June 25th, 2026
We all know rest is important. Who doesn’t? Of course, we have the competing “hustle culture” spreading virally on social media, influencing us into believing that rest is optional. Of course, when you’re a busy mother (especially if you’re a working mother), rest does seem very optional. It’s not that you’re trying to avoid rest; the time to do so simply doesn’t present itself. Perhaps the only time you get rest is at night when you hopefully are getting decent sleep.
I’m not a mother, but at one point I did briefly have 3 jobs. So while I’ve never experienced the specific type of busy that comes with childrearing, I do understand what it’s like to feel utterly unable to squeeze in even 30 minutes of relaxing other than a morning and evening commute and maybe a 15-minute shower.
In this post, I’m going to give you a peek into just how revolutionary rest is. It’s my hope that this post transforms your view into how powerful it is to rest, and, of course, to encourage you away from the dangerous idea that taking part in hustle culture and being a mom at the same time is a good combination. Like I mentioned, you may be genuinely struggling to change your life or work schedule to accommodate more rest. So with that said, it’s my hope that very soon we are able to incorporate the knowledge I’ve gathered below.
Types of Rest
Harvard Medical School breaks down rest into 7 parts:
- Physical
- Mental
- Spiritual
- Sensory
- Creative
- Emotional
- Social
This is the model that I’m going to use to influence how I structure this post. The article that I’m referencing from Harvard, “The 7 types of rest and why we need them all,” explains that most of us use the terms sleep and rest interchangeably, but while sleep is the foundation of other types of rest, relaxation comes in multiple forms outside of bedtime. As I explain each point, I hope you’ll consider ways that you can at least incorporate a few more fully into your life (although ideally we do need all 7).
Sleep & Physical Recharging
This one is equal parts the most obvious and the least obvious. Getting consistent sleep isn’t the easiest for all of us, but it lays the foundation for feeling awake, recharged, and mentally sharp. Sleep is actually the most studied form of rest.
Other than the simple evidence of feeling better after a good night’s rest, there are other repairs being silently made in your body when you sleep. Your body “runs critical maintenance processes that can’t happen while you’re active” (Science Insights, 2026). The human brain is in a constant state of generating metabolic waste, and it relies on rest to clean that waste up. The brain is cleaned out by a “network of fluid-filled channels… [that flush] toxins out of brain tissue by pumping cerebral spinal fluid along the space surrounding the blood vessels” (Science Insights, 2026). This system appears to be most active during sleep.
Blood pressure also dips during sleep, which allows your sympathetic nervous system to rest. Consistent sleep assists with lowered levels of cortisol (stress hormone) and regulated blood pressure.
Sleep and the health of your immune system are also connected. Molecules that cause inflammatory signaling and “coordinate the immune response also promote deeper sleep” (Science Insights, 2026). This is likely why we feel more compelled to sleep during times of sickness.
Other than sleep, waking rest—while not an equivalent to sleep—also greatly helps your body repair itself. During waking rest, your body repairs tissue, strengthens memories, clears brain waste (just not as much during actual sleep), and protects your immune and cardiovascular function (Science Insights, 2026). So while working and childrearing are important, there’s science to back up laying in a hammock with your eyes closed. When work and rest are proportionate, the quality of life improves. Rest is not a waste of time.
Another aspect of physical rest that is more unexpected is resting while still being active. For instance, if you normally work a physically demanding job, doing something still physical yet simple like yoga, walking, or stretching is comparatively restful. Even if you don’t have a physically demanding job, certain mindful exercises have the power to relax your mind. This gentle movement is “an active form of physical rest that can boost energy” (Salamon, 2025).
Emotional Downtime
As mothers (and women in general), we often become the sponges for all the emotions around us. We fill up on what our partners are going through, every complaint of our child, and even others adjacent to us, like coworkers, friends, and other family members. We fill up so much that we start to leak, and this creates emotional fatigue. Women are pretty amazing, but the human heart can only hold so much. On top of this, if we fill up too much with the emotions of others, we leave no room for ourselves. This is the polar opposite on the spectrum of selfishness to selflessness, where the other side is not caring an ounce for others and being occupied only with ourselves. When you feel the inability to express yourself candidly, you require emotional rest.
The good news is that this fatigue doesn’t have to last forever, but the downside is that the circumstances causing your fatigue may take time to pass. This could look like waiting for a stressful season of your marriage to resolve, or your work situation to change, or your child to mature. To recharge yourself in the best way possible while still going through a trial, confiding in those you trust is ultra important, and this could look like anyone from a pastor to a parent to a friend to a therapist. Women tend to continue absorbing emotions without draining them out. Allow yourself to drain. Talking it out helps more than you think. Aside from this, emotional fatigue can be helped through journaling, starting a new hobby that makes you happy, or attempting to temporarily separate yourself from the situation for a recharge, if possible.
Mental Relaxation
Even if you’re getting enough sleep, you may not be getting enough waking rest, which is where mental fatigue and burnout come into play. Many people living in the modern American hustle culture landscape are spent. And with ever-increasing inflation, Americans are working now more than ever, such as working longer hours and taking extra jobs. Which means that burnout is happening to more of us and more frequently.
You know the feeling. Inability to focus, irritability, reduced comprehension, clumsiness, you name it. While sleep provides the best foundation, the mind can still suffer even on 8 hours of solid sleep every night. Mental relaxation “allows you to quiet the mind from constant thinking, problem-solving, or information gathering” (Salamon, 2025). In reality, downtime actually tunes-up your mind.
Putting a Stop to Sensory Overload
Sensory overload is related to mental overload. If you feel irritable nearly all the time and just feel plain fried, you’re likely in the territory of sensory overload. Let me tell you, sensory overload can happen far too easily in this culture. We’re 24/7 inundated with commercials, social media reels, TV… We’re on overstimulation level 100 almost all the time. And this fried feeling can grow when we’re stumbling around discarded toys and giving in to your child’s request to watch Finding Nemo for the 40th day in a row.
The best things to do during sensory overload are, again, similar to the ones outlined in mental rest. If you can, put your phone on DND. Turning it off is even better. At the very least, commit to having less scrolling time in general on the daily. Give yourself a goal. If you scroll for 2 hours daily (not always consecutively), try to keep it to one hour. Try reading a book, doing art, or yoga rather than nightly TV. Dim the lights. Avoid screens.
Unfortunately, all of us (myself included), are hardwired to pick up our phones in every scenario. Doctor’s office lobby, elevator, home, coffee shop, even the car (don’t do that). It’s best to just admit that we’re all addicted. But, with that said, we do have the power to whittle away at that addiction to lessen your sense of overload. Be more mindful of how you’re giving yourself constant sensory stimulation and commit to doing what you can to shrink that tendency.
People Time V. Alone Time
Social rest can look very different from person-to-person depending upon where you are on the introvert to extrovert spectrum. Some more extroverted types recharge by hanging out with people, while introverts require more solitary time for their battery life to return. And of course, this is a black-and-white view. Introverts can still benefit from social time if they’ve been too solitary and extroverts can benefit from quiet time.
It’s all about finding a balance between encounters that drain versus those that don’t (Salamon, 2025). Being around others isn’t always the cure, but specifically being around the right people. If you feel burdened by being around even those that usually fill you up, you likely need alone time. If you’ve been hanging around those that drain you (especially those you can’t necessarily avoid, like coworkers), then you may need an energy boost by being around a close friend. If you need alone time, try to exercise discipline by saying no to the things you normally say yes to; if you need social time, now’s a good moment to reach out to your friends and see if plans can be made.
Resetting Your Soul
This aspect of rest is harder to quantify, but is no less important. You may need a spiritual reboot if you’ve been feeling particularly cynical, nihilistic, aimless, or disconnected. If you happen to be the type to pray, you likely already view prayer as a mental offload of sorts. If you neglect to take part in that ritual, your mind will know it’s missing something you’re normally giving it.
Even if you follow no specific spiritual beliefs or don’t practice prayer, spiritual connection can also exist in the physical world. It’s spiritually refreshing to do certain activities like volunteering (especially to a demographic you care a lot about) and connect with nature through hikes, nature photography, gardening, birdwatching, or a variety of other outdoor activities.
When searching for spiritual rest, identify what makes you feel connected and whole. The idea is to plug in to “something larger than yourself through nature or community” (Salamon, 2025).
Hurry Up & Rest
If trying to incorporate all 6 of these points seems too overwhelming at this time, try to pick one to hone in one from week to week until you feel as though you’re getting a better grip on each one. If you know you struggle with one more than another, take extra time on that one.
Author Bio Krista Ruffo, born and raised in Orlando, Florida, began blogging with South Project in February of 2025. She’s a University of Central Florida graduate with a BA in English and a Certificate in Editing and Publishing. A passionate writer and reader, Krista aspires to work in book publishing in the future. She currently works as a Content Coordinator for a family magazine and as a Marketing Representative and in Data Entry for a water treatment company. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing, taking photos, hiking, and gardening.
Sources
Salamon, Maureen. “The 7 Types of Rest and Why We Need Them All – Harvard Health.” Harvard Health, 19 Dec. 2025, www.health.harvard.edu/preventive-care/the-7-types-of-rest-and-why-we-need-them-all.
“Why Is Rest Important for Your Body and Brain?” ScienceInsights, 25 Mar. 2026, scienceinsights.org/why-is-rest-important-for-your-body-and-brain/.