One of the best benefits of hugging comes from the surge of the hormone oxytocin, which leads to feelings of trust and connection. And the cascade of electrical impulses slows your heart and lowers your blood pressure, making you feel less stressed and more soothed. Remarkably, this complex surge of events in the brain and body are all initiated by a simple, supportive touch. Hugging is critical to emotional well-being and actually helps release our own natural “anti-depressant,” serotonin.
We’ve all felt the self-esteem boosts of hugs. We also know that hugging our loved ones promotes healthy emotional attachment and intimacy, which is the foundation of a happy, healthy long-term relationship. It’s not just a perk, as you might imagine, but it’s actually critical to our physical and emotional survival. In a relationship, it’s easy to take your better half for granted. An overlooked benefit of hugging is that it can re-affirm your love. Hugging therapy is definitely a powerful way of healing.
Hugs made you feel safe and special. Throughout our lives, knowing that we are loved by others (and feeling that love from them) helps boost our own self-love. The simple act of a hug teaches us to give love and accept the love of others. Researchers have found that hugs are as beneficial when they are given as they are when they are received. Plus, the logic of hugging is that those who give hugs must also be willing to get them back. Positive words have many of the same benefits that hugs do. Positive words build our self-esteem, they have healing qualities and have the power to change our lives.
Here are some tips on how to make sure you hand out hugs:
- Don’t let them go out the door with another hug
- Start the day with a great big bear hug
- Hug your child when they look tired
- Hugging is critical for survival
- Hugging shows appreciation
- Hugs can boost immunity
- Hugs can lower stress
- Hug them any time
- Use a hug as a reward
- Hugging promotes trust
- Hugging can reduce depression
- Hug them when they look stressed
- Hugs can increase your self-esteem
- Hug them when you pick them up from school
- Hug your child when they have done something good
Hugging gives people a sense of safety and trust- we can all attest to that. But hugs do much more than give us warm fuzzy feelings. Hugging can also be a great way to smooth over a disagreement. “Moreover, giving each other the touch you need may well have the capacity to reverse damages.”Hugs stimulate your thymus gland which is responsible for your white blood cell production. It turns out that the happier your thymus gland is, the healthier you are. Hugs also relax your muscles, relieving tension in the body and in turn help soothe aches and pains.
Hugging has been shown to be as healing as laughter and meditation because hugs help us connect with our feelings. When we share a hug with another human being we are investing in that relationship. When we speak positivity we think, act and live positively. Because our brains are driven by our state of mind, the simple act of speaking positive words can align our thought processes and make us more positive people. Positive people anticipate happiness. They allow their minds to focus on health and success rather than failure and sickness.
Squeezing in twelve hugs a day seems a lot. On a twelve-hour day, it is at least one hug an hour. With everything else we have to remember you’ll need to make sure you go out of your way to hand out those hugs. Soon enough though it will become part of daily life.
