Me Time minutes: The Touchy Subject of Being Touched Out

In this episode of Me Time Minutes, we explore the rarely discussed, yet common experience of feeling 'touched out' as a mom. The host shares personal anecdotes and emphasizes the importance of acknowledging this feeling without guilt. She provides practical tips and grounding techniques to help moms reclaim their personal space and establish boundaries, ensuring they do not reach a state of emotional or sensory overload. Listeners are encouraged to take proactive steps for self-care and remember that prioritizing their own needs is essential for their well-being.

Transcript

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On today's episode, we're talking about the overwhelming and guilt inducing topic of being touched out. Let's get started. Hey, welcome to me time, minutes, your quick self-care boost and honest mom conversation in the middle of a busy week, because even a few minutes of me time can change everything. Let's dive in. Hello. Hello. Welcome back to me. Time, minutes. If you're watching on YouTube, you are welcome. Uh, I'm recording in my parents' basement and for some reason my dad thought that the picture board from my. Senior graduation party in 2006 was something my kids needed to see. So our background today is pictures of Molly from kindergarten and pre-K all the way up to senior year. So you can zoom in on that. I don't know. Anyway, today we're gonna talk about a super common but rarely discussed mom experience, and that is. Being touched out. Now, if you're anything like me, I know that it's almost a daily occurrence that I catch myself flinching. When someone tries to give me a hug or even a touch on the arm, at the end of the day, it sends me into a total spiral and is so overwhelming and often pushes me into that place of just. Unrelenting rage. You're definitely not alone if you share that experience. We as humans need physical touch, but it's the being needed physically. All day long. That is exhausting. Not to mention the emotional toll that that takes on you, but that's for a totally different episode. It's the clinging, the cuddling, the diaper changes, the climbing onto your lap, the elbowing you in the stomach, you know, headbutts, all of that. It's a love language. Yes, but it's. Sensory overload. Not to mention that physical touch is not everyone's primal love language, primary love, language or need. And then you add that other layer of your partner who wants and needs physical affection and validation, and you just feel so guilty for needing to cut that out. And the recoiling. But I'm gonna tell you as I so often do, you are not wrong and you are not alone in needing that break. You're not broken. You're not a cold, frigid bitch or anything like that. You're not a bad partner or a bad mom. You are a human and your nervous system has limits. So today's episode is your permission to say, I love you, but I need some space right now. You can go hide in the bathroom or just take yourself somewhere to take five minutes to breathe. Go back to the previous episodes about grounding and use some of those techniques to help you through this. You know, you get to claim the last hour of your day just for you. No tiny humans clinging on you. Like even a gentle touch can feel heavy when you're constantly giving yourself away. I scream it from the rooftops. It sounds so cliche, but you can't pour from an empty cup and you need to prioritize yourself. So the challenge for today's episode is finding room to reconnect with your body on your own terms. Again, referencing those grounding techniques, you know, stretching, laying under a blanket alone, taking a shower without anyone barging in, going to sit out in the backyard and having a glass of wine, a cold glass of water, even having coffee or tea, something like that. It matters. It, it brings you back to your current place and allows you to take up the space you need. It's okay for you to put boundaries and to tell your kids you don't want them on you. We need to start normalizing that they don't own your body. You did your best to keep them safe, secure, and happy while they were growing inside you, and you do your best to keep them safe, secure, and happy. 99.9999% of the time, but you also own your body and you have a right to tell people I'm touched out and I I need a break. This is what, this is me. Time, minutes is meant to be kind of a self-care, emotional reassurance, validation boost in the middle of the week. So I challenge you for the next week to make sure that you are not going to bed completely fried at the end of the day by taking space and saying, no, super short episode.'cause I don't want you guys peeping this, uh, picture board for much longer. But just take that time to take care of yourself. Go back to that grounding episode and just take some time to chill. All right, I'll talk to you guys next week. All right. That's it. That's your me time minute. If this resonated with you, make sure to follow. Mama needs me time on Instagram and Facebook, and join our community for more support. And remember, you're worth every bit of rest that you can get. See you next time.