How is Cuddling a Self-Care Act?

I was feeling down after spending most of the afternoon stuck in my own head. Bundling myself up in blankets didn't help, reading a book didn't help and taking a nap didn't help. I felt a fog over my mind that was preventing me from doing anything that day. I barely wanted to move or eat even.

"Hey there," my boyfriend poked his head in my open doorway. He had his shoes and jacket on. "I'm about to go for a walk."

Any other day I would have just let him go. He didn't necessarily need my permission in order to go for a walk, but I liked that he would tell me what he was up to. He knew that I was not in a great mood and I couldn't figure out why, and going for walks by himself is his form of self-care.

However, today I wasn't going to let him go quite yet.

"Can you come here for a second?" I said in a hushed tone and my head lowered. "Would you be willing to cuddle me for a few minutes before you go?"

It felt a little bit weird to ask him. After all, I'm the Professional Cuddler here. But at that point, it had been nearly two months since I worked with a client and due to stay-at-home orders, it would likely be another month or two before I would work with another client. Yes, I was cuddling my boyfriend and spending lots of time with him, but the past few days we had both been in work mode and a bit physically distant from each other as a result. But I need cuddles too, and the only touch I was able to get these days were from him.

He was taken aback for a second, but then he smiled and took off his shoes. He then climbed under my fuzzy blanket with me and I put my head on his chest.

From there, I wrapped my arm around his torso and hooked my hand behind his shoulder blade. I pressed my face into his chest more. I felt one arm wrap around my back as the other arm found its way behind my head and rested his hand on my scalp. We squeezed each other.

I took a deep breath in like this with him and felt a mental breeze begin to lift my foggy mind. It felt light, and my bad mood started to feel much more distant then it did just two minutes ago. I slowly let my deep breath out and smiled into his shirt, rubbing my cheek into him. "I'm so happy I have you," I murmured to him.

"Me too," he breathed outback. "I didn't realize how much I needed this too."

You see, cuddling may take at least two people in order to do it, but that doesn't mean that it's not something you need for yourself. Even just a little touch like I did for the 5 minutes we cuddled before my boyfriend went out the door for his walk can make a huge difference for yourself.

Of course, just like my clients, I didn't want to let him go that quickly either.

That's why I give you at least an hour to take it all in and let yourself get what you want out of your cuddles.

Thank you for taking care of yourself.

Because I genuinely care about you.

Hopefully, we'll be able to cuddle together soon.