22 March 2020:

Total lockdown across the country

Above I place an indicative reminder of the date that influenced and still influences our everyday life. Rules were put everywhere, posted, written, read, changed, added. Rules that some people keep and some people don't. The hug? The hug as a cure, as a rule? Nowhere! However, I am not here to judge and assign blame.

The current pandemic era that we are experiencing has brought us face to face with all those pieces that we had hidden very well in that chest in the basement. We had them double locked and convinced ourselves they would never show up. And yet they found a way and came out in the open... And so ever since then anxiety, uncertainty, insecurity, fear, panic, threat, isolation, loneliness have dominated our lives.

In my case, anxiety and fear are now two permanent signs. Anxiety for work and fear for survival. Anxiety about my beloved parents and fear for their health. Anxiety about my very personal relationships and fear of loneliness.

Just before the pandemic broke out and the lockdown came, and during it, my father had a very big adventure with his health. He is now in the very vulnerable groups and his travel has been greatly reduced. On the other hand, due to the nature of my job and my daily contact with people a visit to the parents is prohibitive. And so the phone and Skype dominate trying to fill this emotional void! Many nights before I go to bed I find myself longing for that childish goodnight hug full of love, security and optimism. That magical hug that will erase all our fears and let us indulge in it for a while!

Thinking about all this, I started looking for various scientific articles about hugging and its importance in our lives! So read what I discovered!

The hug as therapy

Lockdown and hug. A hug, an act of love, trust and personal contact. A hug is holding someone with both hands, squeezing them against your torso. It lasts only a few seconds but it's so important. We often take it for granted or even take it for granted, but it is a powerful weapon to combat stress and negative emotions. The Virginia Satir, a well-known family therapist, used to say: "We need 4 hugs a day to survive, 8 hugs a day to stay healthy and 12 hugs a day to grow." Hugs as therapy now!

So when we hug someone we release the oxytocin, also known as "the hormone of love, embrace, connection" creating a sense of inner security and calm. We all first encounter it when we are born in our mother's arms. A sincere and authentic hug increases the levels of this hormone and "hits" the cortisol (stress hormone) helping us to relax.

In recent years, more and more scientists have been attracted to hugging, investigating the benefits it can offer to our spiritual and mental health. The journal Psychological Science lists some of the benefits following research:

- It reduces the anxiety of both the sufferer and the one who is trying to help by offering his/her arms (Inagaki T.K., Eisenberger N.I., 2012)

- It lowers blood pressure and increases oxygen levels in the blood helping the heart to function normally (Light et al., 2005)

- It strengthens the immune system by reducing the risk of developing infections and diseases (Cohen et al., 2015).

- It improves mood even on the most difficult days (Murphy et al. 2018).

- Relieves phobias and increases self-esteem

- Helps the elderly by reducing the fear of loneliness and existential anxiety that often occurs at these ages

- Strengthens human contact

- It is a natural anxiolytic

However, beyond its benefits, hugging is a basic and daily need for security and personal contact. Let us consider that this need begins long before we come into the real world, there in our mother's womb, snuggled around the amniotic sac. Then, in our childhood, we constantly seek it in the face of our parents. This sweet feeling of security, warmth and tenderness is very deeply rooted in us! No matter how many years pass, no matter how big and strong we become, we will always seek two hands to hold us close to them!

So, many hugs may have been banned but don't forget their importance! And you who can, cuddle, squeeze your loved ones once and twice and ten times a day! Yes, because nowadays hugging is used as a therapy!

Signed by Pepi Fyssa.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

�https://meygeia.gr/10-logi-pou-prepi-na-agkaliazeste-kathe-mera/

�https://www.kathimerini.gr/life/style/931963/10-1-ofeli-tis-agkalias/

�https://www.healthline.com/health/hugging-benefits#2.-Hugs-may-protect-you-against-illness