Too much information, not enough calm

I asked AI how often I should write a newsletter and it answered every two weeks, because there's so much information overload right now.

I feel it. Even though social media, marketing and the written word are essential to togetHER, I have some form of burnout from it too.

If you're a mum, you probably know the feeling. It's 2am and you have a question. Is this sleep pattern normal? Am I too soft, or too strict? Is this symptom something? You search. Ten tabs later you have more answers and less peace.

What mums keep searching for

I went looking for the most searched mum topics right now. I'll be honest: I couldn't find hard search-volume numbers, only parenting roundups. But they all point the same way:

• Sleep. Always sleep, for babies and for ourselves.
• Reassurance. After years of mixed messages about gentle parenting, boundaries and screen time, many of us are searching for proof that we haven't broken our child with one bad day.
• "Is this normal?" Strange noises, sudden symptoms, behaviours that leave us staring at the monitor.
• Pregnancy questions, including how and when to tell work.

Underneath all of it is one question: am I doing this right?

Most of what we search for sits well within the range of normal. But a search engine can't tell you that, and it can't settle your nervous system. When we're already stretched, more input doesn't help. Sometimes the most useful thing is to stop scrolling for two minutes and settle your body first.

A free two-minute exercise: Long Out

You can do this anywhere: the car park, the bathroom, beside a cot.

1. Sit or lean somewhere supported. Drop your shoulders. Close your eyes, or rest them on one spot.
2. Breathe in through your nose, then take a small second sip of air on top.
3. Breathe out slowly through your mouth, like you're fogging a window. Make the out-breath longer than the in-breath.
4. Repeat for 5 to 10 rounds.
5. Finish with one normal breath. Notice your jaw, shoulders and hands.

If focusing on your breath feels uncomfortable, keep your eyes open and look around the room, or skip it. That's okay too.

This won't fix burnout. But it can help you settle, and that's often the first step.

So you don't have to search at 2am

This is exactly why I'm building the togetHER app. Mums don't need more information. We need someone to point us to the next step.

That's Poppy, the togetHER concierge we're building. The idea is simple: you tell her what's going on, and instead of ten tabs, she helps you find one next step. That could be a reset like the one above, support, or someone local who can help. We're aiming to launch the app in December.

Join the app waitlist and I'll write to you before it opens.

The founding pilot: services for mums, starting now

While the app is being built, the togetHER website is running a founding pilot: a curated directory of local services for mums, with 50 founding spots for practitioners and wellness businesses. Each business in the pilot shares something free with our Journal community, so you'll see offers, tips and tools in the newsletter that you can actually use.

It's a pilot, which means we're testing what's useful, and you get to tell us. Listings are not medical advice or an endorsement.

Run a business that supports mums? Email hellorestoreherwellness@outlook.com.au about a founding spot.

Stay close, and bring a friend

Subscribe to TH - Journal to get the next piece, plus the pilot offers, in your inbox.

Know a mum who's running on empty? Forward her this article or send her the link. Sometimes the best thing we can do is not do it alone.

And if you want to tell me what's keeping you up, message me on Instagram @together_village_.

This is general wellbeing information, not medical advice. If you're struggling, PANDA's national helpline is 1300 726 306.