Rest Isn’t One Thing: How the Rest Wheel Explains What You Really Need

You wake up in the morning after a long night's sleep and are somehow already tired. You drag yourself out of bed, chug as much caffeine as you can, then fly to work. At lunch, you take a quick snooze in your office, but somehow don't feel refreshed. After work, all you seem to have energy for is scrolling on your phone, before you fall in to bed and start it all over tomorrow.

Sound familiar? If so, you're definitely not alone. 13.5% of adults report feeling “very tired or exhausted” most days or every day (U.S. National Health Survey).

In a culture that prioritizes productivity and achievement over everything else, this isn't a big surprise.

While recognizing that our systems are designed to keep people tired 1, there are things that we can do to help ourselves feel more rested. Part of that may come down to the ways that we are resting.

Let me introduce you to The Rest Wheel. Developed by Pola Fijalko Creative, and shared with her permission, this wheel beautifully illustrates the types of rest that we need.

Rest Wheel.pdf

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As you can see in the illustration, there are 7 type of rest:

Physical Rest

Sensory Rest

Mental Rest

Emotional Rest

Social Rest

Spiritual Rest

Intellectual Rest

Often, people focus on one or maybe two types of rest. In the example at the beginning, you can see how Physical Rest was the only rest that the person attempted. And while Physical Rest is super important, if we are not meeting all of our rest needs, we often end up exhausted no matter how much we sleep or "chill".

If this is resonating, consider trying to use the Rest Wheel in one of two ways:

1. If you know the type of rest you are missing, try one of the suggested ideas under that type of rest. Try tracking your energy prior to and after the activity. Did anything shift?

2. If you are unsure what type of rest you may be missing, read through the wheel and see if any activity sounds intriguing or interesting. You don't have to be excited to try it; curiosity is more than enough. Then, track your energy before and after you try it. If your energy shifts, this might be a clue that you need more of this rest. If it doesn't shift, try an activity from another type of rest and see what happens.

Tip: I would suggest coming up with ideas that are personalized to you under each type of rest. That way, you'll have ideas that work for YOU when you need that type of rest.

When we meet our rest needs thoroughly, rather than focusing on one or two areas only, we have a greater chance of feeling energized. But remember, rest is complex, so if you are struggling to feel energized regardless of what you try, there may be deeper root causes; consider connecting with a doctor or therapist. If you're looking for a therapist in Canada, check out our team!