Tired but Can’t Recharge? The 7 Types of Rest Your Body Actually Needs

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Your body whispers before it shouts. And when we ignore it, the cost shows up as burnout, grief flare-ups, and a nervous system stuck on high alert.

In this episode, I open up about pushing past my limits at a social event, how it reopened the imprint of a medical crisis with someone I love, and what it taught me about capacity: it isn’t weakness, it’s bandwidth. From that honest starting point, we unpack a clearer blueprint for restoration that goes far beyond sleep.

I walk you through the seven types of rest—physical, mental, sensory, creative, emotional, social, and spiritual—and share simple, practical ways to diagnose what you’re truly missing. You’ll hear:

• how active recovery like stretching can be more replenishing than another hour on the couch
• why a five-minute break in a dim room can soothe sensory overload
• how creative rest isn’t producing but receiving beauty and awe
• what emotional rest looks like through truth-telling and safe tears
• how social rest comes through smarter boundaries and nourishing relationships
• and how spiritual rest can be found in meaning, nature, ritual, prayer, and service that fills you instead of empties you

There’s also a guided micro-practice to help you locate your exact deficit and choose one small step to restore it. The goal isn’t adding more to your plate—it’s choosing the right kind of rest so your energy refills instead of leaking.

✨  download your free ebook The 7 Types of Rest.

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:02):
You ever have that inner voice whisper, don't go?
But you override it anyway, andthen bam, you're hit with the
experience you were trying toavoid thinking I should have
listened to myself.
Truth bomb, that happened to methis weekend.
I didn't have the socialcapacity to be in a room full of

(00:23):
so many dynamics, but I pushedmyself anyway.
See, I already knew in my bodythat I was carrying the grief of
Natalie.
And last year, when I attendedthis same very event, the next
day, Natalie ended up in thehospital, convulsing in my arms,
coming close to death.

(00:43):
And that experience shifted me.
It was traumatic to witness whather body went through, and it
left a significant imprint in mybody.
It also gave me a deep reverenceof respect for hospital staff
who live through this intensitydaily, who watch people's bodies

(01:04):
at the edge of life and stillkeep serving, still keep showing
up.
So this weekend, when I ignoredthe cues of my body and pushed
myself to attend, it was nowonder I felt tired.
My system wasn't just navigatingsocial exhaustion.
It was carrying the memory ofgrief.

(01:24):
One person came up to me andtruly asked me what was going
on.
And in that moment, I brokeopen.
Tears came, and the deep painI'd been holding finally had
room to move.
I'm only now making sense ofwhat I experienced a year ago
and the profound effect itcontinues to have on me.

(01:46):
And it reminds me of this.
Your body whispers before itshouts.
When you ignore the whispers, itwill find a way to speak louder.
And thankfully, the next day thesun was shining, I could step
outside, breathe, and let naturehold me.
You see, being outdoorre-energizes me in the way I

(02:06):
actually needed, reminds me thatrest is not always stillness.
It's finding what restores yourbody in spirit.
And this is where we get itwrong about rest.
We think rest is just sleep.
We think it's lying on thecouch, zoning out, going through
our social media or Netflix.
And don't get me wrong,sometimes we need to binge and

(02:28):
do that.
But true rest is somethingdeeper.
It's about giving back to theplaces in us that have been
overdrawn.
And sometimes real rest takesaction.
I know you're like, what are youtalking about?
Just stay with me.
You're listening to the Lift OneSelf podcast, and I'm your host,
Nat Nat.

(02:49):
And if this is your first time,welcome home.
And for the ones that are stillalways coming back, thank you
for your support and being apart of this community.
See, here we talk aboutemotional sobriety, nervous
system wisdom, and the rawtruths of being human.
As much as I know, I'm stilllearning to listen to my nervous

(03:12):
system and honor my capacity.
Capacity doesn't mean you'reweak, it means your bandwidth
has a threshold for being yourbest.
And that threshold shiftsthroughout the day.
The truth is, many of us don'teven stop to understand our
capacity or ask if we'reactually rested.

(03:32):
And I'm not talking about sleepbecause rest isn't only sleep.
There are seven types of rest.
I know you're probably thinking,seven?
That sounds ridiculous.
Just stay with me because onceyou hear this, you might finally
understand why sleep alonedoesn't cut it for you, and

(03:53):
discover the real remedy yourbody has been asking for.
So the seven types of rest.
One is physical rest, where allof us know about it.
What many of us do is pushthrough long days, run on
coffee, collapse on the couchthinking it's enough.
What we actually need, yes,sleep, yet also active rest,

(04:17):
stretching after sitting allday, gentle yoga, movement, warm
baths, or a nap that doesn'tfeel like weakness.
Number two is mental rest.
What many of us do keep the mindspinning with to-do lists,
replaying conversations,overthinking, multitasking,

(04:39):
endless scrolling.
What we actually need are shortbreaks to let the brain breathe,
journaling, three slow breathsbetween tasks, or simply five
minutes of silence.
Number three, sensory rest.
What many of us do are constantnoise, screens, bright lights,

(05:01):
and nonstop notifications.
What we actually need are relieffrom over stimulation, turning
off your phone, step into a dimroom, close your eyes, or sit in
silence for a few minutes.
Number four is creative rest.
What many of us do, pushourselves to keep producing

(05:25):
ideas, solutions, content untilwe're drained.
What we actually need, refuel byreceiving beauty and wonder,
watching a sunset or sunrise,sitting under a tree, listening
to music, like really, reallylistening to the instruments and

(05:47):
the lyrics and the tone, orvisit an art space.
See that creativity fuels ourcuriosity, and the two are part
of what energizes us.
So number five now is emotionalrest.
What many of us do is wear themask, pretend we're fine, people
plazing, swallowing feelings.

(06:08):
I did some of that this weekendwhere I was like, I'm well,
which is true.
Yet people could see physicallythat I was depleted and tired.
And I didn't play the high vibeand high energy, which made some
people uncomfortable.
They were like, you know what,just take a drink.
And I'm thankful that I'velearned that I no longer have to
go that route.

(06:29):
I can feel whatever I'm feelingin that moment, even if it makes
other people uncomfortable.
Yet many of us put on the maskand just high vibe.
What we actually need is spacewhere you can tell the truth,
crying when it rises, speakinghonestly with someone safe,
being authentic withoutfiltering, which is really

(06:50):
difficult for the many of us,especially when we're in social
gatherings that are enwrapped ina cultural definition.
Number six is social rest.
What many of us do is fill ourschedules with obligations, say
yes too often, stay in drainingrelationships.

(07:11):
Who's with me with this?
I know I have been there and I'mworking at listening what my
capacity is.
What we actually need balance,more time with people who
nourish you, less with those whodeplete you, sometimes solitude,
sometimes soul-filledconnection.

(07:33):
So number seven now is the one,the biggest one I think also is
spiritual rest.
What many of us do is driftthrough life disconnected from
meaning, belonging, or purpose.
And when we are disconnectedfrom that, we can really feel
depleted because we're like,what's the point?

(07:54):
What we actually need, anchorinto something larger, prayer,
meditation, ritual, time innature, or serving a cause
greater than yourself, yet alsoensuring that your cup is
staying full.
See, rest isn't always lyingdown or zoning out.

(08:17):
Sometimes rest asks for action.
Setting a boundary is emotionalrest.
Saying no is social rest.
Watching the sunset is creativerest.
When you give yourself the rightkind of rest, you stop patching
over exhaustion and start trulyrestoring the parts of you that

(08:37):
are most depleted.
So pause with me for a moment.
See, these mindful moments Iguide you in, they fall under
all of these pillars of rest insome way.
Let's take a full rest together.
If it feels safe, gently closeyour eyes or soften your gaze.

(09:00):
Ask yourself, where am I mostdepleted?
Is it in my body, my mind, mysenses, my emotions, my
creativity, my social world, ormy spirit?
Maybe it's a combination of afew.
Notice what whispers back.

(09:23):
That's where you start.
Now take a deep breath in andgently exhale, allowing that
answer to reveal more of whatyou need.
Inhale, opening up space in thebody.

(09:43):
Exhale, letting it all go.
Take a few more cycles ofbreathing here, letting yourself
just be in rest.

(10:04):
Now take one big inhale andexhale out through your mouth,
letting it all go.
When you're ready, at your owntime and pace, gently open your
eyes and stay with your breath.
Exhaustion isn't weakness, it'scommunication.

(10:26):
Those seven rests again arephysical, mental, sensory,
creative, emotional, social, andspiritual.
Don't worry, I've included themin the show notes for you.
And for those that want to diveeven more deeper into this, I've
created an ebook that you canfind on my website.
The link is in the show notes.

(10:47):
Go click your free copy.
The more fluent you become inthose seven languages of rest,
the more you'll find realrenewal, not just escape.
Begin to listen to what yourbody needs to maximize your
energy, keeping your cup full.
And just like I found today withthe sun on my skin and nature

(11:10):
holding me, rest is alwayswaiting to restore you in the
exact way you need it most.
Begin to honor your body and theneeds it's asking you to meet.
Thank you for being here withtoday.
If this conversation gave youclarity or maybe some aha
moments, share it.
And if there was somebody thatpopped in your mind, share it

(11:32):
with them directly.
Also leave a comment.
It helps others discover themedicine of emotional sobriety.
Find more of my work atliftoneself.com and go to the
inner work section to downloadyour free gift.
And remember, you are worthy ofdeep rest in every form it

(11:54):
takes.
Remember to be kind to yourself.