The seven types of rest that recharge our batteries
When we feel tired, we naturally seek to regain our energy. However, it is essential to first recognize the fundamental importance of rest. As every athlete knows, a training program is not limited to performance: rest is an indispensable component.
But sleep is not always enough to recharge our batteries. Physician and author Saundra Dalton-Smith argues that we need seven distinct types of rest to maintain optimal vitality. Each type meets a specific need and compensates for a particular form of fatigue:
- Physical rest: This is the best known type. It can be passive (sleep, naps) or active (stretching, gentle yoga, walking). At work, adopting an ergonomic posture and varying positions also helps to protect your body.
- Mental rest: this counterbalances cognitive overload. When the mind is saturated with information, it needs regular breaks and periods without multitasking. Planning moments of deep concentration followed by real breaks is an interesting way to achieve this.
- Sensory rest: our senses are often bombarded with stimuli (noise, screens, artificial lights). Finding moments of silence, reducing visual and auditory exposure, or allowing yourself some screen-free time can calm the nervous system.
- Emotional rest: this involves taking care of yourself on an emotional level, welcoming your emotions without repressing them. This can involve authentically expressing what you feel, without judgment or masks. This type of rest relies on relationships in which you feel safe and free to be vulnerable. Tools such as introspective writing or moments of benevolent solitude can also help release accumulated emotional tension.
- Social rest: Some relationships drain us, while others recharge us. Social rest involves evaluating this distinction and prioritizing the company of caring people, accepting that receiving support is as important as giving it.
- Spiritual rest: This responds to the need for meaning and alignment. Take the time to reconnect with your core values and assess what is out of alignment. Committing to a cause, a mission, or something greater than yourself can soothe the soul and restore a sense of inner peace.
- Creative rest: When our imagination and capacity for innovation are set aside, it becomes essential to nourish our minds with beauty and inspiration. Art, music, writing, or spending time in nature can rekindle our creativity and give new impetus to our ideas.
In practice, understanding these seven forms of rest allows us to identify the type of fatigue we are experiencing and respond to it more effectively. It is not a matter of “wasting time,” but of learning to recharge the right battery at the right time.
Self-assessment to better balance your resources
An interesting exercise is to take stock of your energy expenditure each day according to the seven types of rest. The idea is to identify the areas where you draw the most energy, in order to better understand which “reservoirs” are emptying the fastest. Once you are aware of this, you can then draw up an action plan to restore a better balance and, above all, choose to rest in a way that suits your real needs rather than continuing to move forward on autopilot.
Energy, a collective affair
Energy management is not just an individual matter. The TELUS Barometer highlights that corporate culture is a determining factor. Employees who work in an environment of trust and openness say they are 76% more motivated and experience less stress and burnout. Conversely, limited support or less effective conflict management can affect mental well-being, contribute to accumulated fatigue among teams, and ultimately reduce engagement at work.
The key role of managers
Managers have a direct influence on teams' ability to recharge their batteries. Here are some easy levers to activate:
- Recognize the signs of fatigue and intervene without judgment.
- Create safe spaces where talking about mental health is normalized;
- Adapt support to different realities (young employees are more prone to isolation, women are more affected by unresolved conflicts);
- Address sources of stress: workload, financial insecurity, job insecurity.
Employees who feel supported by their managers are not only more productive, but also more loyal to the organization.
In conclusion
Energy is a precious resource that we must learn to listen to and regenerate. This starts with the ability to recognize the signs of fatigue and identify what type of rest is really needed. Rather than exhausting ourselves by pushing on at all costs, taking the time to recharge the right “battery” allows us to regain a true balance.
Getting adequate rest is therefore not a useless break, but an intentional choice that increases our energy levels and nourishes our vitality. For individuals, it is the key to lasting well-being. For organizations, it is a lever for performance and talent retention.
To go further:
➡️ Physical health: managing energy to counter fatigue and regain vitality
