leases more dopamine and may increase your sexual desire. Hugging may also reduce fear of, and worry about, mortality. One study found that even hugging an inanimate object, like a teddy bear, may reduce these fears.
The release of oxytocin from hugging may also help reduce
social anxiety. Getting a hug right before going to a party where you don't know anyone may help you feel more confident and social. Researchers found marriages where couples hugged fre- quently lasted longer than those where they rarely hugged.
A national holiday was founded in 1986 to encourage hug-
ging. It has been recognized by the U.S. Copyright Office but is not a public holiday. The purpose is to help people show more emotion in public in a country where this type of display is not common. Founder Rev. Kevin Zaborney from Michigan encourages people to hug in public and post to social media on January 21 with #NationalHuggingDay. The person who is giving the hug gets as much benefit as the person being hugged, although you may experience greater benefit from hugging someone you trust.
5 Ways to Get Your Hug On It may be difficult to get hugs each day living in a country
where physical touch is not encouraged, or if you live alone. If you put your mind to the task, there may be ways to get healthy touch. These suggestions may feel like they are out of your com- fort zone, but you won't enjoy the results unless you take the first step.
• Teddy bear While not as satisfying as hugging another person, hugging an inanimate object may help reduce fear and anxiety.
• Greetings While it may feel strange at first, make it a habit to greet
your friends with a hug. Ask before you hug. This may be more difficult between two men. However, unless you step out of your comfort zone and ask, you won't find the friends who are looking for the same nonsexual touch contact.
• Therapeutic touch Chiropractors, massage therapists and reiki masters all must
touch you in order to practice their craft and most understand the health benefits associated with touch. You'll likely not get a massage daily, but it may be something you can work into your monthly schedule.
• Give one You may not get one unless you give one. If you usually do
not hug your children, siblings, parents or friends, then it may be up to you to take the first step and initiate a hug.
• Be mindful Some people don't want to hug fearing cold viruses. Oth-
ers don't want to hug or may be afraid of how another person may interpret the hug. Be mindful of how the other person feels
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Intro to Kayaking for Women - June 3 & 29 Foundations & Fundamentals for Women - June 3 & 21 Full Moon Paddle - June 8 Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga for Women - June 13
and seek out others who may also want a hug that day. Remind yourself as you meet people, others do need hugs each day. As you look for opportunities, more will appear.
© Copyright 1997-2017 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted with per- mission. Dr. Mercola finished his family practice residency in 1985 but was trained by the conventional model. In his first years of private practice, he treated many symptoms with prescription drugs and was actually a paid speaker for the drug companies.
But as he began to experi-
ence the failures of this model in his practice, he embraced natural medicine and has had an opportunity over the last thirty years to apply these time
tested approaches successfully with thousands of patients in his clinic.Over 15 years ago he founded
Mercola.com to share his experiences with others. The site is the most visited natural health site in the world for the last seven years with nearly two million subscribers. He's also written two NY Times bestselling books, and has had frequent appearances on national media including the Dr. Oz show and major news channels.
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