The Power of Touch
Published May 24, 2008 | People are by nature social creatures for whom touching is necessary to our well-being.
Holding a baby will lower your blood pressure. Hugging your spouse or child will reduce the stress hormones in your body. Stroking a pet, especially cats, has similar results.
Reader’s Digest recently published an article on massage for pain relief. They commented on the fact that massage is not just for aching muscles. Studies have shown it will help with chronic pain, mood disorders like anxiety and depression, and can even help with ADHD in kids.
Massage improves circulation, increases seratonin levels in the brain, reduces stress and improves our self-image. If you are shy or on a tight budget trade massages with a good friend or your significant other. The important thing is the touching – the connecting with another human being, not the skill involved. Slow gentle circles with a flat hand on someone’s back (with or without a shirt) are very soothing. Think about the way you quiet a baby. It is so much more than spoiling to hold and shush a crying child, it is connecting and making them feel safe. It works for all of us.
So the next time you feel blah get a massage or give one – it’s not just for pampering anymore.
How do you feel about touching and being touched? Comment on the message board.
