The Give Yourself a Hug Visualisation

Touch is incredibly important to our sense of wellbeing, and since the pandemic, due to social distancing, many of us are suffering from touch hunger. So, what can we do about touch hunger? What solutions are there to this problem, that will see us through until we reach a time when it's safe to touch and hug our friends and loved ones again? Research has shown that exercise is a good buffer for touch deprivation. So, a session of yoga, a brisk walk, a bike ride, are all great ways of giving yourself a hug.
 
Professor Merle Fairhurst has shown in her research that imagining touch can increase your sense of wellbeing. She has devised an exercise, to help people to reconnect with touch, by imagining a one to two-minute hug. She gets people to imagine the last hug they had, and then tells them to go ahead and wrap themselves up in long one or two minute hug, and she has found that by giving yourself that self-hug you’re releasing the same chemical compounds that are going to relieve stress.

I love the idea that by giving yourself a hug, or by picturing hugging a loved one, that you can relieve stress. So, I've adapted this idea and created the Give Yourself a Hug Visualisation, which you will find below. It only takes a few minutes to do, so it's an easy way to introduce some happy hormones into your day. This visualisation is relaxing, it's a lovely way of sending love to loved ones, and of giving compassion to yourself.  

The Give Yourself a Hug Visualisation

Find yourself a comfortable position, either standing, seated, or lying. 
Notice where your body is in contact with the floor or your support. Relax your shoulders down away from your ears, close your eyes, and soften your face with a half-smile. 
Become aware of the natural flow of your breath. Breathe in, and then gently blow the air out through your pursed lips. Go back to your normal breathing. 

Now, in your mind's eye picture someone whom you would like to hug, and have been unable to hug for a while. Visualise having a big, warm hug with them. Then, keeping this image of hugging in your mind, wrap yourself up in a self-hug. Maintain this self-embrace for between one and two minutes.
When you are ready, release the hug. Notice how you are feeling now, both physically and emotionally. Once again, return to observing the natural flow of your breath. If you are short of time finish here.
If you have more time you can repeat the Loving Kindness phrases for yourself and the person you've been imagining hugging. Begin by repeating the phrases for yourself, and then repeat them for your loved one (just substitute their name in the phrases). 

May I be safe.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I live with ease.

When you have finished repeating the phrases, return to observing the natural flow of your breath. Notice where your body is in contact with the floor or your support. Then, give yourself another hug, and, when you are ready, carry on with your day, taking these warm, loving feelings into whatever activity you do next today. 

​I'm lucky that I've got my husband to hug, but at the same time I yearn for a hug with my daughter. She lives 150 miles away and due to the pandemic restrictions I've not been able to see her for a few months. I've found the hugging visualisation really helps me to feel close and connected to her, even if physical distance keeps us apart at present. If like me you sometimes find yourself welling up with tears when you do this visualisation, that is a signal to acknowledge how tough life can be at present, and to give yourself an extra big helping of love and self-compassion. During these difficult days this visualisation is a great way to boost your wellbeing. 

​See Also:
Anatomy of Touch
Why I am not alone in missing hugs during the pandemic
Spread Kindness Not The Virus