about going to bed and sleeping to get rested, but it turns out that there’s way more to it than that.

Before we look at rest, types of rest and how leadership training can help you get more rest, we need to understand how our bodies work. 

Sleep and rest allow your brain to perform something called ‘plasticity, which refers to the brain’s ability to shape and change. Therefore, a lack of rest will, first and foremost, affect your cognition and prevent you from learning new information at optimal speed. Rest and sleep also help you to process information (manifested in dreams). A backlog of information that goes unprocessed can cause you stress, anxiety and depression. 

As sleep and rest is critical for human survival, a lack of has dire physical consequences. Diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and headaches are more prevalent in people who have poor quality rest and sleep. 

But what if you get a full night’s sleep and still don’t feel rested?

Well, it turns out there are many different ways you can rest, and they don’t all involve going to bed. 

Sensory rest

Even when you’re asleep at night, your senses are still working hard. This is why it’s important to try and let this part of you rest as well.

A noisy environment, uncomfortable bed sheets or unpleasant smells can keep your senses working overdrive even while you’re snoozing.

Furthermore, you should try to have some sensory rest during the day. Screen time, for example, will strain your eyes and overload your senses if used too often.

Currently, adults spend an average of 11 hours per day interacting with media. Yes, you are reading that correctly.

While your workplace may require you to look at screens for long periods, you can still take control over how much media you consume away from the workplace.

It’s important to give your eyes and ears a break.

Emotional and mental rest

Emotional rest means taking a break from highly emotive situations, people-pleasing and allowing emotions to process over time. If you are feeling stressed, it’s important to take an emotional break.

This might involve taking 20 minutes out to be quiet, or even committing to stopping certain toxic interactions for longer periods of time.

Failure to get enough emotional rest can lead to heightened anxiety, poorer work performance and strained professional relationships.

If you are struggling with your emotions at work, you may benefit from increasing your emotional intelligence.

As for mental rest, this means that you not only give your emotions a break, but your cognitive processing too. Checking your work emails while taking a relaxing bath is not a way to mentally rest. Similarly, when you’re on annual leave, it’s important that your mind is away from work, not just your body. Leadership training can help you refine this skill.

Social rest

If you have an active social life, it might be time to rethink your schedule. Social isolation isn’t good for anyone, but in short spells, being alone can be very welcome. During Covid-19, you may not have seen your friends in a while, but increased your time on social media.

In fact, one survey showed that more than 70% of respondents have increased their social media engagement since the pandemic began. Social rest should mean taking time out to be alone once or twice a day, or as much as you feel is necessary. 

Physical rest

Physical rest is more than going to bed at night. Physical rest should also occur during the day. Being on your feet and moving non-stop between 9am and 10pm is not going to do you any good. It’s good to split your day into chunks of time dedicated to both physical activity and physical rest. This might be as simple as taking an hour out for lunch and sitting still, reading a magazine or writing a journal.

If you need help learning how to find balance in your day, or simply need to rest more so that you’ve more energy to dedicate to work, I can help. Learn more about leadership training.

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