Posts Tagged With: lower blood pressure
10 Reasons Why We Need at Least 8 Hugs a Day
I sure did need one yesterday and now I know why. Give a hug, get a hug. Be Bless!!
Hugging therapy is definitely a powerful way of healing. Research shows that hugging (and also laughter) is extremely effective at healing sickness, disease, loneliness, depression, anxiety and stress.
Research shows a proper deep hug, where the hearts are pressing together, can benefit you in these ways:
- The nurturing touch of a hug builds trust and a sense of safety. This helps with open and honest communication.
- Hugs can instantly boost oxytocin levels, which heal feelings of loneliness, isolation, and anger.
- Holding a hug for an extended time lifts one’s serotonin levels, elevating mood and creating happiness.
- Hugs strengthen the immune system. The gentle pressure on the sternum and the emotional charge this creates activates the Solar Plexus Chakra. This stimulates the thymus gland, which regulates and balances the body’s production of white blood cells, which keep you healthy and disease free.
- Hugging boosts self-esteem. From the time we’re born our family’s touch shows us that we’re loved and special. The associations of self-worth and tactile sensations from our early years are still imbedded in our nervous system as adults. The cuddles we received from our Mom and Dad while growing up remain imprinted at a cellular level, and hugs remind us at a somatic level of that. Hugs, therefore, connect us to our ability to self love.
- Hugging relaxes muscles. Hugs release tension in the body. Hugs can take away pain; they soothe aches by increasing circulation into the soft tissues.
- Hugs balance out the nervous system. The galvanic skin response of someone receiving and giving a hug shows a change in skin conductance. The effect in moisture and electricity in the skin suggests a more balanced state in the nervous system – parasympathetic.
- Hugs teach us how to give and receive. There is equal value in receiving and being receptive to warmth, as to giving and sharing. Hugs educate us how love flows both ways.
- Hugs are so much like meditationand laughter. They teach us to let go and be present in the moment. They encourage us to flow with the energy of life. Hugs get you out of your circular thinking patterns and connect you with your heart and your feelings and your breath.
- The energy exchange between the people hugging is an investment in the relationship. It encourages empathy and understanding. And, it’s synergistic, which means the whole is more than the sum of its parts: 1 1 = 3 or more! This synergy is more likely to result in win-win outcomes.
There is a saying by Virginia Satir, a respected family therapist, “We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth.” Eight or more might seem quite high, but while researching and writing this article I asked my child, “How many hugs a day do you like?” She said, “I’m not going to tell you how many I like, but it’s way more than eight.” That really made me smile and touched my heart. And, I realized how organic and deep the need for hugs is.
As a loving father, I get plenty of hugs from my little princess and her Mamma. And as a yoga therapist, I often give and receive them from my students at the end of a session. I find that love, is a miracle drug.
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5756/10-Reasons-Why-We-Need-at-Least-8-Hugs-a-Day.html
Reasons to Smile!!
The simple act of smiling does far more than just make you look friendly – it can change your life and the lives of those around you. Here are 10 reasons why you should flash your pearly whites more often:
1. It boosts your immune system
Smiling changes the chemistry in your body. Numerous medical studies have found smiling to lower heart rate, steady breathing and relax the body, which results in a stronger immune system.
2. It changes your mood
Psychologists have found if you grin for 60 seconds, no matter how fake or forced it feels, it releases serotonin which tricks the body into making you feel happy again.
3. It lowers your blood pressure
As you smile, endorphins go up and blood pressure comes down. Those who have monitored their blood pressure both before and after smiling show a measurable difference.
4. It gives you a natural high
Rethink saying thank you with chocolates. According to The British Dental Health Foundation, a loving smile can produce the same emotional response as eating 2,000 chocolate bars!
5. It melts hearts
Several studies have found that a long-onset smile (0.5s onset) is seen as more authentic and flirtatious, and is perceived as more attractive, trustworthy and less dominant.
6. You’ll be remembered
Flash those pearly whites in your next interview. If you are smiling, you are three times more likely to be remembered than a person who is displaying negative or neutral features.
7. Smile your way to success
People who smile are more likely to get a promotion. Numerous studies have found a smile plays an important part in the physical attractiveness stereotype. Furthermore, psychological research has shown that attractive people are perceived as more successful, intelligent, and friendly.
8. You’ll look younger
Smiling is a natural facelift! It plumps up the cells in your skin and gives you a radiant glow. In fact, a study conducted by Orbit Complete found that 69 per cent of people find women more attractive when they smile than when they are wearing makeup.
9. And live longer
When you are smiling, it’s difficult not to be positive. And a positive attitude has been shown to increase life expectancy. Researchers at Columbia University found happier people were less likely to develop heart problems.
10. A quote to smile about
“A smile costs nothing, but creates much. It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give. It happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.” – Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People.
Today, PsychCentral posted an article on their blog about this very subject. Newer research is examining this further—how different kinds of smiling and our awareness of our smiling will impact our mood. In this newer study, where pencils were replaced by chopsticks, they also showed this induced smiling may have benefits for our hearts. Here’s the take-home point: “The researchers say their findings suggest smiling during brief periods of stress may help reduce the body’s stress response, regardless of whether the person actually feels happy or not.”
And if that’s not enough…
According to Mark Stibich, a consultant at Columbia University, and contributor to a Guide to Longevity at about.com —
Smiling:
- Makes Us Attractive to others There is an automatic attraction to people who smile.
- Contagious Others will want to be with you. You will be helping others feel good.
- Relieves Stress Stress does express itself right in our faces. When we smile, it can help us look better, less tired, less worn down.
- Releases Endorphins and Serotonin Research has reported that smiling releases endorphins, which are natural pain relievers, along with serotonin, which is also associated with feel good properties.
Duchenne smiles are the only type of smile that creates this positive effects. These smiles engage the muscles in the mouth, cheeks, and eyes and are considered to be genuine smiles.
Therefore…
When you smile at someone else and they smile a real smile in return – you are helping to create physiological changes in their bodies that may benefit them, as well as yourself.
If you are feeling good, let others know it, it will look good on you, and help others around you. If you are not feeling good, go get a pencil and hold it between your teeth.
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