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Seven weeks ago, I started this series on rest.
Not because I'm some wellness guru.
Because I was exhausted in ways sleep couldn't fix.
And I'm a VP. I'm supposed to have this figured out.
Spoiler: I didn't.
So I spent seven weeks breaking down the 7 types of rest—physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual, sensory, and creative.
Here's what I learned.
And more importantly, here's what changed.
🔌 Unplugged Truth
Most high achievers think rest is one thing: sleep.
Get eight hours. Take a vacation. Problem solved.
Except it's not.
Because you can sleep eight hours and still wake up drained.
You can take a vacation and come back just as resentful.
You can have a light workload and still feel empty.
That's because rest isn't one thing.
It's seven.
And most of us are only attempting one or two—badly—while completely ignoring the others.
Here's the breakdown of what each type actually is and why it matters:
Physical Rest - Your body needs relief from constant output. Not just sleep, but also stretching, walking, and giving your muscles time to recover instead of constantly pushing.
Mental Rest - Your brain needs a break from constant processing. Not switching tasks, not scrolling—actual quiet where your thoughts can settle instead of racing.
Emotional Rest - You need space to stop managing, absorbing, and performing your feelings for everyone else. Honesty without filtering. Connection without emotional labor.
Social Rest - Time with people who restore you, not drain you. Real connection, not performative networking. And sometimes? Just being around humans without having to talk.
Spiritual Rest - Alignment with your morals and values. Contribution that matters to you. Connection to something bigger than your inbox.
Sensory Rest - Reducing the input your senses process all day. Less screen time, softer environments, giving your eyes and ears a break from constant stimulation.
Creative Rest - Space for your brain to wander without an agenda. Consuming creativity instead of just producing it. Letting inspiration show up instead of forcing it.
I'm not going to pretend I nailed all seven types.
But here's what shifted:
I stopped treating rest like a reward I had to earn. Rest isn't what you do after you've pushed yourself to the breaking point. It's what prevents the breaking point in the first place.
I started recognizing which type of tired I actually was. Physical tired? I need sleep or movement. Mental tired? I need quiet. Emotional tired? I need honesty. Different problems, different solutions.
I gave myself permission to need rest even when things were "going well." You don't have to be in crisis to deserve rest. You don't have to collapse to take a break.
I built small pockets of rest into my week instead of waiting for a vacation. Fifteen-minute walks. Closing my eyes between meetings. Monthly date nights. Working from a coffee shop. Solo retreats. Small shifts, big impact.
I stopped feeling guilty about protecting my energy. Saying no without a novel. Creating space from people who drain me. Prioritizing connections that restore me. That's not selfish—that's sustainable.
🧯 Sh*t That Helped
These are things I’m doing as a VP that most burned-out leaders don’t do…
I block 15 minutes between big meetings. Not to prep for the next one. To close my eyes, walk outside, or just breathe. Mental rest in real time.
I don't over-explain my boundaries. "I can't take that on right now" is a complete sentence. No dissertation required.
I audit my calendar against my values. If my time doesn't reflect what I actually care about, something's wrong—and I fix it.
I work from a coffee shop once a week. Not for productivity. For the energy of being around people without having to perform for them.
I practice gratitude for myself, not just my circumstances. I'm grateful for what I built, what I handled, what I showed up for. That's spiritual rest.
I let people sit with their own discomfort. Their stress is not my job to absorb. Their problems are not my job to fix. Emotional rest requires boundaries.
I plan solo retreats where I think without interruption. Last year's retreat gave me more clarity than six months of back-to-back execution. Creative rest is strategic.Creative rest doesn't mean you stop being productive.
☕️ What's Next
This series is over, but the work isn't.
Rest isn't a one-time fix. It's ongoing maintenance.
And here's the thing: You don't need all seven types at once.
But you do need to recognize which ones you're missing.
If you're sleeping eight hours and still exhausted—you probably need mental, emotional, or social rest.
If you're hitting goals and feeling empty—you need spiritual or creative rest.
If everything feels too much—you need sensory rest.
Different deficits, different solutions.
🖊️ Final Thought
Rest isn't soft.
It's strategic.
It's what lets you stay ambitious without burning out.
It's what lets you lead without losing yourself.
And it's what separates people who sustain success from people who collapse under it.
Here's my confession: I started this series because I needed it. I was exhausted in ways I couldn't name. Now I can. And now I'm building rest into my life intentionally instead of waiting until I'm forced to stop.
Which type of rest do you need most right now? Hit reply and tell me. I want to know what you're missing—and what you're going to do about it.
Thank you for following this series. If it helped you see rest differently, share it with someone who needs to hear it.
You don't have to collapse to deserve rest.
You just have to be human.
Until next time,
Dina