Physical contact has a direct impact on well-being. It is through touch and connection with others that we can anchor ourselves in the present moment. However, the sense of touch is neglected in our society; he even becomes suspect in certain situations. Let’s reconnect with this essential human need…
” Take a child by the hand sang Yves Duteil… In young children, the sense of touch is fundamental. They fiddle with everything, kiss and caress their cuddly toy and knead all the materials that are within their reach. Then, over time, they gradually give up this tactile report to the world and their peers, and once adults, become followers of “contactless”…
Too bad because like all the other senses, touch if it is not stimulated enough, loses its acuity. The more the skin is affected, the more sensitive and receptive it is.
First a mark of affection
Take someone’s hand or give them a handshake, give them a hug or a hug, put their arms around someone’s shoulders… All these gestures bring us closer to others and help us to develop relationships of trust and complicity with them.
Socially, these harmless gestures are signs of affection, although in today’s society they can sometimes be misinterpreted. They do not pose any problem within the framework of the family or the circle of friends, but with colleagues, neighbors or people who are not close friends, they are likely to sow trouble… No doubt because the sense of touching has a sexual connotation.
However, when a handshake or a hug is accompanied by genuine feelings of warmth, affection and comfort, touch should never be inappropriate.
The sense of touch is a universal language
Human contact is indeed a universal languagewhich turns out to be very practical when words are useless or come out with difficulty (during a funeral, for example). A hand resting on a forearm with gentle pressure is often much more comforting than empty words.
Besides, when you touch someone with affection, you secreteoxytocinthe feel-good hormone directly associated with the notion of attachment.
The sense of touch that characterizes a contact between two people has the power to make us reconnect with our own emotions and to awaken those of the other person. It reminds us that we are humans, sensitive to emotions, and not purely rational beings.
You just have to realize the impact that a simple gentle gesture can have in our daily lives: good mood, calming, stress reduction, release of tension and stiffness, feeling of being understood and accepted, etc.
When a friend opens their arms to us or a child gives us a hug, we let our emotions flow. Not necessarily with this person, but this touch brings us back to our emotionality. We leave the sphere of the cognitive brain to switch to emotional feelings.
The sense of touch brings us back to the present moment
In fact, touch invites us to live in the present. The contact takes place here and now, a “live” moment that you have to know how to savor. This state of mindfulness can only be achieved when our emotions or sensations are awake.
The past or the future are moments of thoughts and reflections, states that are more cerebral than emotional. It is through touch and direct contact with others that we can stay in the present moment. And we know that the more we live in the present, the better we feel.
Here are 10 situations where the sense of touch immerses us in the present moment.
- Walk in the hot sand and feel the warmth of self
- Enjoy a good massage
- To be immersed in water
- Feel the wind on her face
- Feel the contrast between hot and cold when entering a cold room in the middle of summer.
- Pat your face
- Apply cream to her skin
- Touch the snow
- Scratch when it itches
- Take a friend in your arms
