Reclaiming Your Joy With Daily Awe and Wonder - Dr. Dalton-Smith - I Choose My Best Life

Physical, Sensory, and Creative Rest

When did you last experience pure, unadulterated joy in your body? Not the satisfaction of completing a workout or the relief of finishing a long day, but actual delight in the simple act of being physical? For many adults, this kind of joy feels like a distant memory. Today, I want to help you rediscover three types of rest that can restore wonder to your daily life: physical, sensory, and creative rest.

Physical Rest: Rediscovering the Joy of Movement

Physical rest isn’t just about sleeping or sitting down—it’s about freeing your body from the constraints of productivity-focused movement. When did you last use your body purely for joy?

If you’ve completely forgotten what this feels like, spend some time observing a young child at play. Watch how they move with complete abandon, how they delight in spinning until dizzy, how they jump just to feel their feet leave the ground. That freedom isn’t reserved for childhood—it’s a human birthright that responsibilities have convinced us to abandon.

Physical rest means giving yourself permission to move your body in ways that bring you pleasure. Dance in your kitchen while cooking dinner. Take a walk with no destination in mind. Stretch languidly in the morning sun. Skip down the sidewalk if the mood strikes you.

Don’t let the weight of adult responsibilities edge out your liberty to enjoy movement simply because it makes you smile. Your body was designed for more than productivity—it was created for joy.

Sensory Rest: Taking Control of Your Environment

Your nervous system processes thousands of sensory inputs every day, and many of them are creating stress without you realizing it. Sensory rest involves becoming conscious of what enters your body through your senses and making intentional choices about your environment.

Start by identifying which noises, smells, and sights make you feel anxious or irritable throughout your day. Is it the constant ping of notifications? The harsh fluorescent lighting in your office? The overwhelming scent of artificial fragrances in public spaces?

Once you’ve identified your sensory stressors, make interventions. Dim your computer screen or office lights. Use noise-canceling headphones or earplugs to create pockets of quiet. Choose natural scents over synthetic ones. Remove visual clutter from your most-used spaces.

Taking back control over what goes into your body through your senses isn’t about becoming oversensitive—it’s about creating an environment that supports your well-being rather than depleting it.

Creative Rest: Cultivating Awe and Wonder

When did you last feel genuinely awestruck? If you have to think hard about the answer, you’re not alone. Most adults have inadvertently trained themselves out of experiencing wonder, treating it as a luxury they can’t afford.

Creative rest isn’t about creating art (though it can include that). It’s about regularly exposing yourself to experiences that inspire awe and wonder. These emotions aren’t frivolous—they’re essential for a full life. They keep you open to beauty, create an expectation of goodness, and move you from merely existing to truly enjoying your days.

Seek out experiences that make you catch your breath with delight. Watch a sunset without photographing it. Listen to music that gives you chills. Observe intricate patterns in nature. Visit an art museum or read poetry that moves you.

Wonder is a choice and a practice. The more you cultivate it, the more naturally it will arise in everyday moments.

Integrating Body, Senses, and Spirit

These three forms of rest work together to reconnect you with the joy of being human. Physical rest reminds you that your body is meant for pleasure, not just productivity. Sensory rest creates space for your nervous system to relax and reset. Creative rest opens your heart to the beauty that surrounds you daily.

Start where you are. Choose one small way to honor your body, protect your senses, or invite wonder into your day. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s reconnection with the joy that’s already present in your life, waiting to be noticed.

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