Long hours, tight deadlines, and constant connectivity can take a toll on even the most seasoned media professional. In a webinar exclusive to NRB members, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith offered practical advice on how to prioritize rest and recharge, especially when expending creative and professional energy. Dalton-Smith is a board-certified internal medicine physician and work-life integration researcher. The webinar was hosted by NRB membership director Melissa Sturgis.
Dalton-Smith shared her personal experience of burnout after becoming a mother. With this experience, the Lord led her to learn the importance of rest throughout Scripture, especially from Creation to the life of Jesus. Dalton-Smith argues that while many of us have a great work ethic, we struggle with rest because we see it as secondary to work.
“We see rest as the lesser of the two between work and rest,” Dalton-Smith said. “We have to start looking at rest as the process of being able to do our work well and having the energy, stamina, and sustainability to be able to stay in the places that God has put us to do work.”
Rest, according to Dalton-Smith, is more than just stopping or ceasing activity. It’s about replenishing the various areas of our lives that have been depleted.
“It’s about pouring back into the places that we have depleted,” she said. “Cessation alone doesn’t restore.”
As she describes in her book Sacred Rest, there are seven different kinds of rest: mental, spiritual, emotional, social, sensory, creative, and physical. Dalton-Smith suggests that instead of simply saying we’re tired, we should try to identify the specific type of tiredness we are feeling. For example, something like travel exhaustion, when you were probably sitting all day, is most likely not physical but sensory.
She explained each of the types of rest and ways to incorporate it in our lives. Physical rest involves two components. Passive rest includes sleep, while active rest involves self-care activities like stretching, massage, taking leisure walks, and practicing good posture at your workstation.
She defines spiritual rest as cultivating intimacy with God. She pointed out how a lot of people, especially those in ministry, sit down to read the Bible to mine it for teaching resources rather than for spiritual edification. Instead, true spiritual rest is “when we make sure that we stay in a place of understanding there’s a person of the Word, and we keep that relationship with Jesus very fresh and real.”
Emotional rest involves having a space to be honest with yourself and others about your feelings. This is especially important in situations where “professional emotional labor” is required for the workplace, meaning one must suppress their genuine emotions to conform to societal expectations or workplace norms. By allowing ourselves to be authentic and vulnerable, we can experience greater emotional well-being.
Dalton-Smith drew on her clinical experience to illustrate the importance of holistic rest. Rest, she explained, provides the resilience needed to navigate challenging circumstances. Conversely, neglecting rest can lead to long-term physical, emotional, and spiritual consequences.
“There are so many things we’re seeing within our world that in part has to do with our lack of respect of rest,” she said.
She delved into the biblical foundation of rest, pointing to the beginning of Creation where rest is established as a divine principle. Dr. Dalton-Smith suggests we look at how to “emulate the life of Jesus in what you’re doing.” Jesus, though constantly on the move and completing a massive ministry in just three years, still embodied habits of rest. She challenged the common misconception that we must earn rest as a luxury through hard work, emphasizing that God models rest as a necessary component of our participation in His work.
“We are to work from a place of rest,” she stated. “Rest is the beginning. … We are then empowered to go out to do the work God has called us to do.”
Dalton-Smith also addressed the dangers of relying solely on natural abilities without the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.
“Gifted people can sometimes work out of their giftedness,” she warned. “Eventually our natural giftedness finds its end, and then we feel depleted. But when we allow ourselves to be continuously filled by Him and His ways of resting and restoration, you never get to the end of yourself.”
Dalton-Smith emphasizes the importance of sabbath, pointing out that it’s a command, not a suggestion. It’s a command requiring a response.
“One of the only commandments that actually says ‘remember’ is the one having to do with rest and restorative practices,” she said, “because a lot of us have forgotten the importance of it.”
Taking a sabbath is not just about getting more sleep; it’s about acknowledging that God is God, and we are not: “You don’t try to make yourself more important than God. He is the only one who is omnipotent and omnipresent.”
Dalton-Smith answered questions from NRB members attending the webinar, who have exclusive access to the recording. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith has been an NRB member since 2023. Check out her website, podcast, book, and more information at ichoosemybestlife.com, and take her free assessment at restquiz.com.
Be on the lookout for future member-exclusive webinars and online seminars in 2025!