Hugging makes one's day

Renee Hixson of the book, “Chicken Soup For The Soul, Daily Inspiration,” expresses: “The door through the darkness is human  touch. We do not need to see the light if we can hold a hand. A hug speaks languages that have no letters and need no translators. A gentle embrace can acknowledge sorrows too deep to speak aloud. When loneliness builds an island far away from hope it is not a land alone. The touch of one caring soul can build a bridge of hope, healing, and a sense of belonging. We need not be eloquent, or brilliant, or even totally whole. We just need to care enough to reach out and touch another soul.”

In these times when busyness is the order of the day, some of us may not realize how a human touch like hugging can  spell magic in one’s soul. For me, it speaks that you care for the other person ,and no matter what happens you are always there to stand by his or her side. It also shows how caring and warm a person you are.

I remember one evening when  I was anchoring  my radio program “Mom From The Heart”  over DYAP some few years back, a listener dropped by to see me personally. When she introduced herself, I hugged her because I was happy to see her. Instead of reciprocating my warm hug, she stepped back and said, “Maam, I’m not used to hugging. My mother never hugged me  when  I was a child.” I felt sad for her.

To those of us who are not aware  of the magic that hugs bring, here are some examples as cited by Sara Courter of “mbg website,”:

Hugging induces oxytocin in the body. Oxytocin is a powerful hormone that not only fortifies bonds with our loved ones, but also has the capability to stimulate solidarity between total strangers.

Hugging builds stronger bonds with the people you see everyday. Hugging nurtures human relationship, cultivate trust, increase confidence, and makes us happier people.

Hugging lowers stress. A good hug literally decreases the level of cortisol found in the body. It’s a drug –free anti-anxiety treatment.

Hugging is a reciprocal good deed one never knows what is going in another person’s life. When a good sincere hug is given, it has the potential to completely alter one’s day. How simple a good deed is that? Just wrap your around with someone and hug.

Hugging feels incredible. Seriously, the power of human touch is profound, and our bodies are  aching for  it. Most of us are probably craving for human touch all day long and simply not aware of it.  A good long squeeze has the capacity to not only lift one’s spirit, but also  feel wonderful for the body.

Hugging can turn a bad mood upside down. If you’re feeling grumpy and anti-social, just try crawling into a warm embrace. I’m pretty sure, you’ll come out of it feeling a little, if not totally better.

As Stephen Covey said, “To touch the soul of another human being is to walk on holy ground.”