what kind of rest do you need?

chances are you need more than just sleep

L'Oreal Thompson Payton

Oct 02, 2024

Wednesday Wisdom

“Rest isn’t a productivity hack. Rest is a sacred practice.” ~ Octavia Raheem

Morning Musings

green ceramic mug on wooden desk — Photo by David Mao on Unsplash

Recently I wrote a story reporting on seven different types of rest. They are as follows:

Physical
Mental
Sensory
Creative
Emotional
Social
Spiritual

While interviewing the creator of the framework, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, I learned she’d created an online quiz to help people determine what kind of rest they need. Suffer from all, where to prioritize, suggested taking quiz and starting with the one that yielded highest percentage.

Here are my results:

Physical Rest Score: 32
Mental Rest Score: 36
Emotional Rest Score: 35
Spiritual Rest Score: 20
Social Rest Score: 16
Sensory Rest Score: 30
Creative Rest Score: 35

As the kids say on the internet, my flabbergasted was gasted. Yet, ever the Enneagram 3 Achiever, I was determined to do something about it.

Last month, I started volunteering as a work study at a yoga studio. In exchange for working one four-hour shift per week, I receive a complimentary unlimited membership. Now, when you consider that classes are $35, this is quite the deal. And the best part? You can take classes WHILE you’re working!

My motivation for signing up was twofold:

1. I have a long-held retirement dream of opening a bookstore cafe, yoga studio and co-working space (yes, all within the same building, ideally a tri-level brownstone. IYKYK). So if I’m going to own and operate a studio one day, it would behoove me to learn how it works.

I completed my 200-hour and 300-hour yoga teacher training during the height of the pandemic from 2021-2022 and, as a result, both of my trainings were virtual. While this was beneficial for many reasons (namely the lower costs and convenience), I feel like I did miss out on some valuable in-person instruction.
As a yoga teacher, I find myself skimping on taking classes. Even my beloved Peloton app isn’t getting much love these days.

After one particularly stressful week, I settled in for a vinyasa flow with a 10-minute savasana complete with a lavendar eye pillow that was exactly what the doctor ordered. Because I desperately needed mental rest and this was that.

I made a vow to myself that I would take more in-person yoga classes and last week, I attended one outside of my shift! Now, this may not seem like a big deal to you. But one of the perks of freelancing (in my opinion) is midday workouts. However, because I’m a workaholic and I’m still challenging my scarcity mindset, it takes a lot for me to step away from my laptop in the middle of the day.

But after dropping Violet off at daycare and working a few hours at the library, a sculpt and tone yoga class was just what I needed. I truly don’t remember the last time I had that much fun in a yoga class. There was dancing, there was strength training and yes, of course, there was yoga. It was a really good time and I left feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

Later that day I had therapy and my therapist was equally proud of me for a) getting out of the house and b) prying myself away from my computer to go to an actual studio and workout.

I don’t know what they’re pumping in the air there, but in-person yoga just hits different from at-home yoga (and I often end up a LOT sweatier!).

More of this, please. Jenni talks about moving body/taking time away from business & that’s when you reach flow. Next day received an inquiry for yet another cover story and a research report that may become my biggest client/project yet.

Hustle culture (cough late-stage capitalism) likes to convince us that we can’t take a break. And, as Dalton-Smith said during our interview, you can’t afford not to. Your very life—forget your livelihood—depends on it, especially if you’re a Black woman or someone from an otherwise marginalized identity.

So, if you need a permission slip to rest (and I don’t mean more sleep, I mean find out what kind of rest you need and intentionally fill those buckets), consider this that.

And, in a rare turn of events, I’m actually taking my own advice for once. As you’re reading this, I’m somewhere in the Caribbean enjoying a tropical cocktail in the privacy of my own infinity pool.

As a result, I’m keeping this week’s newsletter short. I’ll be back to your regularly-scheduled newsletter next week with an update for paid subscribers (finally!) and the future of Werking Mom. You don’t want to miss it!

What kind of rest do you need? Let me know in the comments as well as how you plan to refill your cup. Can’t be out here dehydrated, friends!

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