As I lay next to my kids as they fall asleep, I lie awake pondering this question. I lay between my 2 sons (ages 4 & 2) and wait for them to fall asleep. My older son is always trying to touch my back or my stomach and my younger son is always trying to touch my ears or my lips or my face in some way. I find this to be super annoying but I understand their sensory needs so I usually allow it to happen. Tonight, I made a pretty involved dinner and sat down to eat it. As I did, my younger son demanded he sit on my lap as my older son danced around telling me about his day randomly touching my leg or bumping into my arm that was so delicately putting food in my face. I’m a single mom so there’s no one else for them to exert their touching requirements on except for each other. Which trust me, I utilize as often as possible. But I also touch people for a living. And a major part of my self-care regimen involves being touched by someone else. Yet, all of this touching would lead one to believe someone like myself would be, “touched out.” Don’t get me wrong, I have felt that very distinct feeling of being “touched out.” And there are times when the combination of touching just forces all touch to be “not right now!!”
What I’ve learned is that it’s all about balance and planning. As is everything, right? If you know you have a big test coming up, you set aside the proper amount of time to study, right? Well, if I know I’m going into a heavy massage week and/or a week with a lot of time with my kids, I try to spend an intentional amount of time focusing on self-care. Whether that is in meditation or just simply sticking to my nightly yoga practice. When I’m intentional about my level of touch I’m giving and receiving, I’m better suited to give and receive more effectively.
Do you think about touch in this way? Maybe I’m the only one? I think that’s why I love our partnership, it allows for an accountability team to make sure you’re spending the time you need dedicated to feeling your best. One way you can feel better, both physically and mentally, is by dedicating yourself to a balanced dose of touch. Everyone will process this differently and everyone has their own history that allows for a little or a lot of touch. Either way, when you spend some time focusing on it and figuring it out, you’ll find yourself #LivingYourBest
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