Daily check-in for Tuesday. How are you doing?

A lot of people are struggling with the reduced amount of physical touch in their lives. This is a legitimate concern.

There's a ton of research out there confirming what your common sense already knows: human touch is important for physical and emotional health.

This is my constant reality. I used to love hugs and affection, but too many bad experiences have perverted things. I still crave that affection, but it's very difficult for me to receive it. It makes my skin crawl if someone casually touches or hugs me.

I believe I would be comfortable with physical touch from a romantic partner, but it's been a few years since I've been able to test that theory.

That lack of touch--be it affectionate or sexual--has emotional and physical health effects. I've been dealing with it for years (and it SUCKS) but you've probably noticed it after a few weeks of quarantine.

Pets can help. They're not a replacement for human touch, but they can still deliver that oxytocin.

If you are isolating with other people, I hope you're able to find physical comfort with one another. If you're isolating alone, I'm sorry. This is something Zoom and virtual cocktails can't fix.