Seven Types of Rest to Restore Your Body, Mind and Spirit

Tired of feeling fatigued? Struggling to stay awake? Overwhelmed by strained muscles, relationships, and emotions? Seeking the sweet relief of rest?

In the garden of Eden, God walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). What could be more restful than going for an evening stroll with your heavenly Father?

Unfortunately, after sin entered the world, the ground became cursed and only “through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:17). Man was then required to exert himself to the point of fatigue for survival.

Mercifully, God provided the sabbath as a reprieve from work, to restore and revive your being. “There remains, a Sabbath-rest for God’s people; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:9-10).

In her book, Sacred Rest, Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith explores the seven types of rest that restore your body, mind and spirit. 

Your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). It’s important to be mindful of the strain we subject it to. Learn to listen to your body, identify it’s needs, honouring it with passive rest (sleep) and active rest (exercise, stretching, deep breathing); ultimately submitting it to God for His glory.

To-do list in one hand and phone in the other, the mind darts from one activity to another, quickly filling the brain with mental clutter and constant inner commentary. Reliving past events and worrying about the future can consume every waking moment, causing you to become overwhelmed and mentally exhausted.

A mind consumed with the cares of this world and “governed by the flesh is death” (Romans 8:6). Inversely, becoming mindful of your thoughts, meditating on Him, and allowing the “mind to be govern by the Spirit, will bring life and peace” (Romans 8:6).

The Bible encourages us, “whatever is true...honourable...just...pure...lovely... commendable, if there is any excellence...anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). Direct your thoughts forwards God and His goodness. Allowing Him to cleanse your mind and receive mental rest.

Fear, anger and unforgiveness burden the soul, causing heaviness of heart and spiritual fatigue. The Lord said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). God simply asks you to go to him, abide in him and rest in his presence. Prayer, praise, worship and meditating on scripture allows you to “come to him” and receive spiritual rest and peace.

Bright lights, constant noise, overpowering tastes and smells can overwhelm the nervous system, causing sensory overload. These stressors can heighten anxiety, increase somatic symptoms (e.g., headaches, nausea, hearing loss) and a desire to disengage from community.

However, “God made both the hearing ear and the seeing eye” (Proverbs 20:12) to bless you and allow you to experience His wonderful creation. Therefore, it is important to protect these gifts and submit them to the Lord.

Periodically remove yourself from the hustle and bustle of modern life, and instead soak in the natural sights, smells, textures, tastes and sounds of God’s peaceful creation.

Social rest isn’t about avoiding social interaction, but instead engaging in meaningful relationship. You are designed to desire connection and community with people who support and revive you. Loneliness and the inability to find solace with another causes social distress.

Satisfy your hunger for fellowship by surrounding yourself with lifegiving people. Let these intimate interactions fill you with joy and contentment, whilst remembering “those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25).

Don’t shut down your emotions, or let them rule you, both will leave you emotionally exhausted. Self-doubt and self-consciousness can cause you to act inauthentically and take on others’ emotions. Setting emotional boundaries protects your soul from carrying the anger, anxiety and sadness of others, while submitting our emotions to God stops them from ruling our mind and heart. “... our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6).

You were created by a creative God. In six days, he created the earth and everything in it. Then on the seventh day He did something truly amazing. He rested (Genesis 2:2). God didn’t need to rest because he was tired, overwhelmed, or uninspired. He chose to pause and admire his wonderful craftmanship because “it was good” (Genesis 1:31).

If life feels mundane and bland, find a quiet space and marvel at God’s beauty. Let go of the pressure to be productive and let yourself be filled with His creative spirit. You are God’s handiwork and are “created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10). Fill your life with God’s creative beauty and ask His creative spirit to flow through you, whether that be in art, science, domestic duties, or employment.

God created you with the desire for rest; not just to recuperate from fatigue, but to enjoy His creation and spend quality time with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Honour the Lord, and revive your body, mind and spirit by giving it the rest it needs.