Hugs

I've been a little weary lately.

My friend would say it has something to do with my planetary activity.
Maybe she's right.
Maybe not.
It's possible that I'm just a little 'run down'.. definitely tired. There are days when you simply feel like a hug. I wondered if a person could actually die from a lack of hugs. That thought led me to search out why (at least some of us) have days like that.. perhaps things aren't going too well, or as planned, or hoped, you feel blue and the best thing you can think of is a hug. Well...it turns out ( as you may already know) hugging increases the levels of oxytocin in the body, and is really effective at reducing high blood pressure and possibly preventing heart disease.Hugs can also reduce (apparently) some of the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s, reduce stress.. and believe it or not fear. Women in particular seem more prone to hugging as a way of expressing warmth, affection , understanding, empathy, gratitude, forgiveness and caring, and the irony is,.. the very thing that may be perceived as a little soft or weak (by some men anyway.. and maybe even a few hardcore girlies) is actually natures way of taking care of us.

Which is why it feels so natural.

I also read somewhere that...

"everyone needs at least four hugs a day for healthy survival, eight hugs a day for emotional strength, and 12 hugs a day to really grow and be empowered"... cool huh. The proviso was however... that 'they also need to be open and sincere'... so no cheating.. as it wont work.

It made me also wonder why the things that come natural to humans can often be the things we suppress.
We strive to relieve our blue moods by using all kinds of complex things.. when in truth, all it sometimes takes is a hug..and there's nothing wrong in saying it.