Hugs.
Wonder where there first one every took place?
- Was it in the Garden with a friendly spiritual embrace from on High, after all we understand that the Lord doth embrace us with his loving right arm.
- Maybe it was it when Adam woke to his Eve in the Garden (the morning after)?
- And of course there is the scientific theory that it was a means of keeping warm in harsh elements of our early years.
An unknown once penned:
A hug delights and warms and charms,
that must be why God gave us arms.
Webster defined Hugs as:
- to press tightly in the arms
- to hold fast
- to stay close to
A hug is a form of physical intimacy, not necessarily sexual, that usually involves closing or holding the arms around another person or group of persons. The hug is one of the most common human signs of love and affection ...
Hugs may also be exchanged as a sign of support and comfort. A hug can be a demonstration of affection and emotional warmth, sometimes arising out of joy or happiness at meeting someone.
In India a hug is called a JHAPPI.
I define Hugs ~ as Love's wonderful healing embrace!
We all need social contact including touch. Take, for example, babies benefit from skin-to-skin contact with their mother.
Therapeutic touch has also been shown to reduce stress and pain among adults, and reduces symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. As well as release oxytocin and bring down blood pressure.
Recently I watched the movie Temple Grandin. The movie is based on the true story of Professor Grandins life with Autism.
Children with Autism often do not like to be touched or (hugged) by other humans, but the need for the touch/hug remains. As Temple begin to see the calming effects of cattle tightly fitted into mechanical devises used at the stockyards during vaccination called a squeeze shoot, she had a wonderful idea.
It seemed her thinking was, if that calms the cattle, then maybe something like this would help calm me during onsets of the hysteria of some of the symptoms of Autism. So she build, what is called in the movie "a squeeze ... or ... hug machine". She could climb into it, triggering boards to pull in close to her and squeeze her tightly. It worked.
Never knowing or being able to enjoy touch/hugs or the benefits, still there was something in that magnificent brain of hers that saw the value of hugs. Something that aided her and enabled her to move forward with her education and life.
The Power of a Hug!
Hugs also release serotonin and dopamine, both are what we call feel good chemicals. In other words, hugs can be our anti-pill form, of anti-depressants. It can be our happy outside of happy hour!
Leo Buscaglia once said, "Everybody needs a hug. It changes your metabolism."
Hugs are the universal medicine. ~Author Unknown
And I believe that Walter Anderson had something when he wrote, this in The Confidence Course ~ "If you're angry at a loved one, hug that person. And mean it. You may not want to hug - which is all the more reason to do so. It's hard to stay angry when someone shows they love you, and that's precisely what happens when we hug each other."
Grease the wheels of the World today ... Give yourself a hug, hug someone else ... even those whom you have odds with. When you do, stress will melt, anger subside, health increase, metabolism charge, smile appear and joy return. You just oiled the squeaky wheels. :)
XOXO
