Rest Vs.Relaxation

Understanding your body’s needs is important. It intuitively tells us what it needs on a daily basis to keep itself well, but interpreting it can sometimes be difficult. Understanding the difference between rest or relaxation is one such example.

Rest tends to occur while we sleep and allows our body to repair itself on a cellular level through autonomic activity. It generally makes us feel refreshed and restored.

Relaxation is defined as a conscious activity that calm both mind and body. Such activities help us to manage the effects of stress and anxiety. Meditation, gentle walks, sitting in the sunshine, and Reflexology(!) are examples of this. Relaxation stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which slows our heart rate, slows and deepens our breathing and improves our digestion.