On the
morning that we departed from the FOL Gather in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago,
Carol and I shared a cab to the airport. Since the terminal for Carol’s airline
was first, I hopped out of the car when she did to give her a good-bye hug.
Imagine my surprise when I got back in the car and the cabbie asked, ‘You hug
your friend?’ I replied that, yes, since we only get to see one another about
once a year, we hug whenever we are together. Imagine my further surprise when
we got to my terminal and I got out only to be greeted by the cabbie with open
arms asking, ‘Hug?’
I assure
you, I am old enough to be his mother -- or more -- but it did get me thinking
about this hugging thing. So naturally, I did a little research and here are
just a few of the things I learned.
- Hugging can lower your blood pressure and your risk of heart disease.
- A good, warm hug may boost your immune system and reduce risk of infection.
- Hugging has also been shown to reduce stress. (I can attest to this. Whenever I’m feeling stressed or just plain sorry for myself, I tell my husband I need a hug and I soon begin to feel better.)
Cuddling
with people you love counts as well. Like hugging, it helps reduce the harmful
physical effects of stress. And we’ve all
heard stories, I'm sure, about critically ill babies who don’t thrive because they can’t be
cuddled by their mothers. Now doctors have learned that even letting mothers
stroke their babies with a finger can help offset the lack of cuddle time.
Sadly, many
of our elderly people are actually touch-deprived. Think about it. An example
of this is my own mother, who at 87 years old, lives alone and 700 miles away
from where I live. While my brother and his family are able to visit her about
once a week and hug her when they do, that’s not really a whole lot of hugging.
Knowing my mom, I’m rather sure she doesn’t hug the home nursing aide who comes
to her home each morning. And I’m sure you know elderly people who are in the
same boat. Maybe we should have an FOL crusade to each find an elderly person and
hug him or her!
And, for you
pet lovers, the good news is, hugging and cuddling with your pets counts, too,
and can reap all the benefits we’ve already talked about. Additionally, you’ll
feel your pet’s unconditional love.
So, in this
holiday season (and after!), let’s do a whole lot of hugging. Remember, it’s
good for your health and for the people you love.
