A hug a day may keep the doctor away…

I enjoy watching the Dr. Oz show on weekdays as I find his topics are pertinent to my own life.  On his show he oftentimes uses a lot of interesting visual examples and models (no, not Heidi Klum or Giselle), to demonstrate processes and reactions things have upon each other and always keeps his audience very engaged and involved. His topics cover food choices, medical and hormonal issues, exercise and other subjects to create a healthy lifestyle for ourselves and the ones we love.  Since I like his show and learn a lot of important things, I decided to get a subscription to his new magazine, The Good Life.

One topic that was covered in a sidebar of one of the pages in the first issue had to do with how our body responds to hugging.  According to a study by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a 20-second hug can reduce your blood pressure, as well as slow your heart rate.  Growing up, my family was very affectionate to each other to the point that my father would give us all a hug even if he was walking down to get our mail!  Yes, that’s a bit extreme but that was my family!  Although our hugs didn’t last for 20 seconds, it was still that contact that we encountered, and it left us with a “feel good” feeling.

Certainly we react differently to family than others when showing our affection.  Personally, I’m less inclined to hug people I barely know.  In the past I have been caught wondering whether I should hug someone good-bye that I was just introduced to a couple hours before at dinner; I try to read their body language to get clues from them before I initiate the action. I usually reserve my hugging for my closest friends or people I haven’t seen for awhile. For me this kind of social contact with my buddies just reconfirms my feelings and commitment to them and shows how much I appreciate their friendship

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When I was attending college, I had an instructor who told her students that when they become teachers we should never touch a student.  I completely disagreed with her then and I still do…of course she was about as warm as an iceberg!!!!  My feeling is that a pat on the back or a hug might be the only positive physical contact a student might get during the day and I’ll deal with any negative ramifications I may incur as a result.  As a first grade teacher I was the recipient of many hugs from my students.  Because of their smaller size, they were often hugging my legs or my waist, but it was still an obvious sign of affection, which I readily accepted.

I am subbing now since I retired and spend most of my days working at middle schools.  I honestly thought that my “hugging” days were over but the other day, one of the older girls asked me if I could give her a hug.  This had never happened to me before…what was I to do?  I thought about it for a nano second, and in front of the class, I walked over to her and gave her a hug.  After the exchange, she said, “I needed that!”  I don’t know the history or background of this girl, all I know is that she asked for a simple gesture from me and I complied.  You know, I think that hug did as much for me as it did for the young girl and I’m so glad she asked me to do it.  A relatively simple gesture that may have physically lasted a few seconds but emotionally continues to live on.  When I think of that request and the subsequent hug, I get a smile on my face and I get a warm feeling inside.

Yes, I am a believer that a hug can have positive health effects on us and I’m writing a letter to Brad Pitt right now to see whether he’s available to accompany me to my next doctor’s appointment.  You know my blood pressure has been a bit high lately and…

Until next time,

—Judy