Resting… What is it really?

To some people resting may be watching TV, or listening to music, or reading a book. But these activities still use energy, mental energy just not physical energy.

For someone with chronic fatigue and pain this is still too much energy expenditure.

To aid recovery we need complete rest. This means doing activities that increase energy or doesn’t use any at all.

What activities can be counted as rest then?

For me rest is:
~ lying down with my eyes closed and completely resting (dark and quiet, or listening to meditation music)
~ yogic breathing exercises (try my previous post on reducing stress and the Yoga Studio App for examples)
~ mindful meditations focusing on breathing or rotating through the body parts
~ Sitting/lying out in nature

These activities maintain or increase my energy levels after I’ve completed them and help to reduce any increase in pain and other symptoms exacerbated by doing too much.

What techniques do you use for resting?