We all know that tiredness. The kind that lingers after a full night’s sleep. The kind that doesn’t match the physical energy you’ve used. The kind that leaves you wondering: “Why am I so exhausted when I haven’t even done that much?”

The truth is, you probably have, but just not in the ways the world tends to notice.

Thanks to the work of Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, we now understand that rest isn’t just about sleep. There are seven different types of rest we need and when even one of them is depleted, we feel the weight of it, often without knowing why.

At We are The Helpful, this framework inspires us, how we curate our gifts and support our community, and has helped us rethink what it means to really show up - both for the ones we love and for ourselves (hint: we don’t need to wait until a birthday, in fact, showing up beyond a circled date on the calendar is more impactful).

Here’s what those seven types of rest are, how to recognise when they’re needed, and how to support the ones we love (or yourself) with helpful gifts and gestures that make a real impact.

Physical Rest

What it looks like: Sleep, stillness, softness, intentional recovery, stretching and tuning into what the body is asking for, a pause from doing. 

Signs someone needs it: They’re fatigued, sore body, show signs of tension and poor posture, lacking mental clarity, exhausted or physically run down. 

Helpful gifts: a luxurious bath ritual, herbal teas, a sleep mist, vouchers for restorative experiences like a massage to ease tension and help the body relax, offer to help with the kids to enable pockets of rest time, gift access to a child sleep consultant offer support around the house to ease the load

Mental Rest

What it looks like: A break from decision-making, overthinking, processing and information overload. 

Signs someone needs it: They can’t focus, they feel mentally cluttered, mental fog, overwhelm, difficulty ‘switching off’.

Helpful gifts: A guided journal and journals to support mental tasks and to-do's, sensory self care rituals to slow the mind and nourish the body, experiences that encourage presence (like saunas, yoga, pilates, massage, meditation and stretching), gestures to reduce the mental load like pre-made meals, hampers and home organisation

Emotional Rest

What it looks like: Space to be fully yourself without needing to explain or hold it all together, presence and quality time with loved ones with no expectation, just support.

Signs someone needs it: They’re people-pleasing, holding back tears, or constantly supporting others.  They could appear emotionally flat and fragile.

Helpful gifts: A book that reflects their story, time with someone safe, a journal, messages that make them feel seen and remembered, product that gently encourages self care rituals, help with the kids - even if it's company for an hour to share the caring responsibilities, or a package that encourages self play.

Social Rest

What it looks like: Relief from draining interactions; time with people who refill you, identifying and adhering to boundaries 

Signs someone needs it: They're withdrawing, cancelling plans, or feel socially exhausted.  They're giving more than they're getting in return.

Helpful gifts: A quiet solo experience like a sauna or yoga session, a voucher for something comforting like a massage, or something to enjoy in solitude (a book, tea, self care product), journal for reflection.

Sensory Rest

What it looks like: Turning down the volume from screens, sound, stimulation. Bringing things back to basics and nature.

Signs someone needs it: Headaches, tension, irritability, reduced attention span or craving quiet. 

Helpful gifts: Incense, luxurious eye mask, a gentle experience in nature, massage, nourishing food and supportive herbal teas, comfortable pyjamas.

Creative Rest

What it looks like: Time to dream, imagine, create — without pressure. Forget about output and simply…..flow.

Signs someone needs it: Feeling stuck, uninspired, or like they’ve lost their spark. They crave beauty, colour and play, but feel guilty prioritising it. 

Helpful gifts: Nature based experiences, movement and connectivity like yoga, breathwork or pilates, a journal, books, help with the kids to allow for time alone, home organisation to create space and to declutter.

Spiritual Rest

What it looks like: Connection to meaning, purpose, and something bigger. Creating a sense of grounding.

Signs someone needs it: Feeling disconnected, unmotivated, or questioning "what’s the point?" 

Helpful gifts: A meditation guide, a nature-based experience, or a journal with prompts that encourage reflection, access to movement, the gift of quiet presence and open discussion, books.

Gifting That Gets It

When we understand what kind of rest someone actually needs, we stop giving out of obligation and start giving out of compassion.

That’s what We are The Helpful is all about.  

Not just ticking a box. Not just showing up when the calendar says so. But truly supporting the people we love through all of life’s seasons - especially the quiet, messy, in-between ones.

Our gifts are curated to bring comfort, ease, and the kind of rest that doesn’t just look nice - it lands.  Because when life happens, she doesn’t need more stuff. She needs support.

And rest is one of the most powerful ways we can give it.

Explore our She Needs collection, built around the moments and the types of rest that matter most.