Touch is a powerful healing tool; use it lovingly and often. I learned about this oddly enough, when I was waitressing. I heard you get bigger tips if you touch the persons arm at an appropriate time. Now it is automatic.
We all know that physical intimacy is important for a developing baby, so important in fact that babies will die if left without attention for too long. Human beings crave and need to be touched on a very deep level that goes to the core of our animal nature as well as our more cultured selves that exist in our minds. Being touched releases the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin, linked to emotional bonding, and even touching another living being, such as a pet dog or cat, can fulfill this need in us. Something as simple as holding hands or giving a shoulder or foot rub can do wonders for our emotional well-being.
People often confuse physical intimacy with sexual thinking. Touching a stranger on the back to congratulate them, or even shaking someone’s hand can make them feel better about the experiences they’re having. In a study among librarians, librarians were instructed to touch the hands of 50% of the college age people coming to check out books. Afterwards, those students were asked to rate their experience, and the simple touch of the hand, even from a stranger, lead them to rate their experience much higher in terms of comfort, satisfaction, and more.
Ask yourself if you’re deliberately touching others, even strangers, and if it has made a difference in your life at some point. If you are, I’m sure it has made a difference, and the wonderful thing is that it improved not only your well being, but someone else’s as well. Being “touchy-feely” can get weird sometimes if we take it too far without the appropriate relationship in place, but nearly universally everyone appreciates a simple human touch, even from a stranger, perhaps ESPECIALLY from a stranger.
