Touchy Feely People

I am a hugger, I like to hug. I hug as a greeting to others but not if I am meeting you for the first time. But you'd better watch out the next time we meet 'cause I'm definitely going to go in for a hug. I havn't always been a hugger I think I got hooked on hugging when I realised that some people just don't like it at all. It just made me more determined to convert them. I have a nephew that runs away when i visit but I usually pin him down eventually. He just makes me laugh, I mean what is so awful after all? He should just humour me and get it over with.

I don't always combine a hug with a kiss on the cheek. I tend to analyze the receiver of the hug and try to determine how open they are to what I am about to do to them. I am giving them a gift after all. To me a hug says 'I accept you'...however if I don't like you no way will you get a hug out of me so don't even try.

I have found that over time, those that are a bit stiff when I first hug them seem to eventually enjoy my hugs and even instigate the hugging first. A similar thing happened when I first started telling family members that I loved them.

One day I had this ah ha moment when I recognized that nobody in my family had ever said the words 'I love you'. So I decided to be the first to get the ball rolling. I had telephoned my mum and just before I hung up the phone i said 'Bye mum, I love you' and hung up before she had the chance to reply....or not to reply. I did this again a few times and then eventually I didn't hang up immediately after saying the words and to my immense pleasure my mum said 'I love you too sweetheart' How wonderful to hear those words from my mum. She now says the words often and freely to all her children. I was able to eventually increase the words of love to involve my entire family...yes even my nephew...even though I feel he could say the words with a bit more feeling lol

I completed a level one in Reiki a few years ago and loved it. I learned so much about myself and gained confidence in my life and the ability to understand that I am at a point in my life that is equal to where I am supposed to be....Deep eh! Through discovering the benefits of Reiki not only to myself but also to others, the power of the human touch should not be disregarded.

Whenever my daughter had a tummy upset when she was young I would place my hand on her belly not realizing that i was probably helping her, the same goes for other parts of the body as well. Perhaps it was just a mothers instinct but since learning Reiki I have used it on myself mainly for pain and know that it does work. I very rarely need to take painkillers, however if the pain were to persist I would go to the doctors because it could be a sign that something more serious was wrong. Usually first thing in the morning I will, before getting up, go through the reiki movements on my body as this helps me through out the day with mind body and soul. Self nurturing in this way enables me to be at my best, it calms me and revitalizes me.

Hugging was introduced to me by my reiki teacher. It was the first and last thing we did on meeting each other over the three day course and she described it as a mini reiki treatment that can be given to others without them even knowing it. Therfore the random acts of affection by hugging are really quite powerful. The touch of anothers hands can be so comforting, especially when we are feeling unwell and the hands placed in certain places on yourself or another in times of stress, illhealth, fatigue, fear or injury can be beneficial.

In general I believe that anyone who does not feel comfortable with being touched by others is to some degree missing out. This is not a criticism, it is however an observation and most of these people would probably trust a medical practitioner more than they would a friend to do something more intrusive than hug. So to put it more in perspective a hug is just a hug, it doesn't hurt, doesn't take long, is free and can actually be good for you and the hugger. And if hugging someone is still out of the question then go hug a tree :) So go on, what are you waiting for? Give it a try, you just might feel better.