5 Things to Do When You’re Feeling Over Touched

A mother’s touch is known to have magical healing powers for a child.

The connection between a mother and their child is as physical as it is emotional.  They are a part of our bodies, we feed them from our bodies, and we comfort them with our bodies.  Our bodies are the go-to place for our children when they need to feel safe and secure. So at the end of a long day, mothers often end up feeling over touched or overstimulated.

The sensation of being over touched can have a big impact on our mental health.  With our skin being our largest organ, it’s no surprise that a large amount of extra stimulation can cause us to feel frazzled and overworked. We end up feeling irritable, annoyed, anxious or even angry.  It can cause insomnia and other sleep disturbances.   And feeling over touched can have an effect on our relationships as well because it’s unlikely we’ll want to be intimate at the end of the day, either.

If you are feeling over touched after a constantly caring for and hugging babies, try these five techniques to help reset your nervous system.
*This post contains affiliate and/or paid links which means that if you click on one of these links and buy a product, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Rest assured that I only recommend products that I love from companies that I trust. Furthermore, I am not a medical professional and nothing in this post should be taken as medical advice. I am simply a mother who has been there and lived to tell the tale.

5 Things to Do When You're Feeling Over Touched

1. Take a Time Out

It makes sense that if you’re feeling over touched, a quick fix would be to spend some time not being touched at all.  It’s easier said than done for a busy mom, however.  The sensation of feeling over touched on a regular basis can build up.  Eventually causing worse symptoms, such as anxiety or depression.  So it’s important to break that cycle of feeling over touched as regularly as possible.

Start by scheduling yourself some self-care time.  Pick a day when your spouse (or someone else) is available to watch the kids in the evening and take an hour or two to yourself.  Retreat to your bedroom or another comfortable space and focus just on yourself.  You don’t have to do anything at all if you don’t want to.

If you can make this a regular habit, whether daily, weekly or longer, then you can reset your sense of touch and feel refreshed and re-energized.  Having the kids crawl all over you may be unavoidable, but at least you’ll be better equipped to handle another round of it.

Self Care Routine for a Stay at Home Mom
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2. Try Dry Brushing

Now, this one might sound like it makes a little less sense.  If you’re already feeling over touched, then wouldn’t brushing your skin just make it worse?

If you’re not familiar with dry brushing, it consists of brushing your skin with a dry, natural bristle bath brush to help stimulate blood flow and massage the lymphatic system.  It also has great skin exfoliation benefits, obviously.  You can read more about dry brushing in this detailed guide.

One of the benefits of dry brushing is that it stimulates the lymph system, which is the system that is designed to cleanse our body of toxins and waste.  Keeping this system moving throughout our bodies can actually boost our immune systems and keep us healthy.  Dry brushing can produce an almost instant energy boost just by helping to circulate our lymph.

Dry brushing the entire body can help to reset the sensation of feeling over touched.  It is a controlled and intentional way of stimulating the nervous system and sense of touch.  Unlike being tugged at and climbed all over by our kids, we are in control of how our skin is being touched and stimulated.

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3. Have a Hot Shower or Bath

Water can do wonders to wash away the feeling of being over touched.  A hot shower, especially one with a massaging shower head, is another great way to provide full body stimulation to eliminate that feeling of being pulled and tugged at.

Try using thermotherapy, or alternating between hot and cool water, to encourage blood circulation and give you an energy boost.  You can enhance the experience by using essential oil shower steamers or luxury soaps and body washes.  A shower is especially wonderful after you’d tried dry brushing, as it helps to wash away all the exfoliated skin.

If you’d rather soak in the tub, then add a scoop of Epsom salts to the bath water or try some relaxing bath bombs.  The magnesium in the Epsom salts will relax tired muscles and soften the skin.  You can even brush your skin during or after the bath, just add a bit of coconut oil, or other essential oil to your brush.

And most importantly, don’t forget to moisturize afterwards.  In fact, you should use a good quality moisturizer as often as possible throughout the day.  Dry skin is much more sensitive to being touched.  Winter can be especially harsh on skin, and if you suffer from seasonal affective disorder, feeling over touched can contribute to other symptoms as well.

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4. Lie Under a Weighted Blanket

A weighted blanket, like dry brushing, is another form of intentional touch. It might sound counterproductive to use deep touch pressure therapy (DTP) when we already feel so over touched.  But again, this is a different kind of touch that works like a giant reset button on our nervous system.

Think of a fussy baby being swaddled, or an anxious child being hugged tightly.  Steady pressure that consumes our entire body at once can make us feel calm and boost our serotonin levels.  But as an adult, it’s harder to find a way to create that sense of steady full body pressure.

Weighted blankets are an excellent solution. You can lie under a weighted blanket for anywhere from a few minutes to an entire night, depending on your preference.  You are in complete control of removing it, so you don’t need to worry about feeling trapped or suffocated.

Using a weighted blanket can be especially helpful if feeling over touched is causing insomnia or night time anxiety.  Over stimulation is a major cause of sleep disturbances.  Using a weighted blanket can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep throughout the night.

The hardest part about using a weighted blanket is trying to choose which one is right for you.  There are so many options in weight, filling, covers and sizes so how do you even know where to begin?  Here are some tips about how to choose the right weighted blanket.

Postpartum Insomnia
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5. Sensory Deprivation Tank

This is, perhaps, one of the more extreme forms of therapy for feeling over touched, but it’s also a luxurious way to relax and reset.  Sensory deprivation tanks, or “float tanks” are popping up everywhere now.  While it’s actually an ancient form of healing, they’ve become popular in modern society for their known benefits of relaxation.

If you haven’t heard of them, they’re basically a tank filled with water that is as close to your body temperature as possible.  It also contains a high amount of Epsom salts so that your body easily floats and remains suspended in the water.  It is designed to mimic the feeling of floating in space.  Here is a detailed article that contains more information about sensory deprivation tanks and how they work.

In addition to the water, the tank is in complete isolation, which means that it’s dark and you’re cut off from outside sounds and smells.  You are basically floating in complete nothingness.  By depriving the body of all of it’s senses, you can be in a state of mindfulness and complete relaxation.

Everything You Need to Know About Postpartum Anxiety
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As a mother, you’re always ready and prepared to give the hugs and cuddles and be the rock for your children to climb on.  Even when you’re feeling over touched, you’d never want to deprive them of that.  But you can give better and stronger hugs when you’re feeling relaxed and rested.  This is why self-care is such an important task for moms.

If the thought of being touched makes you cringe, it doesn’t make you a bad mother.  While you may have to take a few additional steps to reset your senses each day, the feeling won’t last forever.  So take care of yourself, mama, and then hug those babies.  Because before you know it, you’ll have to chase them down just to get one.

5 Things to Do When You're Feeling Over Touched 5 Things to Do When You're Feeling Over Touched

12 Thoughtful Gift Ideas for the Sleep Deprived Mom

Moms who are sleep deprived are normally less than enthusiastic about celebrating holidays and special events.

You can make them special by getting her a gift that will help beat sleep deprivation.  Sleep deprivation can cause physical and mental problems for mothers, whether it’s caused by a new baby, postpartum depression, anxiety, or just the normal duties of motherhood.  These specially selected gift ideas for the sleep deprived mom are sure to make a difference for her.

If a mom in your life is suffering from sleep deprivation, consider one of these gift ideas to help her get a better night’s rest.
12 Thoughtful Gift Ideas for the Sleep Deprived Mom
*This post contains affiliate and/or paid links which means that if you click on one of these links and buy a product, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Rest assured that I only recommend products that I love from companies that I trust.
Gift Ideas for Sleep Deprived Moms Gift Ideas for Sleep Deprived Moms

A New Mattress

Nectar
Nectar Sleep

Go big or go home, am I right?  Nothing says sleep like a brand new comfortable mattress.  But this can be a tough one to give as a gift.  It’s a really personal purchase that normally requires a person to try out several different ones before buying.

But times are changing.  No longer do you need to go into a showroom and lie down on several different mattresses that all feel the same.  You don’t need to spend a fortune or commit to an expensive purchase that you can’t return.

Mattress manufactures have gotten smarter.  They’ve created beds that conform to fit us, rather than force us to choose one among many.  And instead of putting all their effort into designing an entire line of different mattresses, they’ve combined their efforts into designing one perfect mattress.  And because of this – they guarantee that it will be the best mattress you’ve ever had.  They’ll even refund you up to a year after your purchase if you’re not happy.

With free shipping and that kind of promise, this mattress tops my list as the #1 perfect gift for the sleep deprived mom.
Check it out here: runningintriangles.com/Nectar

A Weighted Blanket

COOLMAX® Weighted Blanket Light Grey
Weighting Comforts

If you haven’t already  heard, weighted blankets are the newest all-natural cure for anxiety and insomnia.

There’s not much to them. They’re blankets filled with beads or pellets and come in a variety of different exteriors such as cotton, flannel, fleece or microfiber.  The idea is that using one to sleep will embrace the body in a state of continuous, light pressure, which can stimulate the nervous system and help fight insomnia.  The benefits are similar to that of a deep tissue massage.

There are tons of companies selling weighting blankets now, and you can even DIY one.  But if you’re looking for gift ideas for the sleep deprived mom, then consider a weighted blanket that gives a little deeper.

Weighting Comforts is a company that sells weighted blankets made by international refugees.  So you can rest assured that when you purchase one of these weighted blankets, you are also contributing to the future and well being of others.  What could be a more perfect holiday gift than that?

Check out their variety of weighted blankets here: runningintriangles.com/WeightingComforts

CBD Honey Sticks

CBD Honey Sticks - Honey Infused CBD 10mg (100 Pack)
Diamond CBD

CBD oil is still a bit of a controversial product, mostly because of it’s association with cannabis.  But CBD products from reputable companies are produced from the hemp plant, and not the marijuana plant, so it contains zero amounts of THC – which is the stuff that causes a high.  For more information, check out this post from Remedy Review.

Similar to other all-natural essential oils, CBD offers a ton of benefits to those suffering from pain or anxiety.  It comes in a variety of different options, from oils to edibles.

These CBD honey sticks from Diamond CBD offer a low dose (10 mg) of CBD in a stick of honey, so they’re great for mixing into a cup of tea or eating directly.  Or you can check out all the different CBD options from VerifiedCBD, which offers international shipping and will let you know which products you can (or cannot) get in your country.  CBD can help treat symptoms of postpartum depression or anxiety that can cause insomnia, so that mom can sleep better and feel better.


Some Comfy Sleepwear

Zulily

Comfortable sleepwear is a mom’s best friend… even if she’s not getting much sleep.  One of the best gift ideas for the sleep deprived mom, whether she’s newly postpartum, a  stay-at-home mom or a working mom, is something comfortable she can slip into at bedtime.

While this may not be true for all women, many find sleeping with pajama pants on difficult after having a baby.  Whether it’s from a c-section scar, stretch marks or extra weight around the middle, our bodies change postpartum.  A nightgown is much more comfortable for that reason.

One of my favorite places to shop for clothing, including sleepwear, is on Zulily.  You can find pieces of great quality for a good deal and the selection is far greater than what you could find in a crowded mall.

Check out some more brands and designs here: runningintriangles.com/Zulily

A Few Shower Steamers

TanyasEarthworks on Etsy

Forget bath bombs.  Moms rarely have time for a shower, never mind a bath.  Instead, opt for shower steamers this year so that she can still get in all the relaxing spa-like benefits of a shower, without the time consuming restraints of a bath.

Hot showers before bed are a great way to wind down and can help ease symptoms of anxiety and insomnia for a better night’s sleep.  Add in some sleep-inducing essential oils and they make a great gift or stocking stuffer.

This gift set from Etsy shop TanyasEarthworks comes with six shower steamers in a variety of scents. 
Or, check out this 10 pack of lavender shower steamers from Canadian Etsy shop Wildfire Aromatics.

An Essential Oil Gift Set

Essential Oil Diffuser Kit
Rocky Mountain Oils

This list of gift ideas would not be complete without some essential oils.  The benefits of essential oils for sleep and relaxation are some that I can personally vouch for.  A variety of essential oils is one of the top gift ideas for the sleep deprived mom.

For mothers who are sleep deprived, self care can make a huge difference in their overall mood and quality of life.  Granted, it’s not always an easy thing to fit in.  With the use of a diffuser, moms can benefit from the healing power of essential oils quickly and effortlessly.

This diffuser kit from Rocky Mountain Oils comes with a cute but powerful little diffuser plus six popular essential oils and makes the perfect starter kit for any sleep deprived mom.  Or you can opt for some essential oils designed specifically to promote sleep.

Check out this set and others here: runningintriangles.com/RockyMountainOils

Some Reading Material

The Sleep Revolution
Chapters.Indigo

The age old practice of reading in bed is still a good one.  Except that now, we scroll on our phones, thinking that it has the same effect.  News flash – it’s not even close!

The bright light of the screen plus the negative effects of comparing ourselves to our social media friends means even worse consequences for the already sleep deprived mother.

So buy her a book. An actual paper book with a positive and interesting topic, such as The Sleep Revolution from Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post.  Not only will she be able to focus her brain on something useful, but she’ll learn all kinds of brilliant information about sleep and how important it is.

Click here to buy and read reviews about The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington.

If you’re looking to give a sleep deprived mom a little laugh, then check out this book too.


A Multipurpose Eye Mask

farmerandfashionista on Etsy

You know what suffers the most due to sleep deprivation?  The eyes.  The windows to our souls can be bloodshot, dry and puffy when we don’t get enough sleep.  Sleep deprivation can also cause headaches, migraines and sinus problems.

And how do you treat all those different problems?  Heat is great for headaches and sinus problems, but cold is better for redness and puffiness.

This multipurpose eye mask from Etsy shop FarmerandFashionista does all of that and more.  It’s made with organic materials and it can be used as a weighted eye mask as well, which can help to ease the symptoms of sinus problems and headaches.

Find out all about it here: Organic Weighted Sleep Mask by farmerandfashionista.

If it’s snoring that causing the sleep deprivation, then check out this cool high-tech sleep mask and app that helps train the body to stop snoring.

Hupnos, The High-Tech, Anti-Snoring Mask
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A Sound Machine

HoMedics Sleep Therapy Machine
HoMedics Deep Sleep Therapy Machine

White noise is a useful way to drown out an overactive brain.  Many new mothers can’t fall asleep because they’re always listening to hear the baby cry.  Or perhaps it’s the anxious or intrusive thoughts that are filling her head at night.

A white noise machine is a great tool for helping to reduce stress and drown out background noises so she get better sleep. 

This Sleep Therapy Machine from HoMedics is actually a bit more than your average sound machine.  It has a patent-pending deep sleep therapy program that uses a specific combination of sounds to keep you sleeping all night long.

Click here to find out more and purchase The HoMedics Deep Sleep Sleep Therapy Machine.

An Extra Special Water Bottle

VitaJuwel Wellness ViA Glass Water Bottle
VitaJuwel Wellness ViA Glass Water Bottle

Okay, first off, hydration…  super important for everyone, especially the sleep deprived.  I don’t think I even need to go into detail about drinking enough water, because we all know it’s important.

But THIS water bottle is extra special.  It combines the important hydration factor with the healing power of gemstones such as amethyst and quartz.  It’s said that immersing gemstones in water can actually increase their potency and charge the water with negative ions to boost serotonin.

Maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t – but isn’t this the most beautiful water bottle you’ve ever seen?  Of all the gift ideas for the sleep deprived mom, this is one of the most beautiful AND useful.

Find out more and buy The ViA Glass Water Bottle here.

The Perfect Tea Mug

Chapters.Indigo Mood Mugs
Instagram @running_in_triangles

Tea makes a great gift for the sleep deprived mom.  It’s important to choose an herbal, non-caffeinated one, but the varieties are basically endless.  A tea that contains Valerian Root will help to induce sleep naturally.  You can also go with the ever popular Chamomile tea.  

You can find tea and mug gift sets almost everywhere, probably because they make such great gifts.  But the trick to making it a special, personalized gift is to choose the perfect mug.

Indigo has a great selection of different mugs available, check them out here!

All Natural Skin Care

TOHI by Rocky Mountain Oils

Our skin truly suffers when we don’t get enough sleep.  And moms are infamous for not having a proper skin care routine, so a set of skin care products will be a welcome gift for the sleep deprived mom.

The TOHI set by Rocky Mountain Oils is completely natural and infused with healing essential oils.  It’s not the typical set you’d be able to find in drugstores.

The TOHI starter kit comes with a muscle rub, cleanser and lotions for the face and body – but most importantly, it comes with the amazing Night’s Rest lotion.  This hand and body lotion contains some of the best essential oils for promoting sleep, as well as ingredients to hydrate and moisturize the skin.  It’s one step up from your average skin care routine, and it will encourage her to practice regular self care.

Find out more about the TOHI skin care line here: runningintriangles.com/TOHI

Bonus Gift Idea: A Spa Day!

What sleep deprived mom wouldn’t love a spa day this winter?  Make it easy on yourself and on her by getting her a SpaFinder gift card.  She can choose from thousands of locations, book exactly which treatments she wants and it never, ever expires so she can procrastinate it until the kids are in college – but it will still be waiting for her…

P.S. You can buy one online and print or e-mail it so it’s the perfect last-minute gift! 

Quick – click here and make her dreams come true!!!
Why All Moms Need to Spend the Day at Thermea
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Pure, undisturbed sleep is one of the best gift ideas for the sleep deprived mom any time of the year.  So take the kids out for the day and just let her sleep.  It’s amazing what an extra 8 hours of sleep can do to improve our moods and help us function better.  For more information on the dangers of sleep deprivation for new moms, check out some of these posts.