Rest. A very crucial human need and a very crucially misunderstood part of our lives. Most of us have no idea how to get it, prioritise it, and make the most out of it without verging into territory of bed rotting.
We decided to chat with psychologist Megan Buys of Finding Space to understand what constitutes good rest and how to actually adopt the rest you deserve into your daily life.
What constitutes good rest?
At its core, good rest is restorative, intentional, and aligned with your needs at that moment.
What are common types of rest people can incorporate into their lives?
Rest is multifaceted. Here are some different types of rest that are all equally important at various moments of our lives:
Physical rest: sleep, physical relaxation, slow movement such a Yin Yoga
Mental rest: breaks from problem-solving, screens, or decision-making
Emotional rest: space where you don’t have to perform or manage others
Sensory rest: reduced stimulation from noise, light, notifications
Creative rest: stepping away from output and allowing input or spaciousness
Social rest: either solitude or easeful, non-demanding connection
Why do we need rest?
Rest is a basic human need; the same as food and water. We need rest because it allows the body and brain to repair, regulate, and restore the energy and balance required for healthy functioning.
A great book that speaks about the importance of rest is Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker (and the rebuttal podcast episode, 'The "Sleep Loss Epidemic"', on Maintenance Phase podcast).
What is the difference between resting and bed rotting
I'm sure we have all experienced that feeling of doom scrolling whilst horizontal on our beds just to crawl up a few hours later feeling worse than how we started.
This is because bed rotting is not intentional rest, but rather just the passive intake of low-quality stimulation. Rest should leave us feeling restored and rejuvenated.
Why do we struggle to prioritise rest?
This is not an individual problem, and it is in no way your fault. Our world is built for productivity, and it can be hard to separate ourselves from this kind of systemic pressure.
What advice would you have to people who struggle to prioritise their rest?
Start by asking yourself, why do you want to rest in the first place? Do you feel tired or do you feel like you should rest because others are telling you to? Is there a bigger reason why you feel you need to prioritise rest, such as fatigue, stress, or burnout?
Once you know why you want to rest, you can then start to ask what should that rest ideally look like for you. Perhaps your version of rest looks different from the norm. Practice a kind of rest that aligns to you, and see if you can find the benefits.
Do you have any advice for incorporating rest during busy periods where it can be hard to find the time?
Everyone's version of rest is different. You don't have to sleep in until noon on the weekends if your version of rest looks like a sunrise swim. First, find out what your unique way of resting is. Then work out what just 1% of this could look like. Ideally, I'd love a spa holiday. Day-to-day, my 1% of this could be having an "everything shower" with music and candlelight.
Even when we’ve made time to rest, it can be difficult to get our minds to unwind. How can you calm an overthinking brain when you're trying to rest?
There are many options to quiet our minds: finding a simple hobby we can do with our hands, making a cup of tea, taking a walk, finding a calming podcast such as “Boring History for Sleep”, writing out a list of the things that are on our mind for us to tackle as a "tomorrow task", anything that makes you feel as though you're setting all the busyness of your life aside, just for a moment, to be able to enjoy the present.
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