Is anxiety keeping you up at night?

When anxiety feeds into our brains and we can’t shut it off, how can we get to sleep?

After getting only 4.5 hours of sleep last night, I went to my Instagram account and found this post from TED Talks. 

SEVEN types of rest???  I’m just working on the first two, and not very successfully.

The truth is, physical rest is directly connected to mental rest. I know that if I can’t rest my mind, there’s no way my body will get the rest it needs. Those last five types of rest listed in the diagram are directly related to mental rest, which just goes to show how significant mental rest is to our overall physical health. Because we can’t be physically healthy without the proper rest our body needs. 

So let’s review those last five items on the list.

Sensory rest and social rest are very similar in that they’re both about engagement. We calm down our senses by turning off the television, radio, email, social media, etc. Social rest is about not engaging in phone conversations or texting, particularly if it’s with someone who drains your energy.

Creative rest is something you do when you maybe… take a pause from blogging, or any other creative project. It takes a lot of mental energy to be creative, and for us creative types, it kinda goes against our nature to turn it off. I find zoning out to a television rerun I’ve seen a bunch times helps me. 🙂

Emotional rest is about acknowledging something that is emotionally draining, and seeking help to give you peace from those emotions you’re feeling. Whatever works for you, whether it’s calling a friend, family member, or seeking some form of therapy. Emotions can be powerful, and destructive once they start interfering with our mental health.

Spiritual rest is obviously about seeking peace through faith. Whatever that looks like for you. For me, it’s prayer, and connecting with my small group that meets every week. I find that the closer I am to God, the more restful I feel because I know he is with me through whatever trials I may be going through. It’s not easy though. Faith is a discipline I don’t always have when I need it the most. So it takes effort to make that spiritual connection. When that connection with God becomes more real, it was definitely worth the effort!

So that’s the list of things I’m gonna call, “Easier said than done.” But they are doable if I just put my mind to it.

Let me know what works for you, I can always use more help in this area. 😉