Seven Types of Rest

September 16, 2024

Good morning! Coming to you this morning from New York City, the Big Applee, and Washington City. And, on the final stretch of the way home, a brief exploration of Kentucky’s capital, Frankfort, and its culture of horses and bourbon.

Faithful reader and sometimes-responder, Bill, is 63 today, I think… Happy Birthday,  friend!  Have a good one; so young! By now you know the book:  The Anxious Generation…, Haidt, 2024.  Read it. Young(er) people are especially vulnerable to loneliness, and it can be impossible to detect, even harder to address. Experts say meaningful social connections are a crucial part of wellness and inextricably interwoven with social and emotional thriving. And, there are stigmas surrounding this topic, many of them. We’ve gotta get out ahead of this one, folks, if we’re not already too far behind.

• (As a reminder from a couple weeks ago):  The following is informed by Dalton-Smith:
• How to Rest:  Seven Types of Rest

1. Physical Rest — perhaps the most obvious, especially if your daily routine involves physical exertion, or even when/ if not.
2. Mental Rest – Give your mind a break from the stress it is under
3. Emotional Rest – Let your feelings be real and stay away from people and situations that drain you
4. Sensory Rest – Light, noise, screens, devices… 
5. Creative Rest – This might involve stepping up rather than stepping back — enriching your life with art, music, nature, literature, theatre, aesthetics…
6. Social Rest – The crowds, oh the people, oh those pesky neighbors… relationships and social interactions can be draining sometimes.
7. Spiritual Rest – Connecting with that which is greater than self, whether it be prayer, reflection, lectio divina, or a slow walk in the woods.

• And, here are some ways to address these seven types of rest, once again, informed by Dalton-Smith.
  • We hope YOU are well-rested, and if not, that you will take immediate steps to be more rested than you are at the moment.
  • In fact, quit reading and go take a walk, even if it’s just to the coffee pot or the water cooler.  Be well!
    • Start small and grow… believe it or not, five minutes a day if you’re currently at zero will make a huge difference.
      • Experiment to find the ways that work best for you.
      • For me:  Hiking five miles — or any distance — outdoors is much better than doing anything indoors.
  • Be intentional about your rest.
    • Decide to do it, do it, think about having done it, celebrate.
  • Schedule time in your day for different kinds of rest.
    • We’ve taught this for years:  Put appointments with yourself right on your calendar, do it… and then keep the appointments.
  • Focus on the benefits.
    • If you work in a skyscraper, go to the roof, look at the sky, breathe in some fresh air (if there is any), give yourself a score.
    • If your rest involves athletic activity as a distraction or as intrinsic to your well-being, be purposeful about those benefits — and thankful.
  • Combine different kinds of rest.
    • For example, that hike in the woods or along the shore can quite easily address all seven types of rest, but do it purposefully.
  • Set boundaries, be selfish about your rest times.
    • This is very close to the scheduling one up above, but maybe it deserves its own space.
  • Stay open and flexible.
    • Just because you start doing a certain thing you don’t have to keep doing it; if it doesn’t work, try something else.
    • Among the counterintuitive things I love to do for rest are mowing the lawn and/or shoveling snow.
    • Both of those activities would be annoying for most, but they provide free exercise, fresh air (if there is any), time to think, and a feeling of accomplishment.
  • Hold yourself accountable by sharing your routine — and your progress — with others.  (Dalton-Smith)
  • And, we would add ONE more, very important one:
    • Celebrate sleep.  Enjoy it, look forward to it, schedule it, embrace it, seek ways to improve it, luxuriate in it.
    • Find the BEST pillow, the most comfortable bed.
    • In our culture where productivity and the work ethic are revered, find a way to put sleep among your most-cherished and highest-valued behaviours.
  • Oh, and one other thing:
    • When you drop the ball in any of these areas– and you will — pick it up and start again.

Here is our final attempt at stumping you, at least for awhile… is this poor poem written by Yours Truly or by Generative Artificial Intelligence?

George’s Beatification

High above the city,
the Capitol dome rises,
a symbol of democracy,
gleaming white against the sky.
Inside, stories of a nation unfold,
debates echo in the grand rotunda,
where history is carved in marble,
and the future is shaped by words.
The dome stands, watching over,
a beacon of hope and resilience,
through trials and triumphs,
it remains steadfast, enduring.
Columns support its weight,
yet it feels almost weightless,
a delicate balance of power and grace,
holding the dreams of a nation within.