Rebecca Shaw: In these scary times a hug would help, but it's the one thing I cannot have

By Dilip -

The part I am struggling most with in my individual circumstance is the sudden and complete loss of affection. I’m anxious about other things, like losing work, but still at the forefront of my mind every day is that I can’t be touched by, or touch another human, for god knows how long. (Again, creepy but justified.) When there isn’t a pandemic on, being alone is great. I spend time socialising, seeing friends, dating, being affectionate, and I am fulfilled and sustained. Suddenly, with all that gone, everything else seems harder to cope with.
Two girls hugging
 Photograph: gpointstudio/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Seeing someone through a screen will never be the same as hugging hello. Human beings need touch to thrive. We need affection. We need skin contact. These are not the hippy feelings of a lesbian alone in her room for too long, this is actually science. When everything else in the world is scary like right now, the one thing that might help is being embraced by someone I love, and it’s the only thing I cannot have. It’s obviously not the most pressing issue facing us, but not knowing how long it will be until I can feel someone wrap their arms around me again fills me with dread. But I also know I’m privileged to have that be something I miss, and something I know I can look forward to on the other side of this. And I’ll never take it for granted again....
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/07/in-these-scary-times-a-hug-would-help-but-its-the-one-thing-i-cannot-have

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