A Hug in a Book: Everyday Self-Care and Comforting Rituals

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I ask him why he thinks people loved his hugs so much during Covid-19. “I think because, well, I made it at a really difficult time.” The Leg Hug: An adorable hug often seen in children, where one person wraps their arms around the other’s leg. We met this woman and her children, and she came over to Adam. I couldn't get over how serious she was – she said to him, 'you've been a real light in dark times'

The Teary-Eyed Hug: An emotional hug where one or both people are crying, often at farewells or reunions. Even on set, David says, “we had no concept of how it would go. There was no audience. There was eight to 10 people, and Ryan was giving it loads all night to a very small group of his colleagues”. Are you proud of your hug, his Dad asks him. Adam gives this some thought. “Yeah,” he says finally.

Meet The Reader Personality Types

When children go on The Late Late Toy Show, they sometimes get to meet a famous person they admire – Davy Fitzgerald or David Walliams, say. But the person Adam was thrilled to see on set was "JD", or John Doyle, the porter who looks after him on his regular visits to Temple Street hospital, where he gets treatment for osteogenesis imperfecta type III, a brittle bone condition. The clip of Adam meeting John on the show and offering him a "virtual hug" has been viewed more than 342,000 times on YouTube.

Catching myself, I stop. For a moment. Then the jitters take hold again. “I’m not bouncing. I’m struggling to keep feet on the ground.” But there was something about Adam – his unaffected enthusiasm, his sense of wonder, his mission to spread hugs – that seemed to arrive into people’s lives just at the moment we needed it most. Later, when Adam is playing with Robert and Katie again, David says that being the parent of a child who has become a symbol of happiness and hope “is wonderful. But it’s strange as well at times. For me and Fiona, our priority has been for Adam to have the existence he’s always had. He goes to all his activities – he plays soccer, he goes to dance, he does GAA and tennis”. Since that first Late Late Toy Show appearance, and the three which followed, the King family has been inundated with letters and cards and messagesThe last 12 months have been an unexpected whirlwind. “He was delighted to [go on the programme] but we had no grand designs. He just wanted to bring his hug with him, and he wanted to bring Bubby,” his toy bunny rabbit, David says. Posture and body language can signify various emotions or states of mind, like relaxation, stiffness, or eagerness. The Bear Hug: A strong, enveloping embrace that makes you feel completely secure, as if in a bear’s loving grip. The Symphony Hug: A carefully coordinated hug where both participants move in perfect harmony, as if orchestrated. Do you know Covid-19?” Adam asks. I tell him I do. “I think that might have been around for Sarah’s whole life. It was around when she was born, but we didn’t really know about it.”

Fiona would kill me, and we don’t normally do this, but I had him pumped with jellies to keep him awake,” David laughs. “He was on a sugar buzz.” Fiona always took the attitude “that ‘look, we’re here. You can decide to be happy or sad about being in hospital. You might as well just embrace it and enjoy the company’. And for me, I would always enjoy the familiar faces. We enjoy the chat”. Adam spent the first six weeks of his life in the neonatal unit. He spent a lot of that time away from us,” David says. “Even then, he was always smiling at the nurses. He was a real little people person.” Levi longed to hug her. Although if he did, it wouldn’t resemble the encouraging hugs he gave the little ones. The gentle I’m-here-for-you or I-know-you-can-do-it hugs. Or even the cheery you’ll-be-all-right hugs. His hug for Anna would encompass all of those, but he worried it might turn into an ­ I’m-falling-for-you hug. Or, if he wasn’t careful, a promise of much, much more. A hug can often remind characters of past events or foreshadow future happenings, adding layers to the story.Metaphors and similes offer readers a point of reference by comparing the hug to something relatable. Describing the characters’ facial expressions during the hug can offer an additional window into their emotions. Adam spent the first six weeks of his life in the neonatal unit. He spent a lot of that time away from us. Even then, he was always smiling at the nurses. He was a real little people person Some people automatically hug without giving it a second thought. If you’re an over-hugger, you need to pause before you lunge to test out the other person’s body language. If he or she is standing straight as a board and shows no signs of bending toward you, either let the other person initiate the hug, or if you must touch, hold out your hand. The Running Start Hug: A cinematic hug where one person runs toward the other, often leaping into their arms.

Who would he most like to send a hug to now? “I think maybe the astronauts on the ISS,” Adam replies. He is planning to be a Nasa CapCom (the astronaut on earth who communicates with the crew) when he grows up. He has spoken to a CapCom controller over Zoom. What advice did she give him? “To keep the crew in your heart,” he says. In a study of attitudes toward touch among cross-sex friendships, Miller et al. (2014) found that women who were not in a heterosexual relationship tended not to want to be hugged by men. You might seem to be trying to make a move on a person you’re considering hugging if she’s unattached. Age may also play a factor ... Grant moved deliberately, thanks to the sling around his shoulder, and gave her a one-armed hug as gentle as cotton candy floating on a breeze. He comes into the kitchen and climbs on to his Dad’s lap to have their picture taken. Has he had Bubby since he was born? Adam gives this some thought. “Well I think I might have got him before I was born, when I was born, or after I was born.”The placement of hands can say a lot about the nature of the hug—whether it’s platonic, romantic, or something else. A hug may help someone who’s emotionally hurting, in which case it is much like the hug a parent would give a small child. The term “safe haven” refers to the ability of a hug to make someone feel cared for and understood. This hug may be longer and is best to offer to someone you know reasonably well. Including sensory details not only enhances the emotional depth but also lets the reader experience the hug vicariously.