Earlier this month I underwent a small surgical procedure. I am completely fine.
In normal times my husband would accompany me and hold my hand throughout. Covid times, no accompanying allowed.
In the beginning I was embarrassed to ask to hold someone’s hand.
As the procedure was progressing, and it was clear that the pain I had already endured is about to intensify, I was struggling.
I took a deep breath and asked to hold someone’s hand. Seconds later the kind nurse Nancy entered the room. In her masked face I could see the warm smile in her eyes. She grabbed a big dose of hand sanitizer and sanitized both of our hands. As she took my hand she said: “When I held a woman’s hand yesterday she told me that it was the first time she has had a human’s touch in months.” My heart pinched.
As I rested on the couch the next day, recovering and reflecting, 2 things really resonated with me:
1. Do not be shy to ask for help when you need it.
In my head, I was the only one who needed to hold someone’s hand to get through the procedure. In reality, this is quite common.
2. There are many very lonely people, yearning for humans’ touch, struggling through Covid.
Human touch is a basic need, it is fundamental to human communication, bonding, and health. We have to hug the people we can more, and make more of an effort to reach out to the people we currently can’t.