Yep, that's right. There are in fact eight different types of rest! Which do you need most right now?

When we think of rest we often only think of being sedentary eg. sitting/laying on the sofa, or passive rest eg. sleeping/taking a nap where the whole body and senses are resting and inactive.

But our body as a whole system is so much more than this. Our 'body' and our well-being are dependant on our Spiritual, Emotional, Physical Active, Physical Passive, Mental, Social, Sensory, and Creative health.

These are seven of the different types of rest, and this is why, even after days of sleeping well, you cans till find yourself as burnt out, depleted, and fatigued as ever!

There is a lot of talk about ‘stress’ here at Emily + the Plants, and really that’s no surprise seems as one of the highest factors in cfs/me + burnout onset is prolonged and elevated stress.

But what actually is STRESS?

If you don’t understand what stress is, what forms it can come in, and what it’s actually doing to your body internally, then really it’s just some vague term or threat like the boogie monster, right?

What is Stress + Where Does it Come From

First things first, there’s more than one cause of stress that can happen for your body. Just because you don’t necessarily 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 stressed, doesn’t mean you’re not! And stress isn’t always just a mental thing. Stress can show up —⠀

I’ve learnt a lot in my eight years of transitioning into and living a slower and seasonal lifestyle. But after finishing this year exhausted, depleted and struggling with multiple injuries I have realised two things:

Although I’d been making sure to schedule in regular self care I hadn’t actually given myself any real holiday or time off all year!

The way I was planning and trying to work just wasn’t in alignment with my slower and more intentional way of life.

Although seasonal living doesn’t mean doing less, it does mean slowing down and following natures cues to live + be in a cyclical process that supports wellbeing, as well as many physical and mental health benefits…

But what if there WAS a way to set goals, plan + make my dreams happen in a more intentional and sustainable way?

What if I could prioritise health, wellbeing and happiness AND achieve my goals for the year?

These were the questions I asked myself in December last year.

A Seasonal + Intentional Planning System…

Did you know there are different kinds of rest?!

Yep, that's right. There are in fact eight different types of rest! Which do you need most right now?

When we think of rest we often only think of being sedentary eg. sitting/laying on the sofa, or passive rest eg. sleeping/taking a nap where the whole body and senses are resting and inactive.

But our body as a whole system is so much more than this. Our 'body' and our well-being are dependent on these eight forms of rest to ensure our sustainable health + wellbeing.

Stress. One of the topic areas I talk about most here on the blog. Why? Because it is not only one of the top root causes of health problems, but can also negatively impact so many areas of our health and wellbeing. One of which is a females hormones and menstrual cycle.

A females menstruation lasts around 28 days, and the rise and fall of a dozen or more different hormones throughout that 28 days is what triggers and controls things like the release of an egg, the build up and break down of the uterus lining, and how long her monthly bleed lasts for, amongst a host of other big and minute changes. As well as her fertility and ability to get pregnant.

How Does Stress Affect Your Hormones

Hormones are essentially chemicals that move around your body telling your cells and organs what they need to do.

Stress has become one of the top causes of health problems and one of the most common things we have all dealt with at some point in our lives.

This modern world of ours has pushed to the sidelines a lot of the things that help humans to stay healthy + happy, and so now our minds, body’s + wellbeing are starting to suffer. Cases of burnout, depression and anxiety becoming more common than ever before.

Chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic fatigue in general are predominantly nervous system related illnesses. This means that anything which aggravates your nervous system and increases inflammation, makes your health worse!

One of the worst causes of inflammation in the body is stress.

We all have different stress triggers — things that cause a stress response in our body, or make us feel ‘unsafe’

The body’s natural response to stress is our fight-flight-freeze-fawn response. A hormone reaction that causes elevated amounts of cortisol + adrenaline to be released into our blood stream giving our body the strength + reactions it needs to escape immediate danger

The problem is this response was built to help our ancestors escape the jaws of a sabre-tooth, and is a little out of place in the modern world

Unfortunately our body doesn’t recognise the difference between the threat from a sabre-tooth and our reaction from being shouted at by our boss or trying juggle work + family life on a schedule

You cannot heal from a heightened nervous system!!

I’ve spoken a little previously about how stress affects our body + nervous system, and how that can result in cfs/me + burnout

The problem is stress causes an inflamed + heightened nervous system. But we aren’t always aware it’s happening or able to stop it. Our body becomes stuck in the Fight-Flight-Freeze response (this is our 𝗌𝗒𝗆𝗉𝖺𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗍𝗂𝖼 𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗏𝗈𝗎𝗌 𝗌𝗒𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗆).

The sympathetic nervous system is what kicks into action when your body feels unsafe or threatened.

When your stress is consistent this means you have constant adrenaline + cortisol running through your body.

The nervous system plays a huge role in not just our everyday health, but our ability to manage stress and stay healthy.

The Vagus nerve (or vagal nerves) is a series of nerves that runs the length of your body (along the spine) from brain to digestive system. And act as the main network of nerves for your Parasympathetic Nervous System. In other words the balancing and opposing system to your Sympathetic Nervous System or ‘fight-flight-freeze’ response.

If the sympathetic nervous system acts to keep you safe from danger, then the parasympathetic nervous system is what makes you feel safe + calm afterwards.

What Does the Vagus Nerve Do?

As well as making up about 80% or the parasympathetic nervous system the vagal nerves also control a range of functions in the body ; This system controls specific body functions such as your digestion, heart rate, immune system + mood.