The world of change making feels hard right now.
Many of the people I'm talking to are saying the same thing, they're burned out, they've been so angry and working so hard for so long, they've now lost the ability to feel almost anything.
We obviously need to keep figuring out how to create positive change, but we also need to include rest in our lives, this is a marathon and not a sprint.
Over the last few years I’ve seen the concept of the ‘7 types of rest’ become more popular, and they’re especially useful for people working sustainability and regenerative practice, as they really drum home the importance of thinking holistically and contextually as a route to wellbeing.
The 7 types of rest are:
Physical: our bodies simply just need to rest, regularly. We can make this a more regenerative practice by choosing where we rest, e.g. sitting in the garden and the sunlight vs slumping in front of the tv.
Mental rest: this is the one I struggle with the most, to allow my brain to be quiet feels genuinely challenging.
But when we don’t let our brains rest we become less creative, and we desperately need creativity to get us through the next few years. Mental rest for me involves reading and meditation. And lots of naps!
Sensory rest: the world is overwhelming when you're always on. Plus, if you're working in sustainability you're pretty much being shown horrific content non stop. So, I’ve deleted all social media apps off my phone, excluding Substack, and two or three nights a week I just potter around the house, keeping the tv off and the house quiet - I highly recommend it.
Creative rest: if you've ever read The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron you know the importance of bringing creativity, beauty and new environments into your life.
Take a trip to a local art gallery, visit a beautiful garden, or create something yourself - I've found building characters out of my kids' Play-Doh to be immensely satisfying :-) Just bringing a bit of wonder into our days does wonders for our perspective on life.
Emotional rest: this is less about action, and more about bringing what's inside of you, out. Keeping our emotions in or staying quiet when we’re actually cross, or holding back tears out of misplaced embarrassment all take up energy.
Letting those emotions out and freely talking about your feelings enable you to be authentic, which (eventually!) will take less energy than pretending to be ok or pleasing people. If you're a change maker, then talk to your family and friends so that they know just how much your work impacts your wellbeing - so they can support you.
Social rest: We need to figure out who in our lives fills us with warmth and energy, and who drains us. Working in sustainability or any kind of social change means spending a lot of time with draining subject matter - so it's extra important to find the people who can raise you whilst working in this space, rather than those who bring out the overwhelming fear that is often present.
Finally, we have Spiritual rest: an ability to feel a sense of belonging and purpose beyond ourselves. Some people find this in mediation, some in prayer, some in volunteering, some in writing in a journal.
Whatever your route, taking time out to be still and simply listen is key if we want to create change and still thrive as human beings.
Which types of rest resonate most with you? Which do you find the hardest?
Lovely. Useful. Re Letting emotions out, the Tears for Fears song Shout... Let it all out... is all about a kind of screaming/shouting therapy to rid yourself of the overwhelm!
The irony for me is feeling stressed by remembering all the rest I need to take :)