Today is
National Hug Day so I thought I would write about that. Some people don’t like hugs or any physical
contact with somebody else because of various reasons. Some people find it really
uncomfortable. One of my friends is on
the autistic spectrum and she doesn’t like any form of physical contact with
people who she doesn’t know well and trust.
She only feels comfortable hugging a small number of people. Some people have had bad or even traumatic
experiences of physical contact, so they are not able to trust others or cope
with the feeling of being touched. Some
people also have chronic pain conditions which makes things like hugging very
painful.
Other people
are completely at the other end of the scale. Some people are very tactile, they thrive on physical contact with
others and feel comfortable walking up to a complete stranger and hugging them
at New Year.
For me, I
wouldn’t walk up to a complete stranger and hug them, but if they seem
trustworthy I feel fine if they come and give me a quick hug and some kind of
celebration, or if somebody saw me upset.
Hugging people is an important part of my life. I always hug my close friends as we are
saying goodbye. There are quite a few of
us in the group, so this takes a while! But I always feel really guilty if one person accidentally gets
missed. Which does happen
occasionally. I find hugging is a symbol
of caring. Even the strangers at New
Year, in that moment, everybody cares that we are all happy and having
fun. Friends and family hug because they
care. If somebody hugs me because I’m
down or upset, it’s because they care. And I hug people when I care.
I would
absolutely hate a world where there was no hugging.
Then there’s
cuddles. Is a hug the same as a
cuddle? Or is it different? To me a hug is fairly quick, and a cuddle is
when you are sat next to each other and lasts quite a while. To me a proper cuddle is tight, strong and it
makes you feel safe and protected. Every
so often I really need a proper cuddle. Even if there is nothing wrong with me, every so often I just need that
big tight cuddle and the feeling of being protected. I have recently found somebody who is perfect
for that job and I absolutely love it. As well as me being the one feeling protected I do like to be the one
who makes somebody else feel that way.
For me
cuddles and hugs are one of the best things in the world.
