Really. Saw someone and just wrapped your arms around them and squeezed tight. And with some feeling too.
No words needed. Just held them. Brief or long. Doesn’t matter.
Try it now.
How does it feel? Good? Amazing? Comforting? Calming? Loving?
That someone else out there is sharing your touch, your very feelings right now?
Maybe they even squeeze back. A giving back perhaps of that same feeling?
We don’t give enough hugs.
Even before the pandemic, the world was moving all of us apart. Fearful of engaging others. Pushing others away. Words that made us not want to touch another human. To withdraw within ourselves. As if that would make things better.
The truth is, humans need touch. We need to know we are part of something bigger. That others care about us as much as we care about them.
And as the Holistic Psychologist (aka Dr. Nicole LePera) says in this graphic, we don’t need advice. We don’t need answers. As if someone else knew the answers to all our problems! We do need validation. That we exist in this world. That we are loved.
Even for the moment of a hug.
It’s exponentially worth way more than any piece of advice you could give.
So next time you’re with someone, and they look or sound like they need help, close your mouth and give them a hug instead.
Give it a try now. How did it work for you and who you hugged?
And if you are in some need right now, how about asking for a hug and see how it works for you?
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