There are two types of tired. One that requires sleep. One that requires peace.

When you're really tired, it's hard to think about how to rest and recover well. Here's a few ideas about 7 types of rest to help you consider what's right for you.

Generally, tiredness is split into two: mental and physical tiredness. Perhaps that’s enough for you? Do you sense which you need more of right now; or perhaps you need both?

Saundra Dalton-Smith, profiled in TED’s “How to be a Better Human” series, suggests that tiredness may be more complex and that there are seven different types of rest that we may need to address our particular version of tiredness.

These are:

Physical rest: active (e.g. yoga, restorative massage) and passive (sleep)

Mental rest: (e.g. taking short breaks during long periods of focused time, circuit breakers when we notice looping ruminations)

Sensory rest (e.g. away from bright lights, noise etc)

Creative rest (e.g. using the science of awe, noticing a beautiful old tree, or learning or appreciating some form of art)

Emotional rest (e.g. creating boundaries and navigating the polarity of self-care and other care)

Social rest (e.g. perhaps noticing when we need a break from others)

Spiritual rest (this may mean different things for different people, such as engaging with nature, or with a sense of bigger community)

This list reminds me of Dr Dan Siegel’s Health Mind Platter too, where he outlines helpful items for a daily healthy mind “menu”.