Hugging for Health

Hugging for Health

Someone once said, “We should have 100 hugs a day to stay healthy.” This saying is a lot like having an apple a day. We hear stories that back this adage up: people waking up when those they love hold their hand or how important it is to hold babies as they begin their life’s journey. Touch is a powerful way to communicate with others. One article found on the Good News Network is about making physical connections with each other through hugs that conveys how much each person means to one another.

Hugs are comforting and help us flourish.

People require touch with other living beings in order to feel cared for and grow into caring individuals. In the article, Science of Kindness Shows Just How Important Hugging is for Our Mental and Physical Health, by David Fryburg, MD, “The importance of physical contact was painfully observed in the orphanages of Romania: children who were provided food—but not held or hugged—had significant developmental and socio-emotional delay accompanied by smaller brains.” The lack of touch, connection, and hugs affected how these children behaved, and the development of their brains. Similar studies have shown animals have the same underdevelopment and health issues when subjected to social isolation.

On a less extreme note, touch affects our response to daily conflicts we experience. A group of researchers interviewed 404 adults for 14 days regarding their health and any conflicts. Additionally, the researchers inquired how these adults felt emotionally and whether or not they received hugs. The people who had some form of interpersonal conflict and were hugged reported feeling happier and more grounded for the day. A bonus is that the hug helps both people involved!

Keep the Doctor Away…

On another note, research has produced “evidence that hugging may favorably influence the rate of infection from a cold as well as symptoms.” Also, hugs help reduce blood pressure and relieve stress. When we hug, we get a good boost of the love hormone oxytocin.

Hugs are not the only form of touch that helps us feel better mentally and physically. Other types of touch that share the same beneficial elements are holding hands and massage. Most of us know that massage can decrease pain related to a variety of conditions, such as back pain and migraines. “[Physical touch] affects the biochemistry that mediates pain or sadness and can also lower blood pressure, reduce cortisol, improve immune responses, stimulate the vagus nerve, and change EEG (brain wave) patterns.” One example is premature babies, where light massage for 15 minutes over a week caused a significant increase in necessary weight gain. This is a complementary study to the Romanian orphans mentioned above, where massage helps babies flourish.

Overall, we can see a clear connection between hugs, our health and happiness. The physical connection not only decreases stress but also helps nourish and heal us so we can recover and grow. It is remarkable that we naturally can help care for and heal each other. If we reach out and connect with each other, we can find ourselves to be happier and healthier. 

If we are not able to get a physical hug, there are a variety of tools that help simulate hugs, like a weighted blanket. Also, we can get a similar effect when we see images of other people hugging or a gentle touch. “This work is consistent with Envision Kindness’ own research on how images of kindness and compassion—many of which capture caring touch or hugging—are a proven and potent way to induce joy, love, optimism, and connection. Thus, by simply looking at these images, people can experience lower levels of stress and greater joy.”

Of course, viewing images of people or animals hugging needs to be rounded out by the real thing when possible. Very few things are perfect substitutes, hugs are best from those you love and have a caring connection with. A hug is a gift to someone else and to yourself.

Would you like to read more caring blogs? We have other blogs on topics on UCA benefits: Medical Bill Negotiation, Nutrition to Help Prevent Depression, and Gut-Brain Connection! If you would like caring messages throughout the week, follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Twitter!

Letting Go for Better Health

letting go

Letting-Go

How often do we feel like we need to control something — everything — that is happening? And how often do we feel stressed during these times? Imagine a state of being that is relaxed where you are able to ‘go with the flow.’ Wouldn’t that be nice?! It is possible for all of us by practicing LETTING GO. It not only helps us feel better but has a strong correlation with being healthy on multiple levels. Letting go is simply a great way to care for the well-being for yourself and others.

Control = Stress, Flexibility = Calm

Insisting on controlling situations promotes a high level of stress. There are many studies that show this correlation. The inverse is true as well. When we adopt a flexible mental state, we feel more calm. We can all agree that less stress is good for our health. Letting go is a healthy thing to do. 

An example of letting go to promote better health is forgiveness. When we are in an unforgiving state of mind, we might be prone to more anger. This can color our perception of the world with bitterness. “ [We] become so wrapped up in the wrong that you can’t enjoy the present…Become depressed or anxious…Lose valuable and enriching connectedness with others.” (https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/forgiveness/art-20047692) If we begin to embrace forgiveness in our lives we begin to have healthier relationships with ourselves and others.  The physical health benefits are incredible as well! Our physical health improves by lower blood pressure, improved heart health and an overall stronger immune system. All of these and more help improve our self-esteem. 

Tips and Tricks for Letting Go

How can we begin a self-care journey with letting go? Of the many ways we can begin to learn about letting go we can look at practices like yoga or meditation. In short, during these activities your mind is allowed to relax and let go of thoughts, which then promotes a sense of calm. (To read more about meditation to improve your well-being, read our blog: Meditation: A Tool for Self-Care.) Unified Caring Association has some additional tools to help learn about what to let go in your life. There are Self Assessments on UCA site that help members sort through and make a self-care plan which can help us decide on what habits to let go of. If we get stuck or lost, there is a 24-hour counseling hotline available. Sometimes we just need to talk it out with an unbiased person.

Another tip is to use imagery. “When you notice yourself in the [sic.] control mindset imagine trying to climb the steepest mountain there is. Think about the amount of energy, time, and headspace that is consumed with trying to climb this mountain. This is control. Embrace the freedom that comes with letting go and not having the need to climb this mountain.” (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/10-ways-to-let-go-of-the-need-to-control_b_7305102)

This imagery can be in your mind or written down in different forms such as free-writing or lists. These writings can be about what you feel you need to control. Once the thing that you feel you must control is named, it can be let go. If the writing happens more frequently, this could become a form of journaling filled with affirmations to promote well-being, and become a form of grounding. “You are living in the future with the control mindset. You are already attaching yourself to expectations and setting yourself up for disappointments. So focus on grounding yourself. Maybe this means taking a walk in nature, calling a friend, or getting out of your home or office.” (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/10-ways-to-let-go-of-the-need-to-control_b_7305102) After grounding ourselves we find that we are more present. When the mind is present, it has the ability to embrace and promote gratitude; these help promote our well-being and a better life.

If a person begins to feel that a situation needs to be controlled, a suggestion is to take a pause. Check yourself. Ask yourself if the situation is worth the stress? Will my thoughts and feelings promote happiness, gratitude or help the well-being of others and myself? “… Forgive…do something kind for that person or friend. Kindness surprises and illuminates the heart…Build a mental picture of joy re-entering your mind and body… let go…[and] do something that makes you smile or laugh.” (https://thekindnesschange.com/2019/03/02/9-ways-to-choose-joy-over-anger/)

Releasing

Forgive and Grow

An overarching theme that we are seeing as we go through this blog is forgiveness. Ok, so forgiveness is a big part of letting go. Why not follow the old adage, “Forgive and forget?” But this might not be the best path for truly letting go. As we can see through studying almost any history forgetting leads to repeating. It would be better to forgive, remember and grow. According to Alex Pattakos, Ph.D. in his article titled, Why Letting Go is Good for Your Health, “Forgiveness means ‘letting go’ of our suffering. In effect, it has much more to do with our own well-being than that of the person or persons we forgive…Like any muscle, however, it has to be exercised to work well. Forgiveness can be very complicated. Sometimes we think that it equates forgetting, diminishing, or condoning the misdeed, but it really doesn’t. It has much more to do with freeing ourselves from its hold. Our ability to live our lives with love, understanding, and generosity is impeded when we don’t forgive.” (https://medium.com/thrive-global/why-letting-go-is-good-for-your-health-669c42eaaf27) This growing after letting go allows us to improve our lives by not repeating old controlling patterns and strengthening understanding, gratitude, and flexibility. With flexibility we become more able to remain calm and promote overall well-being.

Let go and grow.

If you would like to read more blogs about UCA, Unified Caring Association has more blogs like It All Starts With Self-Care, and Starting Steps to Self-Care. Or if you would like a dose of caring and cheer in your day? Follow us on Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram!

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