I’ve been feeling tired lately, like we all so often feel. Most nights, I get enough sleep. I spend time resting: watching a tv show in bed or getting coffee with a friend. Yet, I still feel tired. The question I have been wrestling with is that shouldn’t true rest leave you feeling rejuvenated and ready for what’s next? What should that rest look like and feel like? It has become apparent that simply getting enough sleep and scrolling on social media during our downtime won’t cut it.
The type of relaxation I am looking for is a term known as deep rest. Deep rest is a psychological & physiological state where your body can recover at a cellular level, performing the essential maintenance needed to repair damage from chronic stress and everyday wear and tear.
Deep rest isn't sleep, a day off, or scrolling on the couch after a long day, but rather something far more profound that most of us don’t actually experience.
Unlike ordinary rest, deep rest allows your cells to redirect energy toward restoration rather than just survival.
Deep rest is a state where your nervous system fully switches off threat detection, your body stops operating in crisis mode, and your cells can finally perform critical repair processes that get sidelined during stress.
Activities that signal safety to both your mind & body through multiple sensory pathways and psychological processes.
This includes meditation, yoga, prayer, forest bathing (the Japanese practice of therapeutic relaxation in nature), movement practices like tai chi or qigong, and even activities like knitting, painting, or drum circles if they cultivate inner calm and mental focus.
The key is that these ‘deep rest’ practices turn off your subtle anticipation of threats — whether physical harm, emotional pain, others' judgment, or your own anxious thoughts.
Because deep rest requires you to genuinely feel safe, and many of us spend most of our waking hours in a moderately stressed state driven by uncertainty about the future and lack of control.
It requires letting go of vigilance, releasing the need to monitor and manage, and trusting that you don't have to stay "on" to be safe or worthy.
For those who've experienced trauma, discrimination, or chronic instability, feeling safe enough for deep rest can be especially challenging and may require intentional cultivation of safety cues and supportive environments.
Think about what ways you can cultivate feelings of safety in your life and reflect on ways you can develop habits to promote deep rest.
Simple steps to cultivate a routine of deep rest could be:
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Going on a walk at the beach or your local park without distractions
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Journaling
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Starting a garden
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Play music with your preferred instrument
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Do a ten minute guided yoga session on YouTube
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Spend five minutes in prayer
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Buy a coloring book
Deep rest takes intentionality and consistency. You can’t just learn how to relax your nervous system over night. Taking one small step towards cultivating a habit of deep rest in your life could result in a big change.
Check out this article to learn more about deep rest.