Written by Chuck LeBlanc
Hugging or hug comes from the Norse word Hugge, which means “to embrace” or “to comfort”.
According to nationaltoday.com, National Hugging Day was created by Kevin Zaborney in 1986 after recognizing that after the holidays and into January and February many people tend to feel a bit down, lonely, and have low energy. We talked a little bit about the Winter Blues and Blue Monday in previous blog posts and workshops, but I wanted to move on to discuss the benefits of getting a good old hug.
In times like these in the middle of January after a giant snowstorm, where the sun sets a little too early and rises a little too late, it can be very easy to slip into feeling kind of blah. This blah feeling can be experienced as sensations of low energy, thoughts of “meh, what’s the point of getting out of bed right now?”, and can just generally feel a little lonely. There is a hormone in the body known as oxytocin (or as some scientists affectionately call it “the cuddle hormone”) that has been shown to help boost these blah feelings through subtle yet important acts of comfort like hugging.
Hugging or hug comes from the Norse word Hugge, which means “to embrace” or “to comfort”. Hugging is a very powerful way to produce this cuddle hormone. Whether you are hugging your partner, kids, cat, or dog, the act of embracing someone or something you care about or is meaningful can be a powerful defense against the moments of blah. Hugging can also be an excellent way to call someone in and to comfort them as well. These acts can translate to holding hands, arms around the shoulders, or even our dogs sitting on our laps.
I mean who doesn’t love cuddling their pets?
