A
hug is a form of
physical
intimacy, universal in human communities, in which two people put their
arms around the neck,
back, or waist of one another and hold each other closely. It is
nonverbal and
it means differently depending on the
culture, context or relationship of the
people involved. It could convey
familiarity, close friendship, sympathy,
support, comfort or a loving feeling.
Do you know how powerful a hug can be?
It is not just love but it serves as a form of encouragement,
it strengthens immune systems and it boosts self esteem, especially in children.
It also regulates love hormones by releasing Oxytocin and by lowering our blood
pressure.
“We need 4
hugs a day for survival, 8 hugs a day for maintenance, and 12 hugs a day for
growth.” – Virginia Satir.
There is a
tendency that we can be drained emotionally with an empty tank by end of every
day. This is when the love from hugs replenishes our energy. Depending on the
social or cultural context of the place, on whether we do it privately or
publicly, unexpected hug can be treated as an invasion of personal space. On the
other hand, we witness kids who hug their parents when they see strangers as a
lookout for security, confidence and support.
7 years
ago, Teacher Mei Yen had a 4-year-old girl in her class who regularly came to
school in pyjamas, a bottle of milk in her hands, a head of messy hair and a
sleepy face. There was literally no interaction between her and the rest of the
kids. Other kids made fun of her. Teacher Mei Yen and her colleagues thought of
helping her and helped changed her pyjamas. They made the kids sang The Barney
Song, “I Love You” and got the kids to hug each other. She asked the children
to hug the little girl and saw her began to smile. From then on the little girl
started to talk to others.
From that
day onwards, Teacher Mei Yen encouraged her kids to hug each other every day regardless
of their differences. She believes that love and acceptance is a way better
form of lesson to the kids than rejection and isolation. It enables the kids to
face challenges.
Before
Teacher Mei Yen ended her speech, she asked us, what do you think HUG means?
Here you
go. HUG is an acronym for:
H – Helping
U - Us
G - Grow sensitively.
