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You are listening to the Navigating Adult ADHD Podcast with your ADHD coach and expert, Xena. Hello, my friend. Welcome back. We are here for the Navigating Adult ADHD Podcast today for a very important episode. So when you think of rest, what actually comes to mind? You've clicked on this episode titled the seven Types of Rest, and you're probably thinking, well, what the heck are all of those? But when you think of rest, seriously, what comes to mind? For me, it's sleeping, lying around, just generally not doing a lot. And do you ever feel like no matter how much rest you get, it just either doesn't feel like enough or you actually don't feel rested and recharged? Right. I know I can definitely relate to that. Now, we have been told our entire lives that rest equals sleep, but that's not true. It's only one piece of the puzzle. Now here's the thing. ADHD brains can resist rest. Rest for us can feel really boring. Rest can also feel unproductive or even really uncomfortable. When your brain is wired for dopamine. If your nervous system is used to chasing stimulation, and ours often are, then rest can kind of feel like we are slamming on the brakes. So as I said, for people with adhd, rest doesn't always feel restful, especially, especially if your brain equates rest with boredom or guilt. So that's why we need rest that is engaging, that is nourishing, and of course, dopamine friendly. Now, we're not lazy. We just need the right kind of rest. And when we're not getting the right kind of rest, our brains will go to all sorts of interesting lengths, shall we say, to try and get that rest. This is why no amount of sleep or lying on the couch watching Netflix will ever make you feel fully recharged, because it doesn't actually refill all the other systems that are running on empty. So research shows that there are seven types of rest that our bodies and brain need. So let's get into them. The first one is physical rest. So this is acknowledging what your body needs to recover. So that might look like sleeping or napping. It can also be active rest. It might be that you're doing stretching or yoga or pilates or getting some sort of a body massage. For me, I consider walking also that active rest. The second type of rest is mental rest. Oh my friends, I think we will all relate to this one. It is getting a break from the constant noise and racing thoughts in our busy brains. That is mental rest. So that could look like Taking a break from work, especially when it's all consuming or very stressful. It can. For some people, it looks like meditating in the traditional sense. Maybe, you know, crossing your legs and sitting there with your eyes closed. But meditation can look like a lot of different things. For me, I would say meditating is like walking along the beach, listening to the waves crashing. That would be a form of meditation for me. But another way we get mental rest is by engaging in hobbies and things that we love. I have so many neurospicy clients and friends who love crocheting and knitting. Now, I have tried really hard to get into this. My brain just has not yet. What's the word? My brain hasn't been able to kind of remember enough of the steps to do it anyway. That is something that I see so many people get a really good mental rest when they are really into something they love and enjoy. Like it could be knitting or crocheting. I've got another client who is an avid horse rider and just she gets such a break from all of the chitter chatter in her brain when she's with the horse. Okay, so again, engaging, engaging, engaging. I don't even know what word I was going for there. My friends, I have. I'm having one of those days where like, I'm coming out with some random words and doing some rather random things. Okay, let's roll with it. But again, mental rest, engaging in relaxing hobbies, hobbies that help you get out of your brain, those are really powerful for mental rest. So the third type of rest here is emotional rest. Okay, what this is is being able to express your feelings in healthy ways. So this again, is a lot like emotional regulation. Being able to work through your feelings, talk about them, feel safe with them, and have healthy ways of expressing them and feeling them, shall we say? So what this could look like is that you set boundaries, that you have a difficult conversation with somebody. It could be that you so say no to something that you have been doing that's really draining you. It could be being honest with yourself. For me, emotional rest is often eft tapping. I've talked a lot about that here on the podcast. Podcast, I use the emotional freedom technique, which is a form of tapping on different meridian points around the body. That is huge for supporting my emotional rest. Also, talking things through, that's really helpful. I find a lot of people with ADHD benefit from speaking things out loud with a safe person that helps them to work through difficult emotional things. The fourth type of rest is sensory rest. Yes, okay, so this one is fascinating. This is where we get a break from the overstimulation, from the constant notifications and the noise always coming at us. So it could look like simply sitting in your seat at your desk at work and just closing your eyes because immediately you are cutting out everything that you can see and eliminating one of your major senses. It could also look like wearing noise cancelling headphones or spending time in a quiet room. So on your lunch break, if you can go to a conference room and just. I like to sit on the floor, but just sit somewhere and be somewhere quiet. I find for me, sensory rest is leaving my phone at home when I go out for a walk in nature, I'm leaving all of the pings and the dings and the notifications and all of that. And for me, that's a beautiful way to get sensory rest. For other people, that can be sensory overload. Okay, so again, this one's unique to each of us. The next one here is creative rest. So this is the fifth type of rest, creative rest. So this is recharging your senses of, or your sense rather of inspiration, awe, wonder, you know, those feelings when something is like, oh, wow, that. So how do you get that? By engaging in creative activities just for fun, by getting out in nature. It could be that you create some art. We're often incredibly creative people. We love to make things, to paint things, to draw things, to color things. What is one of your creative outlets? Something you love doing that helps you to sort of unwind again. It's something that you don't feel any pressure or have to do. For me, another creative outlet is getting out in the garden. I've really enjoyed just planting herbs and brightly colored flowers and just pulling out weeds. I love doing that. Again, for me, that's a form of creative rest. The sixth type of rest here is social rest. Now, this can go one of two ways. So social rest might be spending time with those people who you love to spend time with, who are super, you know, supportive and encouraging. You know, the people you walk away from and you feel energised, those people. Or it could also be taking a break from social interaction, especially if you're an introvert and you can feel like you spend a lot of energy being around people and having to what I call people, then having that break. Now, I find that there are some people who you can be with, who you can also recharge with, even when you're doing nothing together. That's another great way to sort of get that social rest. But again, often we'll fall into one of two camps here. It's like, do I need to be with my people, with my friends who help me to re energize, or do I actually need to take a break because I've been doing a bit too much peopling? So it could look like prioritizing time with your people, those positive people, or it could be prioritizing taking some time out. Okay. Especially if you're an introvert, my friends. Now, the seventh type of rest, and I have to be honest, I sometimes struggle a little in this category, is spiritual rest. Now, this is connecting with your values or like a sense of purpose, something outside of or larger than yourself. So for some people, this can look like prayer. It could look like going to church, for example. It might look like meditation, spending time out in nature, or engaging in some meaningful cause. I was talking to a fellow adhder about this the other day, and one of the things she does is she volunteers. So she does a day every week where she volunteers at a charity that is really meaningful to her. So for me, anything cat related, probably tick this box. But what would that be for you? What does spiritual rest look like for you? So I want to offer you some questions that I love to ask myself when it comes to identifying the different types of rest and how I might get them. So here's the first question. What are the things that bring you joy? What things bring you joy? A lot of joy in your life. For example, when I go and have a coffee date with somebody that I love spending time with, that to me is just so joyful. Cuddling my cats, I don't even have to cuddle them. I can just look at them and just watch them lick themselves or do whatever they're doing. That to me is so joyful. Traveling is another one I love. And when I think about that, it's not just traveling, it's new experiences in general. Getting out in nature, going on hikes and walks, and exploring new places. So again, the question here is, what are the things that bring you joy? And do you know the answer to that question? Because, my friend, if you don't, I really want to encourage you to answer that. It's important, okay? When we do things that we enjoy, we get all of the good brain chemicals, okay? It is literally giving our brain a shot of the chemicals that we need. We get more dopamine, sometimes we might get more norepinephrine, and we get more serotonin. These are the feel good chemicals. They're Also the chemicals that help to power our executive functions. Mm. Basically, what I'm saying is when you do shit you enjoy, you help your brain work better. There we go. I am giving you a prescription to go out and do shit you enjoy because it literally does help to lower stress, which we want to do, and it helps our ADHD brains to get the chemicals that we need to function better. Win, win, my friend. So again, what are the things that bring you joy? Sometimes I will have. If somebody doesn't know the answer to this, I will say to them, I want you to write it on a whiteboard or. Or a post it note somewhere. You're gonna see it regularly, and I want you to look at it and answer that over and over and over again. Because you'll probably find that you think about all of these things that have brought you joy over the years that you've just forgotten. Maybe you used to love dancing or reformer Pilates or watching motor racing. What are these things that bring you joy? So another question I think is so important when we're talking about rest and identifying what our different types of rest could look like is this. What are the things that make you forget to check your phone? Mm. What are the things that make you forget to check your phone? So the other day somebody said to me that crafting, doing things with their hands, making things, any sort of craft projects, makes them forget. Also, for them, it was being with their dog, all right? For me, it's being with the cats. Of course, they also said spending time with their mum. I love that. Right. Spending time with your partner, specific people around you. I have certain friends who I just completely forget my phone exists altogether. Right. Being with those people. For me, going for a walk. I have got so used to walking out in nature, along the beach, sometimes even along the streets without my phone, I don't even think about it anymore. So what are the things that make you forget to check your phone? Because those are some good types of rest, my friend. The next question I have. What are the little glimmers, little sparkles of joy that gets sprinkled throughout any given day? What are those little tiny moments that you might notice and go, oh, that's nice. Damn, that's pretty fucking cool. What are those? The other day, I was looking out the window and I saw this epic cloud. And I was trying to figure out what the hell it looked like, but it was just so different. I'd never seen a cloud formation like this before. I stood there and I was like, damn, that's pretty Cool. Actually, that is a little glimmer, a little piece of joy. I love sunrises, also sunsets, watching my cats do anything. That is a little glimmer, a little sprinkle of joy in my day. Also little tiny interactions with people. When I walk into my coffee shop and say good morning, there's often a group of men sitting there, and then the barista is opposite them. And I say good morning to them, men and to the barista. And that just. It's just nice. This is like little, hey, everybody, good morning. Like, it's just this little sprinkle, this little sprinkle of joy into my day and seeing things in nature. We went on a bushwalk the other day and there was this beautiful fern that was all curled up, ready to open, right? A beautiful little koru. And that, to me, I was like, damn, that's actually pretty magic. So rest is a lot like a paint palette. If you were to paint on a canvas, you can't paint a beautiful picture with just one color. Sleep is one color. But creativity, connection, you know, a quiet brain, that mental rest, they are other colors that bring our canvas to life, that bring energy to it. So here is the problem, my friend. When we feel tired, very rarely do we go for these different types of rest. What do we do? Speaking from experience. Right now, we turn to scrolling, to binging, to endless noise, and distract ourselves from the busy brain, from the emotions. And we confuse numbing with rest. And this is why we can wake up every day and still feel tired and depleted. Now, there is no shame here, okay? I'm speaking straight from experience, but our brains, they create crave that dopamine. And it's so easy just to get it when we lie on the couch and scroll TikTok videos of cats, of course, but it's kind of like drinking fizzy drink, drinking, you know, Fanta or Coca Cola, when your body actually needs water or electrolytes, it's just not the same. It's not cutting it. Distraction is not restoration. Right? Numbing out is not restoration. The moment we start to give our body the rest it actually craves, we feel it immediately. Now, if you're anything like me, I hear you saying, okay, but I don't have time for that. Like, how am I going to fit all of these seven different types of rest into my day? Like, I barely have enough time for eight hours sleep. How the hell am I meant to do that? So I wanted to give you actually an example from yesterday. I think this was yesterday. Yep. Many of these different Types of rest can be ticked in just one way. Let me give you an example, okay? So we can tick multiple boxes at the same time. Here's what I mean. Yesterday morning I went for a walk before getting ready for work. I went for like a 30 minute walk. I left my phone at home. And when I was on this walk, I played the color game, okay? So what I do is I'm looking for everything red. And I do this for like just a couple of minutes walking along, looking for all of the things I can spot and call out that are red. And then it had actually rained a lot the night before. And there were snails, like all over the show. They were climbing up people's fences, they were trying to cross the path in front of me. They were on the grass next to me. So every time I saw a snail, I would name it, oh, there's Bob, there's Steve, there's Martin, there's Kathy, there's Sandra. Every single snail. This was just hilarious to me. And then I walked past this man. Now I've walked past him a few times before. He's got this beautiful big three story house on the beachfront. And this guy's gotta be like pushing 90, really old man. And he's sitting at his dining table. And as I walk past him, he loves obviously to wave at people. And he's a people watcher, right? Isn't that one of the best hobbies? Just people watching. There you go. That's a form of joy right there. So here's people watching. And I looked up at him and I gave him the biggest wave and he waved back and I smiled and I like gave him a thumbs up. And it was like, it was just such a cool interaction. So on that one walk, I ticked six different types of rest. Okay, for me, like, I'm not walking fast, FYI, this is a type of physical rest for my body, right? Physical rest. This was also mental rest. I got out of my head. I did that by playing the color game, right? Finding everything red on my walk and also by naming the snails. It was also a way for me to work through emotions. I find that I work through things when I exercise. That really helps me to move through emotions. So this is emotional rest. It was sensory rest for me as well. It was also creative. It was creative in having to play, you know, having to find everything red. And then it was also creative in the names I was coming up with for my snails. And then I had that little burst of social interaction there, like barely maybe 20 seconds if that Waving at this man. So again, I ticked multiple rest boxes in this one walk. Now, my friend, if you are still thinking, yeah, but like, I don't even have time for that. Okay, be honest with me. Be really honest for a minute. It's just you and me. Be honest. How much time do you spend each day scrolling? How much time do you spend watching tv or what I like to call potatoing on the couch? If you took just 10 minutes, if you can take 15 of that time, and if you sprinkled that across these rest buckets, you would feel that difference right away. Because here's the thing, micro rest adds up. Now, I love the word sprinkling because that's how I see it. I sprinkle rest throughout my day like a bunch of confetti. I'm just sprinkling it everywhere. So what that could look like is when I make my coffee, I stop, I smell the coffee, because I love that smell. I smell that coffee and I take a few slow, deep breaths. That's it. And in doing that, I'm helping my brain slow down, checking in with my emotions. Sometimes what I will do is I will get my phone and I will take it out. This is. This is. I've got to be honest, this is difficult for me because I feel like I need it when I'm working. But I'll take it out and go and put it downstairs, which is really annoying because I work upstairs. Or I'll turn it off just to give myself that sensory rest for a little period of time. It could be that you just do a few stretches. Like, I am super sore from the gym. So this is a bloody good idea for me today. Just take a minute, two minutes, and just do a couple of stretches. Again, that physical rest. What I really want to impart here is that imperfect rest is better than no rest. 100% imperfect rest is better than no rest. Sprinkle it anywhere you can. So, my friend, the next time you wake up and you feel tired even after you've had a decent sleep, or the next time you feel like you're being really lazy, just, you know, lying on the couch, I invite you just to check in with yourself and ask, am I getting enough of the right kind of rest? Is my brain tired? Am I tired from all of that constant mental chatter? Maybe I need that mental rest. Is my heart feeling heavy? Have I got a lot that feels like it's weighing on me? Maybe I need some emotional rest. Am I feeling like I'm constantly overloaded my senses? Is that sensory rest? Am I feeling uninspired, creative? Am I feeling like, peopled out or people deprived? What's the social interaction that I need there? And have I moved or slept enough? What's the sort of physical thing that my body needs? And am I feeling disconnected from what matters to me? Again, that's that spiritual rest. So pick one of these. Pick one type of rest today. Sprinkle it into your day, even if it is just for two minutes and notice. Do you feel a little lighter? Do you feel a little more you all right, my friend? Happy resting in all of these fun and different ways. Huge. Love to you. Take care. Hey friend, if you want some more help navigating and thriving with ADHD, and some help applying everything that you're learning here on the podcast, then head over to our website, navigating adultadhd.com.