I’m Pete Carr. Each week I talk about mental health, autism, show some photos from my travels and talk about geeky things. 

Hello friend. What a week. Oh damn what a week. Remember it is ok to not be ok. Something I’ve been seeing a lot is people sending hugs. The gesture is appreciated in “these unusual times” but not everyone is good with a hug. There’s the complexity of etiquette. How long do you hug before it becomes weird? Where do you put your arms? Do you rub? Squeeze? Make sounds? On top of all that some people have sensory issues and they don’t like to be touched. So your gesture of support can actually be upsetting to others. 

I have grown to tolerate hugs but I’d prefer a thoughtful head nod or cash. Still, it got me thinking about the amount of times I see hugs on Discord, Twitch, Twitter, etc. The thought is appreciated but the contact isn’t. So I now say “contactless gesture of emotional support”. Catch eh? CGES. Yeah that needs work.