7 Types of Rest Everyone Needs to Beat Brain Fog and Feel Refreshed

In a dream world, you would get into bed, instantly close your eyes, sleep soundly for eight hours, and wake up naturally feeling completely rested. Unfortunately, many people wake up and press snooze on the alarm repeatedly or wish a genie could grant them an extra hour of sleep. And even if you do manage to get enough sleep, that’s actually just one of the seven types of rest you need to feel your best, says Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith in her book, Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity.

I learned this lesson the hard way when I started a Ph.D. program just days after completing a counseling internship and defending my master’s thesis. Two months in, I felt numb and depleted, moving like a zombie between home and school. My only motivation was a fear of missing deadlines all while I was struggling with headaches, brain fog, and physical exhaustion. 

At the time, I didn’t realize that I was experiencing symptoms of burnout, which, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion caused by prolonged exposure to stress. Unlike a poor night of sleep, burnout can’t be cured with a power nap or spa day. That’s where the seven types of rest come in, helping you recharge your mind and body. 

Here’s everything you need to know about the seven types of rest, along with expert-backed tips you can use at home. 

According to Dalton-Smith, the seven types of rest correspond to areas of fatigue that people commonly experience. The seven types of rest are physical, mental, sensory, emotional, social, creative, and spiritual. A deficit in one of these areas can manifest in symptoms like feeling emotionally drained, lacking energy, having aches and pains, or feeling unfulfilled at work. 

How you keep your home and the quality of rest you experience in this space has a significant effect on your health and well-being. Home is where your nervous system gets to “rest and digest,” which is what you need to balance the “fight or flight” response that’s activated by stresses from the outside world, says Charlynn Ruan, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Thrive Psychology Group. “So, if you want to function your best outside the home, you need to cultivate a home that allows deep rest,” she adds.

Experiencing the seven types of rest can help prevent burnout and “keep your mind, body, and spirit functioning at their highest ability,” says Jill Zwarensteyn, senior editor for Sleep Advisor and a certified sleep science coach. Your home should feel like a safe space to sleep, meditate, journal, turn off screens, practice yoga, or anything else you find soothing. 

To help you achieve a healthy balance of rest you need to feel refreshed, here’s a breakdown of each of the seven types of rest and how to implement them within your four walls.

Getting physical rest means allowing your body to “recover from overexertion and avoid injury,” says Dr. Jade Wu, Mattress Firm’s sleep health expert, Ph.D., DBSM. Whether you’re sleeping or napping, physical rest gives your body a chance to heal and fight off pathogens that can cause illness. Your home is an ideal place for physical rest since it has amenities like protection from extreme temperatures and weather conditions, fresh drinking water, a place to shower or take a bath, and comfy places to lie down and recuperate. 

One way to promote physical rest is by practicing minimalism and reducing material possessions. “Fewer items in the home provide fewer opportunities for clutter and accumulation of allergens,” Wu explains. Examples of physical rest include:

• Sitting still or lying down in a rest corner
• Getting a massage
• Taking a bath
• Using good-quality bedding 
• Doing gentle stretches before bedtime

Often, you think of rest as sleeping or being inactive, but it also includes mental rest, which means letting your mind pause and rest, Zwarensteyn says. The human brain needs downtime to process information and store memories, so you can regulate your emotions and think clearly. One way to experience mental rest is by “switching from deep concentration to mind wandering, or switching from problem-solving to passively enjoying music,” Wu says. 

When you think of your home, ideally, you would associate certain spaces with feeling comfortable and rested. Maybe you have a soft blanket or a leafy plant that evokes a sense of calm when your mind is racing. Examples of mental rest at home include: 

• Creating soft lighting with a dimmer switch or candles
• Adding a soothing fragrance to your home
• Taking time off work to relax or pursue a hobby
• Going outside for a break
• Practicing a restful ritual like drinking tea

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you’re bombarded with screens, lights, and loud noises. The purpose of sensory rest is to “decrease the amount of sensory load on your brain,” Wu says. Turning off notifications and taking a break from social media can give your nervous system a chance to recover, Zwarensteyn says. 

Whether you enjoy being alone or having company, your home can offer a place of sensory rest by being clean and organized. “A quiet and comfortable space designated for sleep allows us to leave our mental clutter at the door,” Wu says. Here are some examples of sensory rest:

• Putting your phone away before bedtime
• Setting a time to stop checking work emails
• Spending time alone
• Using noise-canceling headphones
• Choosing furniture and decor with clean lines, smooth surfaces, and calming colors

Getting emotional rest means having healthy ways to process and express your emotions. If you have a fight with your partner or take a stressful work call in your bedroom, it can lead to a spike in the stress hormone, cortisol, Ruan explains. So, emotional rest helps you build resilience in dealing with stress.

Humans are deeply affected by their surroundings and may have difficulty relaxing in spaces where they feel stressed, like when a home office doubles as a meditation space, Ruan says. That’s because “your body will automatically associate this space with non-rest activities,” she adds. To optimize your home for emotional rest, here are some examples:

• Dividing your home into rest and work zones
• Avoiding negative content
• Sharing your feelings with someone you trust
• Doing some journaling 
• Practicing positive self-talk

Just as you need the right combination of nutrients to feel nourished, social rest is all about having a healthy balance of solitude and social activities. “Make sure you have quiet spaces where you can be alone to engage in social rest,” Ruan says. Likewise, you need a comfortable place where you can spend time with friends and family. Other examples of social rest include: 

• Taking a break from relationships that deplete your energy
• Eating a meal alone without any devices
• Hosting a laid-back movie night
• Chatting with a friend over the phone or in person
• Cuddling with pets

If you wake up feeling exhausted or dreading going to work, you might be lacking creative rest. The purpose of creative rest is to feel inspired about something, whether you’re taking a walk in nature or doing a craft. “Creative rest can mean engaging in an activity purely for fun like coloring or cooking,” Dr. Ruan says.

Your home can offer creative rest by providing materials for hobbies or reflecting an aesthetic style that brings you joy and relaxation, Wu says. Examples of creative rest include:

• Having a craft room or drawer that feeds your creativity
• Letting your mind wander 
• Putting together a puzzle
• Reading a book in a cozy lounge chair
• Doodling or appreciating art 

Practicing spiritual rest can involve “anything that connects you with a sense of spirituality, God, or the universe,” Ruan says. In the context of home, spiritual rest might look like having a meditation corner or dedicating a section of your bookshelf to inspirational books or objects that help you feel connected to a higher power. Here are some more examples:

• Listening to a guided meditation
• Praying 
• Practicing yoga
• Doing a sound bath
• Reflecting on what gives you purpose

There are so many different ways to practice all of the seven kinds of rest at home, without breaking the bank or needing to have a ton of room to spare. With some intentionality about how you curate your time and space, you can feel more refreshed and ready to take on the rest of your day.