Creating a culture of burnout is opposite to creating a culture of sustainable creativity.
– Adrianna Huffington, Greek-American author, co-founder of The Huffington Post

Are you following along with Nancy Rosenow in her new book, Encouragement Every Day? The book has an entry for every day of the year, and the entry for today is a gentle reminder to rest.

In an article, The 7 types of rest that every person needs, published by IDEAS.TED.COM, author Saundra Dalton-Smith, M.D. shares an important message we should all take into consideration:

“Have you ever tried to fix an ongoing lack of energy by getting more sleep – only to do so and still feel exhausted? If that’s you, here’s the secret. Sleep and rest are not the same thing, although many of us incorrectly confuse the two.

“We go through life thinking we’ve rested because we have gotten enough sleep – but in reality, we are missing out on the other types of rest we desperately need. The result is a culture of high-achieving, high-producing, chronically tired, and chronically burned-out individuals. We’re suffering from a rest deficit because we don’t understand the true power of rest. Rest should equal restoration in seven key areas of your life.”

The seven types of rest that Dr. Dalton-Smith outlines are: physical, mental, sensory, creative, emotional, social, and spiritual rest.

We invite you to reflect on the rest you may need in order to best support yourself and those in your care. You might consider focusing on one type of rest each day, over the next seven days…just as Nancy does in her book.