Barre with Justine

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
Leo Buscaglia

When was the last time someone gently touched your face?

I hope it hasn’t been too long and you can still remember how loving that really feels.

It doesn’t even need to be such an intimate touch. Perhaps it was a hand on your shoulder when you were having a bad day. Maybe it was the small hand of your child reaching to hold yours. Touch is such an essential part of our lives and I don’t think any of us are being touched enough, or in the best ways.

I came across an interesting study this week that examined if a brief practice (20 seconds of self-compassionate touch – in this study, hand over heart touch) had the same impact as meditation. The researchers found that this micro practice “significantly reduced stress, increased kindness to the participant and improved mental well-being.” Read the full study here.

I’m a big believer in the benefits of face massage, as a way to not only boost circulation in the face but also give our skin and faces some much needed love. We don’t need to wait for someone else to touch us tenderly! We can do it as part of our skin care rituals and get so many benefits.

If you ever need more convincing on the benefits of touch, there is book that is an amazing exploration of touch. It’s a little dated and out of print, but it’s worth a search of your local library or used book store.

The Power of Touch by Phyllis K. Davis is a detailed exploration of how important touch is in our lives, through every age. She argues that we live in a touch-deprived society, which has severe effects on our physical and emotional health. I can’t imagine what she might write today, post-pandemic!

How do you build touch into your own life?

More readings:

This article does a great job of summarizing recent research on the topic of touch