12 Gifts of Christmas: Hugs
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From the Harvard University Gazette:
Hugs are as vital to the health and development of infants as food and water.
According to Virginia Satir, people need 4 hugs a day to survive, 8 hugs a day for maintenance, and 12 to grow. How are you living?
Hugs are crucial to developing a sense of community. They help you to connect on a visceral level with the people in your life. Touch communicates deep emotions that often cannot be captured with words or other actions. In addition to all that touchy feely stuff (pun intended) hugs help to lower your blood pressure, reduce stress, increase your pain threshold, and help to heal wounds faster by increasing the levels of oxytocin in your body. So says the National Institutes of Health.
Now there are many ways to hug. There’s the popular man hug that starts off with a handshake and ends with a quick pat on the back. I guess that’s as mushy as you guys want to get. Then there’s the close cousin to the man hug, the quick I’ve-met-you-for-the-first-time-but-everyone-seems-to-be-hugging where you embrace with just shoulders touching. There are hugs for friends, and hugs for parents, hugs for children, and hugs for your crush. There are bear hugs, pound hugs, and my all time favorite, cuddles. And, of course, there are the deep embraces that we reserve for lovers. These hugs last a while and sometimes we even dare to gaze into the person’s eyes.
For the second gift of Christmas, give 2 full contact, long lasting hugs. The best part is that you give yourself the gift of better health and human contact.
In Spirit,
Nneka
Entry Filed under: Personal Development, Relationships and Emotional Mastery
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3 Comments Add your own
1. Albert | UrbanMonk.Net | December 6th, 2007 at 5:22 pm
Good stuff Nneka. I remember reading a book on this once. People actually go sick if they don’t get enough touch. Some people actually get haircuts every 3-4 days, simply to get some touch from the hairdresser, because they don’t get enough cuddles or love from their family.
Cheers,
Albert | UrbanMonk.Net
Modern personal development, entwined with ancient spirituality.
2. Alex Blackwell | December 7th, 2007 at 7:11 am
Excellent idea! I like the way you break down the different types of hugs. For me, a good “hug” with someone who I care about is a great way to give and receive appreciation. We all need to hug more often - what a great Christmas gift to give.
3. Pointers To Resources For&hellip | December 17th, 2007 at 11:20 am
[…] Speaking of the season, Nneka of Balanced Life Center is giving us some ideas for gifts to give the person who has everything. So far, she’s told us about Service and the benefits it brings to both the server and the one who serves; Hugs (there’s nothing wrong with a man hug!); and Forgiveness, with the reminder that even if you are forgiving another, you benefit the most. […]
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