Don't hate me for saying this, but if you are working your business around the clock, forgetting to eat, getting minimal sleep, and sacrificing time with your kids and your spouse all in the name of financial freedom for your family, I don't care how successful you are in this very moment, you are running headfirst toward burnout 🥵
I know it might be scary to take a step back because you have it in your mind that if you aren't working your business around the clock, your business won't grow.
That is just simply not true.
When you prioritize rest, your brain gets a chance to recharge and refresh, which helps your business to THRIVE!
The truth is if you aren't proactive in that rest now, it's only a matter of time before it's no longer a choice.
Your body will force you to take that break, and it's really hard to come back from once you reach that point.
Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith wrote a book about the 7 different types of rest every human needs in order to rejuvenate, restore, and renew their energy on a daily basis: 1) physical, 2) mental, 3) sensory, 4) creative, 5) emotional, 6) social, and 7) spiritual.
1️⃣ PHYSICAL REST
Physical rest can be active or passive. Your body will let you know when you’re in need of physical rest when you are physically in pain (aches, soreness, swelling, tingling, etc).
Examples of physical rest: sleeping/napping (passive), restorative activities like yoga, stretching, massage therapy, etc. (active)
2️⃣ MENTAL REST
You know you need mental rest when you feel exhausted yet your mind is racing, keeping you from falling asleep. You may also struggle to remember things.
Examples of mental rest: taking frequent breaks throughout your day, brain dumping all your to dos on a piece of paper
3️⃣ SENSORY REST
Sensory overload happens when your senses are overstimulated by external stimuli (your phone lighting up with notifications, the sound of the TV, a dog barking outside, etc). When this happens, we become agitated, short-tempered, irritable, etc.
Examples of sensory rest: sitting in silence, reading a chapter of a book, unplugging at the end of the day
4️⃣ CREATIVE REST
You know you are in need of creative rest when you are having trouble coming up with new ideas or creating/brainstorming. Creative rest happens when we look around to appreciate the beauty around us (nature, art, music, etc).
Examples of creative rest: a phone-free walk outside, sitting outside in the sun, looking at a photo album or artwork that brings you joy, a hike in nature
5️⃣ EMOTIONAL REST
You are in need of emotional rest when you consistently suppress your true feelings and/or bottle up your emotions.
Examples of emotional rest: therapy, journaling, opening up to a trusted friend
6️⃣ SOCIAL REST
You know you’re in need of social rest when you feel like everyone around you is sucking the energy from you without ever offering you anything in return.
Examples of social rest: getting off social media for the weekend, calling a friend, date night with your spouse, coffee date with family member, saying no to an event to stay in for movie night with your family
7️⃣ SPIRITUAL REST
Spiritual rest is needed when you feel like your work doesn’t matter, like you’re not contributing anything to the world. We all want to feel like what we are doing matters and that we are making a difference somehow.
Examples of spiritual rest: prayer, volunteering at an animal shelter, giving back to your community
Paying attention to these different types of rest allows us to function optimally and maximize productivity while avoiding burnout.
Looking at these suggestions head on can be overwhelming, but if you prioritize getting an hour of rest each day, I think you can fit some of these practices into your daily routine.
For example: a 10 min walk outside, 10 min of reading, 5 min of journaling, and 30 min to move your body, and you’ve covered a lot of bases by that point.
You can space these out throughout your day how you see fit.
I pray and journal in the morning, walk early afternoon, exercise early evening, and read right before bed. It works well for me to have those intentional periods of rest scattered throughout the day 🤍✨
This blog was inspired by Dr. Dalton-Smith's TEDxAtlanta talk 🔥 Check it out here.
If you want to read more about the different types of necessary rest, grab Dr. Dalton-Smith’s book: Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity.
Take care of yourself.
TLDR: Every human needs 7 different types of rest in order to function optimally and maximize productivity without burning out: 1) physical, 2) mental, 3) sensory, 4) creative, 5) emotional, 6) social, and 7) spiritual. Watch Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith's TEDxAtlanta talk for an overview of the types.
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