Rest That Restores: Discovering the Kind of Rest Your Soul Truly Needs
We often hear about the importance of getting enough rest—but most of the time, the conversation often ends with sleep. Don’t get me wrong, sleep is a big deal (who doesn’t love a good nap or a restorative night’s sleep?), but true rest goes so much deeper than just logging eight hours a night. Emotional, spiritual, and mental rest are just as essential, and yet so often overlooked.
And here’s the thing: rest doesn’t look the same for everyone. What restores you might not do much for someone else, and that’s okay. In fact, discovering the kind of rest that’s most meaningful to you is one of the kindest, most important things you can do for yourself.
What Is Rest, Really?
Rest isn’t just the absence of activity. It’s the presence of peace. It’s anything that helps you exhale, ground yourself, and reconnect with who you are, beyond all the doing, giving, fixing, and striving.
Let’s break it down:
Emotional rest is when you feel safe to let your guard down. It can look like honest conversations with someone who gets you, or time alone to process without needing to perform or explain.
Mental rest is about giving your brain a break from the noise. It might mean turning off the endless scroll and stepping outside for a walk without your phone, or giving yourself permission to pause the to-do list, or give in to a creative desire for a little while.
Spiritual rest is the kind that connects you to something bigger than yourself. For some, it’s found in prayer or time in nature. For others, it’s in music, stillness, or scripture that speaks life over weary places.
Why Does It Matter?
We live in a world that glorifies hustle. Rest can feel like a luxury or even a weakness. But the truth is, rest is where resilience is born. Without it, burnout creeps in, our relationships fray, and we lose touch with what matters most.
When you find the kind of rest that really restores you, everything shifts. You show up to your life more grounded. You become more present with the people you love. You stop running on fumes and start living from a place of fullness.
Discovering Your Kind of Rest
There’s no one-size-fits-all formula. Some people refuel through solitude; others feel restored by community. Some find mental peace in journaling, while others prefer movement or art. What works for you might depend on your season of life, your personality, or even what you’ve been carrying lately.
So ask yourself:
What leaves me feeling refreshed, not just distracted?
When do I feel most like myself?
What practices help me breathe deeper and slow down inside?
What does peace actually feel like in my body?
Try a few different things. Light a candle and sit in silence. Take a tech-free walk. Talk to someone who listens without judgment. Journal your prayers or turn on music that reminds you who you are. Explore, notice, and listen to what your soul needs.
Cultivating a Relationship with Rest
Like any relationship, your connection with rest needs intentionality. It’s not just something you squeeze into the cracks of your week. It’s something you learn to value, protect, and return to, over and over. It can also be something you need to learn to work through the discomfort and unfamiliarity of ‘not producing, going or doing.’
When you make rest a regular rhythm instead of an emergency response, you give yourself space to heal, grow, and thrive. You begin to live in alignment with how you were created, not as a machine, but as a human being with limits, longings, and a soul that needs tending.
And perhaps most beautifully, rest reminds us that we are not alone. That we don’t have to carry everything, other people can help, it’s not all up to us. Rest also reminds us that we don’t have to prove anything to be loved. That we’re allowed to simply be, and that is more than enough. Rest is needed and necessary, it brings balance.
Final Thought
Rest isn’t lazy. It’s loving. It’s really wise. It’s brave. It’s deeply spiritual. And it’s absolutely essential. Jesus took time to rest!
So, if you need to, give yourself permission to rest, not just in the ways others do, but in the ways that truly restore you. Pay attention to what helps you breathe again. Say yes from a place of an authentic yes, not guilt or pressure. Protect those moments. Cherish them. And trust that in doing so, you’re not falling behind, you’re becoming whole.
So for you and your healing journey.
Peace, love, and joy...
Rebecca Jo