Yesterday, I did a Hypno Hangout session “Using Hypnosis To Feel The Hugs From Our Loved Ones While Quarantined.” To prepare, I did some research on just how important “touch” is to human beings. And you know what? It’s pretty important! One of the articles I read was called “Why Physical Touch Matters for Your Well Being,” written by Jonathan Jones in November 2018. Here are a few of the highlights:
Two scientists traveled to an orphanage in Romania, and found that touch-deprived children had higher stress and lower growth development.
Massage increases the natural “killer” cells, the ones that kill viral and bacterial cells. Kids who are touched less are more aggressive verbally and physically than kids who are touched more.
They did a study on hugging, and injected a cold germ into people. Those who had more hugs had a better immune response to the cold virus.
People who get hugged by their partner before a stressful condition (like giving a speech or doing math problems) perform better.
Now think about what’s been happening since the quarantine:
Families that couldn’t visit loved ones because travel was shut down.
Friends caring for their elderly, sick parents can’t visit them in nursing homes or hospitals.
People who died during this regardless of Covid, died alone instead of being surrounded by their families.
Friends watching their loved ones be buried via video taped funerals. People, especially single people, are more isolated than ever, separated from families and friends.
Social occasions like weddings, funerals, and other fun gatherings are being postponed or canceled altogether.
Millions are out of work, either labeled as non-essential, work in field that required touching others, or down sized because the company they work for is no longer able to do business.
Our social circles have been damaged and our society as a whole is suffering from increased depression, unhappiness, and dissatisfaction with life.
What if all this “social distancing” is actually hurting us more than helping…and not just financially, but emotionally too? What if we were actually more susceptible to diseases like Covid-19 because we are overall an unhealthy, unhappy society? What can we do to change this?
Maybe it’s time to say “To heck with this, I’m going to live my life” and let the chips fall where they may.” Maybe it's time to admit that the only thing we can do to protect ourselves from Covid-19 is to wear a mask and wash our hands. Just like when we wear a seat belt when we drive. It doesn't prevent accidents from happening, but it does increase our chances for survival. It's time to stop fearing death and start living again. If we’re all going to die from something anyway…choose hugs! "Love" beats "Lonely" every time. And then go wash your hands.
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