A little while ago I posted about my own mental load in a mums' group, just an honest list of what was in my head on an average Tuesday. People couldn't get through it. A third of the way down, they tapped out. It told me more than any statistic could have: mothers haven't stopped caring about each other, but many of us are running on empty at exactly the same time.

Nobody warns you about this bit. You spend months, sometimes years, imagining what motherhood is going to feel like. Then it arrives, and somewhere between the sleep deprivation and the fortieth nappy of the day, you have a thought so quiet and so terrifying you barely let yourself finish it. I don't think I actually like this.

If you've ever felt your whole body recoil from one more person touching you, you already know what being touched out feels like.

The usual advice is to take a bath, get some alone time or ask for more help. Those things can bring relief. Yet for some mothers, the feeling returns almost immediately. This article explores what being touched out can tell us about sensory activation, nervous system capacity and the experiences your body may already be carrying.