Why You’re Still Exhausted (Even When You’re Sleeping Enough)

As I sit down to write out the theme and flow for our January circle, I find myself thinking about how many women I know who are doing everything right.

They’re going to bed earlier.
They’re trying to take better care of themselves.
They’re more conscious about getting enough “rest”.

And yet… they’re still exhausted.

I hear it again and again. “I don’t understand why I’m so tired. I’m sleeping more than I used to!”

That’s usually where this conversation begins, and it’s where something important shifts.

Because sleep and rest are not the same thing.

Sleep is essential, yes. But it’s only one kind of rest. Many of us are sleeping, but still living with a deep rest deficit in other areas of our lives. The result is a culture of capable, caring, high-functioning people who feel chronically depleted no matter how early they go to bed.

Rest is about restoration, and restoration happens in more ways than we’ve been taught.

The 7 Types of Rest

Think of rest as nourishment. Different parts of you need different kinds of replenishment, and when one area is consistently ignored, your body lets you know.

Here are the seven types of rest, with examples of what each one can look like in real life.

1. Physical Rest

This is the one most of us think of first.

Physical rest includes:

• Sleeping and napping

• Lying down without stimulation

• Gentle stretching or yoga

• Massage or warm baths

It can be passive, like sleep or stillness, or active, like restorative movement that supports circulation and release.

You might be getting enough sleep, but still missing the kind of physical rest that allows your body to soften and repair.

2. Mental Rest

Mental rest is about giving your mind a break from constant processing.

Signs you might be craving mental rest:

• Racing thoughts at night

• Difficulty concentrating

• Feeling mentally “on” all the time

• Waking up tired even after sleeping

Mental rest can look like:

• Short pauses during the day

• Writing thoughts down instead of holding them

• Letting yourself stop solving, fixing, or planning

• Allowing your mind to be quiet without needing input

This is especially hard in a world that rewards constant thinking and productivity.

3. Sensory Rest

We live in an incredibly overstimulating environment.

Screens, notifications, bright lights, background noise, and constant conversation all place demands on your nervous system. Sensory rest gives your senses a chance to recalibrate.

Sensory rest might look like:

• Closing your eyes for a minute

• Dimming the lights

• Sitting in quiet

• Taking breaks from screens

• Spending time without input

Even small moments of sensory quiet can be deeply restorative.

4. Creative Rest

Creative rest isn’t about producing or making something.

It’s about receiving inspiration.

Creative rest can include:

• Time in nature

• Looking at beauty without needing to capture or share it

• Music, art, or imagery that moves you

• Letting ideas come without forcing them

Creativity often emerges when we stop consuming and allow ourselves to be bored, still, or spacious.

5. Emotional Rest

Emotional rest means being able to tell the truth.

It’s the rest that comes from:

• Not people-pleasing

• Not performing or “being fine”

• Saying no without over-explaining

• Being honest with yourself about how you actually feel

Emotionally rested people don’t need to filter themselves constantly. They can say, “I’m not okay today,” without guilt.

6. Social Rest

Not all connection is equally nourishing.

Social rest is about:

• Spending time with people who replenish you

• Reducing time in draining or performative relationships

• Being seen without needing to fix or hold space

You can be surrounded by people and still feel socially exhausted if your connections don’t allow you to be yourself.

7. Spiritual Rest

Spiritual rest is the sense of being held by something larger than yourself.

It can come from:

• Prayer or meditation

• Ritual

• Community

• Time in nature

• Remembering you belong

This type of rest often brings a deep feeling of safety, meaning, and connection.

A Note on Boredom, Stillness, and Loneliness

Many of us instinctively avoid boredom and aloneness.

We reach for our phones, fill every quiet moment, number and distract ourselves as soon as things feel empty. But boredom and quiet are not negative things... They are often thresholds.

Creativity, insight, and healing tend to re-emerge when we stop interrupting ourselves.

There is a difference between being abandoned and being alone.

When we learn how to be alone without abandoning ourselves, something beautiful and alive begins to return.

You Don’t Need All Seven

This isn’t a checklist.

You don’t need to master every type of rest or add seven new habits to your life. Often, your body is quietly asking for one or two kinds of rest that have been missing.

Listening is the first step.

Rest isn’t something you earn. It’s something you allow.

If this resonates, you’re very welcome to sit with it slowly. Let your nervous system tell you what it needs, not what you think you should need.

And if you’re craving a space to explore this kind of rest in community, this is a theme I’m holding throughout the winter.

🤍