Hugging Can Provide at Least 9 Health Benefits: Here's How to Hug During a Pandemic by Nicole DeAvilla
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Feeling down? How would you like to do the following?
- enhance your immune system
- feel more connected with others
- balance your nervous system
- reduce your stress
- feel really good
- lower your heart rate
- reduce anxiety
- feel content
- stop worrying about your mortality
How about doing it all in 30 seconds? You can! Give someone a hug. Science shows all of these benefits from the simple act of hugging. Quick, hug your kids or spouse! You all will be happier and healthier for it.
How to Hug During a Pandemic
But wait. We're currently in a pandemic. Can you still hug someone? An article in the New York Times says the safest thing is to avoid hugs right now, but if you need to hug someone there are precautions you can take:
- Wear a face mask.
- Hug outdoors.
- Try to avoid touching the other person’s body or clothes with your face and your mask.
- Don’t hug someone who is coughing or has other symptoms.
- Don't hug face to face.
- Don't hug cheeks together, facing the same direction.
- Do hug facing opposite directions.
- Don’t talk or cough while you’re hugging.
- Hug quickly.
- When you're done, don’t linger. Back away quickly so you don’t breathe into each other’s faces.
- Wash your hands afterward.
- Try not to cry.
- Let kids hug you around the knees or waist.
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I'm not one of those people who hugs just anyone, but when it comes to my kids they get their fair share! Then my kid's hugging styles are as different as night day. My 13 yr old son has a thing for his Mama (yes, he's a mama's boy) and is always good for a hug, even in front of friends. He also happens to know the best time to hug me, when I'm stressed and it instantly calms me! My 17 yr old daughter, on the other hand plays "hard to get", so I have to be the hugger. She also holds her feelings inside, so it's sometimes hard to recognize when she needs that hug where I go crawl in her bed while she's doing homework, pull her to my chest and run my fingers through her hair. It works like magic to reduce her stress as well as keep any contention that mom & daughters are sometimes subjected to at bay.. And can't leave out Dad, he's a good hugger too!