Member-only story
How I Am Dealing With Touch Starvation
Big bear hugs aren’t quite safe, so here are other options
When the palm of my two hands hold each other
That feels different
From when your hands are in mine.
That’s just the way it is.
— “Superpower” by Beyoncé Knowles Carter
Queen Bey is right! Hugging, shaking hands, or a quick high five could be all the stimulation your body needs for the day. But try to be without it for weeks, and even months.
As a Black woman, and an 80s baby, living and working from home with limited human interaction in her normal life, I have been craving for any way to get physical contact with another person. Safely, of course. But how do you do this when even hugging could introduce the virus?
That’s what millions of people around the world are going through right now to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. With shelter-in-place orders still in effect in some places, people who live alone (or who are in strained relationships and might as well be alone) are cut off from physical society, leading to increased depression, anxiety, and stress.
“Being touch starved,” says Hawaii-based sex therapist and licensed clinical psychologist Janet Brito, “occurs when a…
