What did you learn about your bones in last week's post?
A whole bunch?
Not so much?
Or maybe it wasn't your bones that caught your attention, but your response to palpating them (or just the idea of it)...
We need touch
Touch is right up there with shelter and community in the roster of our human needs. We need it to be comfortable and to thrive.
And because of that, it's something most of us have an opinion about.
Maybe it's an unshared thought, but it's there. If you're not sure about that, try this:
Contemplate being a massage therapist.
Do you start to imagine how great that'd be, to connect with others and heal through touch?
Or can you not get past the part where you'd have to touch whoever showed up on your table?
There's a spectrum there and most of us fall somewhere in between. (I've been on both ends of it myself.)
What about you?
Studies* demonstrate the value of touch to our well being. And while we all need it, we don't all need just any touch.
How do you honor your individual relationship to touch?
Get to know what it is. (It's likely nuanced.)
And then, years from now or bit by bit as you go, you can start to hold space for your needs, preferences, and dislikes.
Start by paying attention to your instincts: do you rush in for a hug or a handshake? Is it the same with just about everyone? Or are there distinguishing lines between family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances?
Is touch soothing or does it put you on the alert?
What you notice in yourself may surprise you, and it may take some time for it to surface.
And, of course, while touch may be part of the crazy cocktail of good juju we need for our wellbeing, there is no one way that suits all of us.
Notice --then respect-- your way.
Observing with you,
* When I find a study or research report that I just love, I share it ontwitter and facebook. Follow me there if you want a heads up on the latest interesting mind/body research.
PS: If you didn't get the bone palpation (touch) worksheet last week, you can still grab it and go through the exercises here.