"Hi, hello, can I please get a hug?"
A young digital creator approaches people and asks them for hugs; this time, she is rejected by a policeman.
Sometimes, all you need is a hug...
Hugs are notorious for the warm, tender, positive, and comforting feeling they give. They can calm an overwhelmed person and even help convey a range of emotions without saying a word.
But as comforting as they can be, they can also make some people awkward and be invasive to others. The rules about hugging are not always finite, but the general rule of thumb is that if you are leaning in for a hug and the other person is not reciprocating, then let it go.
A digital creator, Zayda Bratz, is known for asking people she passes for hugs. Sometimes, she receives a warm reception; other times, not so much.
But for the most part, the messaging behind her asking people for hugs is positive and helps us effect change in our attitudes toward mental health and loneliness.
The pandemic reminded us that loneliness is real, and as much as it may be ugly, we don't have to ignore it. Facing our loneliness with others means we are not alone in it. Zayda's digital content may be driven by gaining traction on her channels, but it has a sentiment that is appreciated and needed in South Africa.
Watch a video she shared recently that shows her asking a police officer for a hug - courtesy of Instagram.
Here's another video of her asking a SANDF man for a hug - courtesy of Instagram.
You can see that this man is self-aware; the fact that he was in a hurry but still stopped and listened to her, hugged her, and even advised her to have some water was positively refreshing.
Let's normalise being kind. Yes, we do live in a world that is unpredictable, but we also live in one of the friendliest countries in the world.
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Image Courtesy of Instagram