The Surprising Perks of Hugging Trees When You’re Lonely

October 23, 2021 — If you’re feeling lonely, and you don’t have a human to hug, trees are always there to cheer you up.

Even as an introvert, I gotta say…it’s been a rough two years for human connection.

At first, I didn’t mind all the Covid restrictions, because I was pencil-deep in my 365 Comics challenge — just sitting at home cranking out artwork.

But that got old fast as social distancing became emotional distancing, and simply starting a conversation with someone felt like climbing the fence of a maximum security prison, while yelling: “I just want to talk!”

More than that though, I had this acute sense of physical loneliness, which brings to mind the Alabama Shakes lyric…

“I want to touch a human being!”

Hack: Hug a Tree

Six months into the Coronapocalypse, I was wandering around my backyard feeling lonely when I was suddenly hit with the impulse to hug someone.

There was no one in the vicinity, so I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around the nearest beech tree.

At first it felt ridiculous, but then this sense of calm came over me — like I was absorbing the roots and the bark and all the life that flowed…