Two Minute Hugs

[00:00:00] **Aurooba Ahmed:** Well hello, this is The Daily Five with Aurooba, that's me. Where we reflect on creating our best lives a little bit every day. Here we go.

[00:00:15] My spouse and I have a thing we do. Sometimes we just look at the other person and we say, hey, I need two minutes. What we're asking for is a two minute hug. You heard that right. It's two minutes. It's a pretty long hug. We hug quietly. There are no words exchanged. It's just a two minute hug with a person who is your safe space.

[00:00:44] Hugs are good for your health, you know. They release oxytocin and serotonin and dopamine, all chemicals that help reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and stress. Hugs longer than 20 seconds are shown to improve your immune system, reduce cravings, alleviate some kinds of pain, and increase healthy blood circulation.

[00:01:06] I mean, it's not a miracle or anything, but it does some pretty great stuff and it feels great almost immediately. When I have a crappy day, a bad day, or I just feel bad, or sad, or anxious, or worried, or glum, or hey, even happy, excited, and anything, really, I hug my spouse. I ask for two minutes. You hug properly, body to body, arms around each other. Deep, relaxed breaths. You relax against the person you're hugging. They relax against you.

[00:01:44] It works best with people who are your safe haven, your safe space. They don't have to be strong. They don't have to be anything. They just have to be there, hugging you back. It's why, for example, hugging babies and toddlers has the same effect on people.

[00:01:59] The, the little children aren't strong enough. They can't do much for you, in all honesty. It's not about that. We're biologically wired to feel these things when we hug someone, especially when that person is close to us or evokes feelings of love and happiness or trust. It really does work best with the people you love.

[00:02:22] For me, that's my spouse, my brother, my parents, my closest friends. Whether you are being held or doing the holding, the effect is the same. It's a little bit like magic, honestly. A couple minutes of peace that can brighten up a day or at least add a little more color. Merely having a long ish hug can give you the strength to see through the rest of an otherwise crappy day.

[00:02:49] Hugs are a form of recovery, much like sleep and good nutrition. You can use them as you need. They are free. Sometimes we hug someone to make them feel safe and comforted, but if you also relax into that hug, you receive the same benefits while imparting them to another person as well. Isn't that cool? I think it's pretty cool.

[00:03:17] I may have needed like five of these two minute hugs today. It helped because hugs are a beautiful little natural magic and I am so glad that we can have them anytime we want.

[00:03:38] Thanks for listening. Same time tomorrow?