The 7 Forms Of Rest

Rest is something that can feel like both a luxury and a crime at the same time — especially for freelance creatives who spend most of the year chasing projects and invoices. In October, I produced an event with Sophia Hari for the Frieze festival titled Our Practice: Archive, Legacy and Contemporary Art. It was a beautiful gathering, with conversations and speakers curated by Sophia that explored how artists carve alternative paths to memory, narrative, and legacy. One of the speakers, Tolú Elusadé, embodies softness, love and liberation in her work. A soft-life activist, she spoke about rest as resistance — how creating space to recharge is not only necessary, but deeply important for the diasporic community. 

The conversation between Sophia and Tolú sparked a conversation between me and a friend of mine, Olamide, a very talented multifaceted creative, about how we navigate rest and what it looks like for us amongst our hectic schedules. During the conversation I admitted to her that I don’t really know how to rest and it is very much a skill that I am mastering. During this conversation, she introduced me to the concept of the seven forms of rest - a framework that expands rest beyond sleep. 

With the seven forms of rest being - 

1. Physical Rest: Recharging your body through sleep, naps, stretching, or massage.

2. Mental Rest: Quieting the mind with mindfulness, journaling, or just taking breaks from thinking.

3. Sensory Rest: Reducing sensory input like bright lights, noise, or screens.

4. Emotional Rest: Being honest about your feelings and finding supportive people, or just being alone when needed.

5. Social Rest: Balancing time with draining people and energising people, or getting time to yourself.

6. Creative Rest: Inspiring awe and wonder through art, nature, music, or engaging in creative hobbies.

7. Spiritual Rest: Connecting with your values, purpose, or God, often through prayer, quiet contemplation or spending time in nature. 

   
   

There is so much discourse within the creative community right about how to stop burn out, with different creative businesses beginning to have conversations about mental health and wellbeing. But it can be hard in a capitalist society & in a city that is so fast paced. Sometimes you blink and it feels as though you’ve missed so much. Understanding what type of rest you need can allow for you to navigate busier working periods and organise the type of rest that ensures you are able to recharge the right battery at the right time in order to sustain yourself. I am so grateful to Olamide for introducing me to the seven forms of rest. It has really helped me learn how to pour back into myself so I can do the work that keeps my spirit happy, and I pray that you, as the reader, are able to use this as a map toward more intentional, deeper rest so that you to can continue to do the work that fuels your soul. 

Written by: Nayana Brathwaite