Is it the cold weather we are having or are people getting stressed over Christmas? Whatever the reason, HUGS are definitely the order of the day. With a language of their own you can say a million words in a hug but the greatest thing about hugs is that to give one you have to receive one. Everyone’s a winner with a hug!
You don’t need an excuse to give someone a hug and a hug can say anything you like. The next time you say to someone “Let me know if there is anything I can do to help”, give them a hug. That hug says “I really mean it”.
Hugs can heal by passing on your strength through touch to anyone suffering from an illness or low mood. Apparently we need four hugs a day for survival, eight hugs a day for maintenance and twelve hugs a day for growth. You can never have too many hugs.
We all need to feel wanted and appreciated and a hug is the perfect way to reinforce these feelings. Whether between friends, family, partners or even a group hug, it feels good to belong.
A hug can make you feel safe and secure; A hug can signify forgiveness and acceptance; A hug can be serious or playful, a gentle squeeze or a rib-busting bear hug but without doubt there is a hug for all occasions.
Even if you can’t hug someone physically, there is no reason to miss out. There are plenty of virtual hugs available to send on-line and if you are texting or communicating on social networking sites, a hug is written as () (open and close brackets). A big hug is (()) and a REALLY big hug is ((()))! Go as big as you like.
Please be mindful however that for some, hugging can be uncomfortable and in some cases can cause fear and anxiety due to any number of reasons so be respectful in your approach to hugging. You may not always be welcomed with open arms. Thank you to Puncturerepairkit for reminding me of this very important viewpoint.
Until your next hug, here’s one from me to keep you going… ((((())))))!
You may also like;
The Hug Therapy Book-Kathleen Keating
Poppyposts 
A colleague told me how good it was to have me back on my first day back in the office after 5 months. That was good – then she gave me a hug: that was not. Most people would say that hugs are welcome, and have a positive effect, but I’m not sure that uninvited ones are. It really does depend on how the person receiving the hug is feeling, and who is giving it. If my 2 Evil Colleagues were to try to give me a hug I would launch an Official Complaint, if I managed to restrain myself from pushing them to the floor. Lack of emotional intelligence is a bit like illiteracy. Some poeple (like my hugging colleague – who is a nice person – can’t feel further than their own feelings, like needing to give me a hug, regardless of my own feelings. O.K., so your post clearly hit a sore point with me. I agree that personal contact, including physical contact is very important, but it really does depend on consent, where, when and how. Personally, I dislike cyber hugs – I realise they are meant well, but, for me, they merely highlight the disconnect between us in cyberspace. What a bundle of joy I am today!
Actually you are quite right-what I meant to say but completely forgot (and I will rectify in a minute) is that for some, hugging can be uncomfortable and in some cases can cause fear and anxiety due to any number of reasons so people should be mindful of that and be respectful. Thank you for reminding me that there is another viewpoint to this. I should have remembered.
Cyber hugs? Better than nothing I think!((()))!!!
PS Learn to juggle instead!