Have you ever found yourself still exhausted and deflated after an eight-hour sleep?
It could be that sleep isn't the reset you need.
You may have heard of the "seven types of rest". It's the sort of concept that pops up on social media, podcasts or in an article from time to time.
But, how useful is the idea and can it help us look after and energise ourselves?
What are the seven types of rest?
The seven types of rest, according to internal medicine physician and author Saundra Dalton-Smith are:
- physical rest
- mental rest
- emotional rest
- social rest
- sensory rest
- creative rest
- spiritual rest
These are the premise of Dr Dalton-Smith's book Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, published in 2017.
Dr Dalton-Smith's Christianity is reflected throughout her book, but it's usually less dominant when the ideas are interpreted by others.
She recommends identifying the areas where you might have a "rest deficit" and prioritising activities that address it.
Are the 'seven types of rest' useful?
The concept of self-care "gets thrown around a lot", but educational and developmental psychologist, Anushka Phal, questions whether people really know what it means.
Ms Phal, who is based in Naarm/Melbourne, says concepts such as the seven types of rest can be helpful reference points.
She says many of the activities that fall under one of the types of rest are things that we ideally incorporate into our everyday lives anyway.
"I think sometimes we forget that we're working to live, not living to work."
While physical rest and mental rest are better understood, Ms Phal says sensory rest is something we seem to struggle more with.
For example, she says it could mean turning notifications on your phone off when you're feeling irritated, overstimulated or burnt out.
The president of the Australian Association of Psychologists, Sahra O'Doherty, who lives on Gadigal land in Sydney, says the seven categories could make it easier for people to identify areas they might be missing.
While some of the activities that fall under "seven types of rest" wouldn't typically be called restful activities, she says they "allow us space to engage in something that might be restorative or allow us to get into a bit of a flow state".
Nick Haslam, a professor of Psychology at Melbourne University in Naarm, says the concept may remind people of the different ways they can "restore themselves".
"It can include forms of activity and social connection rather than just passivity and cutting oneself off."
Are we talking about 'rest' or something else?
Professor Haslam isn't convinced "rest" is the best descriptor for a concept that captures such a vast range of strategies for reducing stress and fatigue.
He says it makes rest an "umbrella concept" that can include "setting boundaries with demanding friends, socialising, getting a massage, meditating, going for a hike, keeping a journal, sleeping, going to the gym, baking a cake, putting your phone away and so on".
Zena Burgess, CEO of the Australian Psychological Society in Naarm/Melbourne, says "everybody has different language" but if she were talking with a client she'd probably use the word "breaks".
It's clear when working with people that they "need different kinds of breaks" and that sleep alone isn't always an answer, Dr Burgess says.
Knowing "what is going to recharge your batteries" is helpful.
Ms O'Doherty says you might think of the seven types of rest as burnout prevention, anxiety or stress management or "proactive self-care".
Are there other strategies that could help?
If the seven types of rest aren't for you, there are lots of strategies to help address feelings of exhaustion or depletion.
Ms O'Doherty says the self-care wheel developed by Olga Phoenix is similar and she uses it often.
Divided into six segments with titles including personal, professional and physical, the wheel includes activity suggestions like 'get a coffee with a friend' and 'exercise' under each one.
"We might pick a category for that person to work on between sessions and then at the following session they'll report back to me about what they might have tried."
Like the seven types of rest, Ms O'Doherty says the self-care wheel "gives us a gentle reminder to look after ourselves in different ways".
Ms Phals sometimes asks clients to block out an entire day in their month to do exactly what they want.
She says it isn't always possible, but someone might be able to take an afternoon, or enough time for an exercise class they find rewarding.
A "more and less" life audit is something else, Ms Phals encourages clients to do towards the end of the year.
You can create your own audit categories, but they typically include mental health, physical health, finances, hobbies, social life and romantic life, she says.
She writes a category at the top of the page, splits it into two columns and write down what went really well on one side and what you want to do less of on the other.
"Then you go through your highlights and go 'what do I need more of for the upcoming year' and based on that what's one small change that I could make for myself.
"Look at what's working really well and [ask] 'how will I just continue doing that … and then what do I need to incorporate more of'."
This article contains general information only. You should consider obtaining independent professional advice in relation to your particular circumstances.
