Four of Swords and the 7 types of rest
Just because you sleep well doesn’t mean you’re rested.
As many parts of the country deal with a winter storm, rest might not be on your mind. I’ve been running around today, taking care of chores and work errands that I won’t be able to do over the next few days.
But when I sat for a tarot reading on Instagram this morning, I pulled the Four of Swords, which caused me to rethink my plans for the day.
I thought immediately of the 7 kinds of rest I’d heard about on TikTok recently that was inspired by a 2021 presentation from physician and wellness researcher Saundra Dalton-Smith.
In her talk, Dalton-Smith names the different kinds of rest and explains their differences, which might influence how you think about the Four of Swords:
Physical: This is what you might already think of when you hear the word “rest.” This can include sleeping and napping, but also restorative activities such as massage or yoga. Or Netflix on the couch, but beware that this kind of physical rest doesn’t allow any of the other forms of rest.
Mental: Turn off your brain — without watching television. Meditate, go on a walk without your headphones, do something to rest your thinker, planner and decision-maker.
Sensory: This one is similar to mental rest but a little different. Sensory rest means intentionally depriving our senses of stimulation, and it is one of the best ways to rest and restore our brains. Turn off bright lights. Don’t look at a screen. Don’t fill the silence with music or a podcast. Check out a sensory deprivation room or tank for the deepest form of sensory rest.
Creative: Makers and creators have to take a break from making and creating stuff. To take a break from your artistic creation mode, go to a movie, check out a live performance, seek out someone else’s art or head into nature to take in something awe-inspiring that no human could make.
Emotional: If you are a caretaker — either as a parent or the friend that everyone relies on for help — it’s critical that you work in emotional rest into your week. Find a space where you can seek/receive emotional support without having to take care of the other person’s feelings.
Social: Text, Facetime, Discord servers allow us to be in constant touch with others. If we don’t take breaks from being in communication with others, we’ll start to build our lives around that constant buzz of dopamine that comes from someone wants to socially engage with you. Taking a break from exhausting relationships — or walking away from them altogether — is another important way to socially rest.
Spiritual: Feeling engaged with a sense of a higher power (call it the universe, nature or Mother Goddess) is one of the most important forms of rest. Our day-to-day obligations can take us away from our spiritual center, but pulling tarot cards, booking a walk with a spiritual friend or finding a new source of spiritual support could be just the kind of rest your spirit needs right now.
Not taking time for these kinds of rest creates an individual and collective culture of “high-achieving, high-producing, chronically tired and chronically burned-out individuals,” Dalton-Smith writers. “We’re suffering from a rest deficit because we don’t understand the true power of rest.”
This is the cautionary warning of the Four of Swords. If you don’t rest in these ways, you’ll pay the price eventually. Rest isn’t something that requires keeping score or even measuring. A little goes a long way. But rest. Your mind, your spirit, your social emotional self. All of you.
And if it takes an ice storm to slow you down, then let it.
