When someone touches you, you can fill seen or heard with one movement and it can bring comfort. In this heartfelt video, the host of Chai Beauty explores the significance of physical touch and connection, especially in the context of the recent pandemic. They describe various scenarios where touch provides reassurance, comfort, and intimacy, highlighting how essential it is for emotional well-being. The video emphasizes the importance of intentional touch and encourages viewers to appreciate and cultivate these moments of physical closeness in their relationships. The host also shares personal experiences and calls for a deeper understanding of the impact of touch in our daily lives.
The Power of Physical Touch: Reassurance in a Pandemic
In this heartfelt episode of Chai Beauty, the host delves into the profound significance of physical touch in human relationships. From moments of reassurance and connection to the challenges brought by the pandemic, the discussion explores how touch impacts our emotional well-being and strengthens bonds. The narrative draws on personal experiences and examples to illustrate the various ways physical touch conveys support, love, and reassurance, emphasizing the importance of intentional and meaningful interactions in our daily lives.
00:00 Welcome to Chai Beauty
04:01 The Power of Physical Touch
08:36 Touch in the Pandemic Era
11:08 Intentional Touch and Relationships
12:45 Final Thoughts and Connection
Hi! I'm so happy you're here. Welcome to Chai Beauty, where I get to share my thoughts, my dreams, my aspirations, my visions for the future. And guess what? You get to be along for this journey, because we are in this together.
You're driving. You're in the passenger seat. He, she, they are facing forward,
they cut aside you and smile, and you smile back. They slowly reach their right hand on your left thigh and give you a little squeeze, a squeeze of reassurance. The squeeze of I got you. The squeeze of we going to be okay. Or that moment when you're at your weakest and lowest and you just look up and say I don't want anyone to see me like this.
And you realize that your door is open, and someone lets themselves in because they see you're in pain and they come to you slowly. They don't say anything, they just sit next to you, and they hold you. And that, that, that makes you cry harder and it's a cry from your soul or that moment that you hadn't seen someone in a long, long time and your eyes just connect across the room and there's a big smile on your face.
And, and it's like a movie scene, just your movie scene and it's not like that slow movie scene. It's that fast movie scene because you know when they all go on a trip, but like you run to each other and you hold each other and there's a, there's a laugh. There's a, there's a, there's, there's a, hey, maybe there's not even a, hey, it's just a hole.
It's, it's like, we're here, we're here. We're going to show up for each other and we're going to do this where there's a dab or there's a. Brush on your back, or there's a hand holding theirs Just touching shoulder by shoulder as you walk There's um, I got your back. There's a pad on the back like There's a dab.
There's a head nod There's so many ways that we touch each other that we don't even realize it's nonverbal It's the physical touch. There's so Much touching and it's all a touch of confirmation Reassurance and things that we didn't even know we needed but somebody felt, and they decided to touch us.
Those scenes I gave you were scenes that have happened, or you've seen happen or you've been a part of That When you thought about yourself in those scenes, you knew that feeling. And, for a person to have physical touch, it's, it's a powerful thing. It's that thing that, in this pandemic, we lost. Not only quality time, but we lost that physical interaction.
Or you got too much physical interaction. And now we got all these preventative babies. But that's near and dear. But, hey. That touch is something that we all need and long for. Oh, and those people that say that they don't really like touching, but for the people that you trust, and you care about, you want them to touch you.
You want them to be like, I got your back. I see you. I’m not got to say nothing. I just got to. Put my hands and reassure you but people you're weary of you are like, um, please don't touch me Um, but to say the least I think we take for granted touch Just like we take for granted all the other ones but touch is not more important, but it's more emphasized because we, when I was thinking about those scenes of touch, I didn't realize that they were powerful in their own way because at some point through our lives, someone didn't say anything to us.
It was just their movement or their way of showing they got you without saying I got you and the way they just hold your hand and you can relax once you like truly are in that that relationship with somebody you can really relax and just be like thank you for Giving this this person or being with this person whether you are in a serious relationship where it's a friendship It's like I'm being honest.
So, me and my girls sometimes we just grab hands and swing through the streets Right now we swing through the streets of Chicago We're Kansas like or Texas, but we do those things and I think when you're intentional with touch it's an everlasting moment. Um, touch can be a part of you that you never knew you needed.
But when it did come, it was like, it was like, yes, that's what I needed. I know I needed that, but I needed that. And when you really think about it. Like truly think about it. We try to touch people every day. Like you're like what? Yeah, we got to touch people every day like We touch them in a way that It's a hug It's holding hands.
It's sitting together like Netflix and chill. That's a touching thing whether it's intimate or it's innocent like you are sharing a space with somebody on a couch for periods of time. If you're binge watching something You probably don't leave that person just go to the bathroom and get some snacks and come back Um, and then as you get more intimate Uh with the person it's that back rub that touching your feet that touching the thigh Um, it's the playing with air like we all have these Physical touches that, um, it's just a person to person contact and it's such a valuable thing that we sometimes overlook it.
Um, and as time goes, I think those are the moments we remember the most. I could be wrong, but I feel like there were moments where, like, I gave my all to somebody and I didn't say a dang word to them. It was just through physical touch. So, as we go through this, I really wanted us to think about, like, touch as a whole.
Like, touch as, like, that physical touch. It's to express the self, to express affection through touch, physical closeness, and other forms of physical connection. So, people kiss, it's, it's really whatever you make it to be because physical touch, like when I think of all the examples, like it really is one of the most significant ones.
That can make such an impact without you knowing and for me, I started as a person that was like, I don't really like physical touch, like, you can have that, like, I don't really need you to touch me. Um, but the pandemic is changing me. I'm like, I'm trying somebody. Touch me, hold me, love me, you know, um, because again, that intimacy that you share with somebody.
is, is different. I think for me in the seasons that I'm in those physical touches, like you are being by yourself, like 300 and probably 300 days out of the year, I am by myself physically by myself on four walls. Like I can't go to work and just be touching on people. Like I'm going to get fired. Or a sexual harassment claim.
But that's here or there. I'm not touching these people. But when I go home, I'm probably into somebody. Mostly my aunt. Um, my mom doesn’t like physical touch either. Or my grandmother. So those are the two people like I'll actually like feign for their affection. Because like my aunt just will rub your back.
And like she isn’t got to say nothing. Like she'll have a whole conversation with somebody else. But if I lay right beside her, she'll just touch me and I'm black. I just want to be in your embrace. Because I know that this is a shared space. This is a safe space. This is where I can, you know, raise, regroup.
And be like, let's go back into this world. And so, when I challenge people as they listen to this, think about how you can reassure somebody. Like, look at somebody around your house. I would say work, because you know, y'all got to work husbands and work wives. Hus uh, work boyfriends, work girlfriends. And reassure somebody, like.
Be intimate with the person, like you don't have to be in a relationship, but I think strong friendships has intimacy at some point that sometimes you just got to be in an embrace, you got to feel that love, you got to feel that connection, feel that reassurance that you're going to be okay, and then take it a step further And, and be close, have like a close interaction, rather than toe to hand hugging for a very long period of time that sometimes is awkward.
It's like, is they going to let me go? Okay. I think they really need this. All right. I'm just going to hug with them. But I, I can say that physical touch has. So many in depth and in-depth way of bringing people closer than they ever thought It's one of those things that we Again, we do every day, But I advise you as you do it every day be intentional with your touches.
You can touch them, but I don't want to touch you Um, just do it nicely because we care about the people. We love them. We want to empower people.
but to say the least as you become vulnerable with others and you express yourself and you build that physical closeness of sitting on a couch or being in the car, walking the street together, sharing activities, whether it's physical touch and quality time, physical touch and words of affirmation, physical touch.
gifts of like when you like connect and y'all have that static and yes, we know there's a scientific reason about it, but you be feeling like nah, that's just that chemistry. Um. You be intentional because as you see the world and get different perspectives, you see how touch plays a large factor in our international community, um, as well as the subcultures that we get to be a part of every day.
And when we go to work, go to school. And live our lives so all I can say is just intentional care for others and truly appreciate those moments of your safety of you of your comments of your collection really think about how you have given that to someone and how are you getting it may be Getting a dog which the pandemic made me get a dog.
Okay, that's neither here or there but as always please connect and follow me on my Instagram, Twitter Patreon accounts as you donate, I can grow, and we can grow together. Thank you.
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