Hugs can Change your Life!

Challenge Day founders Rich and Yvonne Dutra-St. John teach that we need at least three hugs a day just to get by. They go on to say that if we get six hugs a day we will feel even better. To thoroughly thrive, even in stressful circumstances, consider getting twelve hugs a day, or even more. I consider this to be the nirvana for hug getting (at least for me). Twelve hugs takes me to a blissful state.

I have been hearing this about hugs for years. My husband Steve and I live way out in the country, and we work at home. Many days we only see each other, so we are the only source for hugs. The other day I had an “aha.” Even though Steve and I are “alone” with each other, we can hug each other twelve times (or more!) a day.

We started our experiment last week. About every hour or so, I ask for a hug from my husband, Steve (or he grabs me for a hug). It’s such an easy thing to do, and with each hug, I feel warm and fuzzy. It’s a pleasant reminder that I am not alone. The first day of the experiment, we got at least twelve hugs, and we both felt that it added to our day. We wondered why we hadn’t taken advantage of doing this before, especially because we “know” about the power of hugs.

Our experiment continues. Most of the time I really want to give my beloved husband a hug. At one point, I got triggered, and I was pouting like a little girl. I didn’t feel like hugging Steve. So, I didn’t until I got out of my funk. I apologized to Steve for acting like a baby and we started back on the road to feeling better through hugging.

If you don’t have a person to hug, petting an animal can make a difference. That is one reason many people have pets—so they can pet them.

Remember, when you are out getting your healthy dose of hugs a day, to always ask permission first.