From Depleted to Restored
7 Types of Rest Every Business Owner Needs (and how to get it!)
Raise your hand if you’re a little (or a lot) tired!
Raise your other hand if you’re tired of being tired!
This article and episode are for you if you need a few thousand nights of sleep…
Silent moments away from your family…
Or an extended period of days with your nose inside a book.
I’m sharing 7 different types of rest we need as business owners and how to actually make it happen in small, meaningful ways.
Being a copywriter may not seem like a wildly taxing job…
And most of the time, it’s not. I have a blast doing what I do.
But, it’s not all shower thoughts and Mavis Beacon teaches typing; sometimes it can be really draining.
Which… is all of business ownership. 99% fabulous, but you’re “on” a lot, and inevitably, there are fires to put out every once in a while.
This year, I finally came up with the perfect recipe for exhaustion:
One tsp. too much screen time, calls, appointments, and being “on.”
3 tbsp. no uninterrupted time to create
4 oz. overcommitting on what one should deliver
1 cup trying to do all the things at once (family, friends, business, self-care)
I know I’m not special. You’ve probably baked a cake like this too! This is how it goes, right? It’s life. It’s all the people, all the places, all the things, all the time.
No WONDER so many of us are tired.
In thinking about my own exhausted state, I remembered back to a 2023 interview I did on my first podcast, She Built This with Dr. Saundra Dalton Smith, author of Sacred Rest. In the episode, Dr. Saundra shared 7 different types of rest we need as human beings and showed how if you’re only addressing physical tiredness, you’re missing 6 other kinds of depletion that are draining you dry.
You probably don’t need all 7 right now. You need to identify which ones are most depleted for you (see quiz at the bottom of this article).
In this episode, I get into Dr. Saundra Dalton Smith’s 7 Types of Rest, why they’re so important as business owners, and simple ways to incorporate them into your workday and life.
The goal is to help you move from depleted to restored by listening to what YOU need most.
Physical Rest
This is usually think of when we say “I need rest.” It includes sleep and naps, but it’s also about not being “on” all the time:
Taking actual lunch breaks where you step away from your desk
Gentle movement that restores instead of depleting you: stretching, walking, yoga, etc.
Not scheduling back-to-back client calls with no buffer
Sitting down instead of standing/pacing during Zoom calls
Massage, foam rolling, or other bodywork
Not being available 24/7
🚩 Red flag you need this: “If you’re constantly saying ‘I’m so tired,’ or you feel physically heavy and achy even though you’re not sick, you need physical rest.”
Mental Rest.
Mental rest is about giving your brain a break from thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making. There are all sorts of ways this can look for business owners:
Brain breaks during the workday, even just 5 minutes of NOT thinking
Not consuming content 24/7 (podcasts, audiobooks, articles, courses)
Letting your mind wander instead of always being productive
Writing things down so you stop holding everything in your head
Taking a walk without listening to anything or Voxing back everyone under the sun
Scheduling buffer time between tasks instead of back-to-back everything
Stopping work at a set time instead of “just one more thing”
🚩 Red flag you need this: If you can’t remember the last time your brain was quiet, or if you feel like you’re constantly forgetting things because your mental RAM is full, you need mental rest.
Emotional Rest
Emotional rest is the freedom to be authentic and honest about how you’re actually feeling, instead of performing or people-pleasing or holding it all together all the time. This is a game-changer, friend!
What it looks like for us as business owners:
Having people you can be honest with when they ask, “How are you?”
Not suppressing frustration, disappointment, or stress: journaling, sharing with a trusted friend or therapist
Having safe spaces (people, places) where you don’t have to perform
Saying no to things that drain you emotionally
Setting boundaries around emotional labor (negativity, client venting, free advice, etc.)
Not constantly managing other people’s emotions or reactions
🚩 Red flag you need this: If you feel like you’re always performing, or if you catch yourself thinking, I just want to be able to say how I really feel, you need emotional rest.
Social Rest
This isn’t about being anti-social! It’s about being intentional with your social energy. It’s being aware of relationships that energize you vs. ones that drain you, and adjusting your sails accordingly.
What it looks like for business owners:
Time alone (if you’re an introvert or ambivert who recharges solo)
Time with people who energize you, where you don’t have to be ‘on’
Saying no to networking events when you’re already drained
Limiting social media scrolling (yes, this counts as social interaction!)
Not feeling obligated to respond to every DM, comment, or email immediately
Turning off Slack notifications or setting ‘focus time’
Choosing quality over quantity in relationships
🚩Red flag you need this: If the idea of one more Zoom call makes you want to scream, if when your spouse walks through the door you instantly tighten under stress because your alone time has been sabotaged, or if you’re scrolling social media and feeling more drained than refreshed, you need social rest.
Sensory Rest
Sensory rest is about reducing overstimulation from screens, sounds, lights, and constant input. It’s giving your senses a break from the bombardment of modern life.
What it looks like for business owners:
Less screen time (computer, phone, TV)
Quiet spaces: not always having music, podcasts, or background noise
Dimming lights or using softer lighting
Turning off notifications, pings, dings, buzzes, and yes, even music
Spending time in nature
Reducing visual clutter in your workspace
Closing browser tabs (yes, seriously)
Using blue light filters or taking screen breaks
Closing browser tabs
🚩Red flag you need this: If you feel irritable, easily overwhelmed, or like you can’t focus even when you want to, you probably need sensory rest.
Creative Rest
Creative rest is about experiencing beauty, wonder, and inspiration, without the pressure to create or produce anything.
What it looks like for business owners:
Going to a museum, art gallery, or live performance
Spending time in nature and just being there, not documenting it
Reading for pleasure (not business books)
Watching something beautiful (sunset, ocean, etc.)
Listening to music without analyzing it
Looking at art, photography, or design simply to appreciate it
Not turning every experience into content
🚩Red flag you need this: If you feel creatively blocked, uninspired, or like everything you make feels forced, you need creative rest.
Spiritual Rest
This looks different for everyone. It’s about connecting to something bigger than yourself. It’s a sense of belonging, purpose, and meaning.
What it looks like for business owners:
Prayer, meditation, journaling, gratitude practices, or reflection
Connecting with your values and purpose
Digging into your purpose and why, asking yourself, ‘Why does this work matter?’
Contributing to something beyond your business
Community involvement or volunteering
Spending time in nature and feeling connected to something larger
Recognizing that your worth isn’t tied to your productivity
It’s stepping back and asking: What am I here for? What really matters?
🚩Red flag you need this: If you feel like you’ve lost your ‘why,’ or if you’re constantly questioning the point of it all, or if you feel disconnected from your purpose, you need spiritual rest.
Challenge:
Listen to the Small Business Casual episode HERE.
Choose ONE type of rest (here’s a quiz to help you determine which) to prioritize.
Just one. Don’t try to fix all 7 at once.
Do something this week to practice that type of rest.
Resources & Links Mentioned:
She Built This Podcast Episode with Dr. Saundra Dalton Smith
The REST Quiz - Which Type Do You Most Need?
Dr. Saundra Dalton Smith’s Book: Sacred Rest
There is so much I love about this episode! But one thing really stood out to me and I just had to share a little of my own journey.
Six years ago, my business was still in a really big growth stage, and I was in constant “hussle mode” I worked crazy hours and was always building, creating, doing something for my business. Then 2020 came and my world turned upside down, before everyone else did.
With a serious health issue, a big ugly family situation and then the whole world shutting down, I had to change my approach to business and work A LOT LESS! That’s when I learned the power of rest, and while I worked only about 25 hours a week that year I grew my business over 200%!
Take that hussle culture!