“A hug a day keeps the blues away.”
Growing up in the provinces in the Philippines, it was not a tradition for our family to give hugs as a form of affection. That’s probably the reason why I always love to give hugs to make up for those lost times. On our first day of Breakthrough to Success 2010 Conference by one of my mentors, Jack Canfield, we immersed ourselves in love and affection-based exercises. Though I am with people I only met a few days ago, we all gave each other warm hugs – we all felt loved and at peace.
There are interesting concepts and many proven benefits of hugging:
- We human being needs minimum eight hugs a day. Study shows that warm contact such as hugs and hand-holding before the start of a rough day “could carry over and protect you throughout the day.”
- Hugging is good for your health. It reduces feelings of anxiety and increases positive energy for your body. A study by University of North Carolina researchers found that hugs increase the “bonding” hormone oxytocin and decrease the risk of heart disease.
- Hugging is practically effortless. It entails no maintenance, no batteries to wear out, no periodic check-ups, low energy consumption, high energy yielding, inflation-proof, non-fattening, no monthly payments, no insurance requirements, theft-proof, non-taxable, non-polluting, and of course, fully returnable.
- Hugging is all natural: purely organic, no preservatives, no artificial ingredients, 100% wholesome!
- The best people, places and times to hug is anyone, anywhere, anytime.
- Me with my family, Jack Canfield and Dr. Wayne Dyer
So my daily prescription comes from noted American author and psychotherapist Virgina Satir:
“We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.”
Hug a friend or your loved ones today – it is one of the best things in life that are free!