Episode 089. The 7 Types of Rest Every Mom Needs with Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith
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Episode 089. The 7 Types of Rest Every Mom Needs with Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith

Episode 089

Did you read the title of this episode and think, “I can’t seem to get ONE type of rest as a mom let alone 7!?” I know I did a double take when I first read about Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith’s idea that there are 7 different types of rest and that we need all 7, but…my curiosity was peaked! Diving into her explanations has brought me so much personal clarity, I’m so grateful for her work and all the ways she shows up and encourages mothers.
This episode is so life giving—Dr. Saundra is articulate, kind, authentic, and just so generous with her insights. She teaches us what we need to show up as our true and best selves.

I left this conversation feeling so understood—and I know you will, too. As Dr. Saundra presents these 7 types of rest, she doesn’t do it in a way that’s overwhelming but rather shows us a bigger picture and that we really are all quite unique. The types of rest I need most in this season of my life probably aren’t the same types of rest you will benefit from the most right now. There is no one size fits all answer for everyone, but when it comes to rest, there are a lot of options! These ideas about rest will help you learn more about your true self so that you can understand what you need—and then confidently meet that need armed with information and insights about these 7 types of rest.

This topic is also a great conversation starter. Once you hear the different types of rest and take the quiz online (www.restquiz.com), I bet you’ll want to send this quiz to your partner, spouse, sisters, friends, and moms group so you can dive deeper into this topic with them! It’s the resolution we didn’t know we needed going into the new year. Learning about rest is a great way for us to become more self-aware so we can support and nourish our true selves, recover our lives, renew our energy, and restore our sanity.

Dr. Saundra’s Bio: Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith is a Board-Certified internal medicine physician, speaker, and author. She is an international wellness expert featured in numerous media outlets including Prevention, MSNBC, Women’s Day, FOX, Fast Company, Psychology Today, and as a guest on Dr. Oz show. She is the author of numerous books including her new book Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, including ground-breaking insight on the seven types of rest needed to optimize your productivity, increase your overall happiness, overcome burnout, and live your best life. Over 100,000 people have discovered their personal rest deficits using her free assessment at RestQuiz.com. Learn more about Dr. Saundra at IChooseMyBestLife.com and DrDaltonSmith.com.

In This Episode, Dr. Saundra & I Talk About:

  • The origin of rest: restoration
  • Sleep and rest are not the same thing
  • Not just working for the weekend
  • Her view of balance in motherhood…and how it isn’t possible
  • Work/Life Integration & Harmony
  • Grace and flow in motherhood
  • Getting to a place where work and life flow together well
  • What is causing fatigue (even with adequate sleep)
  • The types of restoration that our body, mind, and spirit need
  • The 7 Types of Rest:
    • Physical
    • Mental
    • Emotional
    • Spiritual
    • Social
    • Sensory
    • Creative
  • The benefits of each type of rest
  • Movement as a form of rest
  • Rest is not just the cessation of activity
  • Moms need stretching (after all the carrying of little kids especially!)
  • Choosing a word to focus on when we need to realign with where we want to be
  • Discipline
  • Prayer and meditation as spiritual rest
  • The study that shows the power of prayer
  • Spiritual rest doesn’t have anything to do with religion
  • How’s moms group can help us get the rest we need (together!)
  • Hanging out with people who give us social rest by being life giving to be around
  • Getting social rest even through video chats or zoom
  • Social rest as a way to be our true selves
  • Not living up to other people’s expectations but rather showing up as our most authentic selves
  • The influence of our phones and social media
  • Ballistic – lol! This part of the sensory conversation is spot on (for kids and adults!)
  • We were a lot less agitated when we had phones that only made phone calls and sent texts
  • The overflow of sensory overload
  • Awareness of how and where we get fatigued
  • Feeling better by pouring back into where we feel depleted
  • The sense of rest that bodies of water give us
  • Creative rest is not about work or production, but appreciation instead
  • Homeschool philosophies and how they align with rest
  • Societal expectations about rest and enjoyment and the disconnect that’s there
  • Misconceptions about rest
  • Not slipping back into negative patterns when it comes to rest
  • The universality of these areas of rest
  • Ideas for getting consistent rest
  • Feeling more energized through rest
  • Being mindful of how we are resting
  • Go take Dr. Saundra’s rest quiz! www.restquiz.com

Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith’s Links: Webites: www.ichoosemybestlife.com & www.drdaltonsmith.com, Rest Quiz, Podcast, TedEx, Instagram, Facebook, and Book: Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity

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SPONSORS

Homeschool Explained: Today’s episode is sponsored by Homeschool Explained, an online course I created to help parents begin their homeschool journey with confidence. I was getting a lot of questions from parents about my family’s homeschool journey…they wanted to know more but weren’t sure where to get started or if it was a good fit for their family. So I started teaching in-person workshops here on Maui to help parents sort that out. But then requests starting come in from other islands and other places asking if I could put it online from them, too…so I did! I totally get it, starting any new journey can be overwhelming…especially when you feel this call on your heart to homeschool but aren’t sure where to begin. That’s why I’ve put over 10 years of homeschool experience and insights into this easy to follow, easy to use online course that answers common questions, helps you work through worries, and saves you time.

Homeschool Explained is for anyone who is interested in homeschool (now or in the future) but isn’t sure where to start. The information in this course will help you make an educated decision about whether homeschool is the right fit for your family and help you understand what modern homeschool days actually look like—all while covering major topics like curriculum, homeschool styles, subjects to teach, cost, state laws, socialization and so much more. This course takes the guess work out of where and how to begin and leaves you with solid support and resources. Start your homeschool journey with confidence! Find out more at elevatingmotherhood.com/homeschool

Ojai Energetics: We don’t shy away from topics here on Elevating Motherhood. Mostly because I believe it’s time we break through myths and assumptions with real conversations, resources, and perspective. Like we’re doing today in our discussion about motherhood and rest…and like we did in episode 15, Intro to CBD when I interviewed Will Kleidon the CEO of Ojai Energetics, a B corps that produces high quality, organic, water soluable CBD. So many moms wanted to know more about CBD, so I went straight to a credible source. Ojai Energetics has extended a special offer for Elevating Motherhood listeners—free shipping on every order, plus a free tube of CBD sports gel if you order 3 bottles or more. Head to elevatingmotherhood.com/cbd for more info on CBD, links to the episode 15, and the special offer from Ojai Energetics. That’s elevatingmotherhood.com/cbd

LINKS

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