Thanksgiving- One Simple Thing I am Thankful For
With Thanksgiving only a little over a week away I have been thinking more and more about what I am thankful for in life. One of the top things on my list believe it or not is HUGS!! After being married and in a relationship for 8 years and getting one every day to being divorced and living alone; I can go days and sometimes weeks without that daily gentle embrace. Anyone who has ever met me knows I am a hugger!! haha ;-)
Opal, my adopted 99 year old grandma always told me, "you need at least 6 hugs a day!" :)For decades we’ve known that babies won’t thrive without physical holding and affection. There is little that will comfort and settle small children as the warm embrace of their family. Yet it is still not uncommon for parents to stop hugging their kids as they reach puberty. And for many adults, the amount of physical nurturing we receive declines as we age, even as medical studies confirm that the health benefits of physical touch extend throughout our lives.
Research has shown that hugs can improve mental health, physical health and build a good immune system. A study by University of North Carolina researchers found that hugs increase the "bonding" hormone oxytocin and decrease the risk of heart disease. In fact, levels of the stress hormone cortisol decreased in women, as did their blood pressure.
"Hugging is an excellent tonic," said Dr. Harold Voth, senior psychiatrist at Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas. "It has been shown scientifically that people who are mentally run-down and depressed are far more prone to sickness than those who are not. Hugging can lift depression, enabling the body's immune system to become tuned up. Hugging breathes new life into a tired body and makes you feel younger and more vibrant. In the home, daily hugging will strengthen relationships and significantly reduce friction."
It's amazing how one simple hug seems to make everything better! Check out the FREE HUGS Campaign! :) I want to do this sometime downtown when it warms up again!
"A hug is a universal medicine, it is how we handshake from the heart." -Anonymous
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