If you’re looking for a brief break from your workload or your day (wherever that day might be taking you) and need a smile, try this week’s Huggable Stuff. I’ll be willing to bet that you can’t check out these sites, or take one of these actions, without cracking a smile, or laughing a bit aloud, or even learning just a little something. This Week’s info moves from hugs to leadership and back again.
Video/Sound warning: If you are at work, or somewhere you need to be quiet, before clicking the Huggable Site link – if it’s to a video – turn down your computer or device volume as a precaution, some of them have cool background music that starts low then ramps up, or is sappy, but sweet; but might be surprising coming from your office.
This Week’s Huggable Site #1:
Check out the Hug Don’t Hate (now called I Embrace You) inspirations page. At the top, a short video is embedded of the Free Hugs campaign. It starts slowly, but by half-way through I realized I couldn’t stop grinning – I think it was the leaping hug that got me, or the young guy and woman his grandma’s age who…well, I don’t want to spoil it.
The video is about Free Hugs Friday, started by Juan Mann in Australia, which now happens other places in the world including weekly at Boston University. More details on the IEmbraceYou.org site.
If you know of a huggable site, please let us know in the comments or via our contact us page.
This Week’s Huggable Fact #1
Hugs are Healthy for the mood and the body: “Hugs have been shown to reduce heart rates, improve overall moods, lower blood pressure…and increase nerve activity and circulation,” according to a post on Yahoo Voices.
This Week’s Leadership Post Link #1
This Post “The World Needs More Mentors” by Mark Blevis, @MarkBlevis on Twitter, whom I think I met briefly at Podcamp Philly 2007 or 2008. I think it fits with our site of people who have made a difference for others. Besides, I’m a sucker for short, well-written, thought-provoking posts – that have geeky images & analogies like Mark’s Star Wars references.
This Week’s Huggable Action #1
Give someone an actual hug. If you are at work, choose the person and the time carefully, and do it in a respectful manner (don’t run afoul of your company’s regulations). But if you see an office mate, family member or friend who is having a worse day than you are, or celebrating a success, offer a hug. Notice I suggest you “offer” a hug – Always ask first – not everyone is comfy with hugging, but you will often elicit a smile at least. Seeing them brighten up, often brightens up your day as well. I read somewhere a few years ago, that older people don’t get touched very often. So I make sure to hug my mom hello and goodbye almost every time. For tips on how to hug respectfully, check out the list on the “IEmbraceYou” site above.
Every week’s Huggable Action #2 (optional, but much appreciated)
Nominate your huggable person – someone who has made a difference in your life, and/or who is making a difference in the world around us by their difference, by their actions. Let us know in the comments, then head on over to our contact us page and drop us a note.
We’ll need who you are, who your huggable person is, 100 words or so why you are nominating them, and if you have it contact info (or be willing to put us in touch with them/them in touch with us if you know the person – and help us get a photo of them for the post), or at least a website link if it is a public person! Disclaimer, we reserve the right to decide if a profile fits our site, and be aware, we’ve also found that sometimes folks are too busy to lend us their time for a profile, even though we think they’re huggable, but we’d really like to have your ideas in any case.
Since you can’t give either Shashi or I a hug, if you like our content, leave us a comment below. what was your reaction to the Free Hugs Day? Did you ever receive or give a hug at a time when you really needed it, or that made a real difference for someone else? Or Have you had a mentor who helped you lighten your load by giving you what it was you needed – understanding, support, a gentle shove in the right direction?
Cathy Larkin, Editor – HuggablePeople.com
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