I am not a touchy-feely person – in fact, most social situations give me anxiety because I know that it’s going to involve some sort of hug greeting that I’m not really prepared to give. I don’t like the awkwardness and perhaps I overthink these situations but I just don’t like giving hugs.
The other day, I was having a day. You know, when you wake up and the world feels out to get you? Yes, that was the day I was having. It wasn’t any one thing in particular – but I was in a funk. And sometimes when I’m in a funk all I want to do is sit and mope.
Anyway, my four-year-old is very in tune with me and insisted upon cuddling and giving me a lot of hugs that particular morning. He knew something was off. And as I sat there hugging him I started to feel a little bit better.
As I held him tight and smelled his little neck whatever mood I was trying to stay in lifted ever so slightly. It felt good to be held by someone and it felt good to hold onto someone.
Of course, I then went down a rabbit hole and found that hugs are not only wonderful coming from a child but they also can protect you from coming down with a cold and also set off a chemical reaction in your brain that releases oxytocin.
I thought that I had outgrown the need to be hugged. I always am hugging my children and will do that until the day I die, but I didn’t think that I needed to be hugged.
So, here I am 37 years old and I still need a hug.
As independent and self-reliant as I am – I still need to be held by someone else sometimes – and that’s okay. We weren’t meant to live this life alone. We weren’t meant to do it all by ourselves. It’s okay to admit that we need another person, that we need that extra helping hand and of course we need that hug.
