How to Feel Better in 8 Seconds

[00:00:00] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: Welcome back. Today I am sharing the power of the eight second hug. As a business and wellness coach, I love small tips that made a difference for me. I call them petite practices… small habits you can weave into your day. They are easy, and they add a little moment of joy, with some European flair.

[00:01:00] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: One petite practice is what I call a bistro break. A bistro is a small thing, and a break is small too, but you take it very intentionally. For about five minutes you move away from your electronics, close your eyes, put your legs up, look at nature, or walk around the block. Then you come back to work. Instead of scrolling social media, you give yourself a real reset.

[00:02:00] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: I read a study by Dr. Christy Kane on five benefits of the eight second hug. You might wonder why eight seconds. I practiced with my students and counted down eight, seven, six… and it felt long at first, because we are used to quick hugs. But compared to how long we scroll or watch TV, eight seconds is nothing.

[00:03:00] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: During a real hug, your brain releases oxytocin, the feel-good hormone. It makes you feel safe and happy, and it lowers stress. Coffee makes you jittery… oxytocin does the opposite. It gives you a kind of armor, so when stress comes up, you already feel stable enough to handle it.

[00:05:00] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: Think about how you feel on weekends versus weekdays. On weekends we see friends, we relax, and we hug more, so we release more oxytocin. So why not add more hugs on the stressful weekdays, exactly when we need help through moments of anxiety, fear, and stress?

[00:06:00] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: Hugs also optimize your immunity, because oxytocin combats fatigue and that depleted feeling with a warm, cozy signal. And a University of North Carolina study found that a 20 second hug from a partner lowered women’s blood pressure and heart rate, with oxytocin doing most of the work.

[00:08:00] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: The last two benefits are lower depression and anxiety. Before the pandemic people hugged about 6.29 times a day. During the pandemic that dropped to 2.64, roughly half. Losing that physical touch meant losing the safe, stable feeling too… so we need to pick it back up.

[00:09:00] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: I look at my teenagers when they come home, because touch reminds you that you are not isolated. I go over, squeeze them, and say hug time. At first they pull away, but now my older daughter even asks, Mom, do you need a hug? Studies also show hugs can mitigate pain, including for fibromyalgia patients, likely through endorphins. A hug is simple, inexpensive, and easy… a small bistro break that tells someone I am here for you.