We often talk about “getting some rest” as if it’s a single thing. A nap. A weekend off. A few extra hours of sleep.

But if you’ve ever woken up after a long night only to still feel exhausted, you know that physical sleep isn’t the full story.

For women in leadership — especially those navigating personal loss, unexpected change, or the quiet ache of burnout — rest is not a luxury. It’s a survival skill. And not just any rest… the right kind of rest.

Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith identifies seven distinct types of rest, and each one feeds a different part of us. As leaders, as women, and as humans moving through hardship, understanding these can be the difference between dragging ourselves forward and truly rising again.

1. Physical Rest
Leadership asks a lot of our bodies — early starts, long hours, constant movement (even if it’s just between meetings). Add to that the way grief or stress can live in our muscles, and physical rest becomes vital.

This isn’t just about sleep. It’s also about gentle stretching, restorative yoga, massage, or simply pausing to breathe. Think of it as unclenching every hidden place your body has been holding on.

2. Mental Rest
Our minds can become like a boardroom with constant chatter — agendas, to-do lists, and scenarios on repeat. In seasons of setback, mental fatigue doubles, as your brain tries to “solve” things it can’t fix.
Mental rest means creating spaces with no decisions to make. Walking without a podcast. Sitting with a cup of tea and no phone. Giving yourself permission to not have all the answers today.

3. Sensory Rest
Women in leadership often live in a constant state of sensory overload — screens glowing, phones pinging, people talking. Stress and loss can make your nervous system hyper-alert, amplifying every sound and light.

Sensory rest is a conscious choice to reduce input: dim the lights, turn off notifications, sit in silence, and let your senses come back to neutral.

4. Creative Rest
Setbacks can drain our ability to dream, and leadership responsibilities can squeeze out inspiration. Creative rest is the act of receiving beauty.

Stand by the ocean and watch the waves. Wander through a gallery. Listen to music that makes your soul hum. This isn’t indulgence — it’s replenishment for your problem-solving mind and your visionary heart.

5. Emotional Rest
Women leaders often carry the weight of others’ expectations while hiding their own emotional reality. In seasons of personal hardship, this becomes a heavy mask to wear.

Emotional rest is the safety to speak your truth without editing. To have a conversation where you don’t need to be “strong.” To let someone hold your story without judgment.

6. Social Rest
Some relationships drain us, even when the people involved mean well. Social rest is choosing to spend time only with those who replenish you — or choosing solitude when that’s what heals.
For leaders navigating grief or burnout, this often means stepping back from “networking” and stepping closer to your inner circle — those who see you beyond your title.

7. Spiritual Rest
When life shakes you, leadership can start to feel hollow unless it’s anchored in something deeper. Spiritual rest is connection — to your faith, to nature, to purpose, to the part of you that knows there’s more to life than what you can see.

It might be prayer, meditation, journaling, or simply watching the stars until you remember you are part of something vast.

Why This Matters Now
For women in leadership, rest is often the first thing sacrificed and the last thing restored. But rest is not retreat. It’s repair. In times of loss, transition, or overwhelm, these seven types of rest are the scaffolding that can hold you while you rebuild. They are not about bouncing back to who you were — they are about becoming who you need to be.

You can’t lead from an empty well. But you can lead — powerfully, authentically, and sustainably — when you tend to every layer of your being. Rest, in all its forms, is how you rise.

Would you like to take the quick test to determine what type of rest is best suited to you right now with clear actionable steps to move you from depletion to restored energy? Find out more here.

Need so well deserved time out? Check our retreat schedule- tailored to leadership who feel stretched thing and need resilience and courage in their leadership journey. https://nikyhamilton.com/retreats

Are you seeking to find clarity, confidence and courage?

Like to learn more about developing resilience through life challenges?

Niky offer’s her Rise UP program for women online as well as her Lead Her UP retreats for women.

• Find out more about her retreats here

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