Wanting To Hug Everything

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Sometimes I want to hug random objects. For example, right now I’m wrapping Christmas presents, and I wanted to hug the Operation game (I had just finished crying, which could explain it, but it doesn’t explain other times). Once I finished wrapping it, I hugged it. I also hugged our Christmas tree a few days ago.

When I miss people I only talk to on my iPod, I hug my iPod. Last night, I even cuddled it while I was asleep.

I used to hug parts of our wall when I was about 10 or 11, which I knew was strange, but did anyway.

What could be making me do this? I tried looking on Google, but all I can find is things about hugging people.

I can think of some possibilities.

Could be a sensory thing, seeking touch stimulation. Do you want to feel the texure of whatever you’re hugging?

How do you feel if you resist the urge to hug? Do you have to hug a certin way, or certain number of times? If you get anxious, feel like something bad is going to happen, or have to hug a certain way, it could be an OCD thing.

If there’s not much anxiety involved, it could be a tic, similar to what is seen in Tourette’s. Especially if there’s not much thought involved, just sort of happens ”automatically”. Or if you can only control it shortly before it has to happen. Kind of like trying to stop yourself from blinking. Then again, sometimes OCD and tics are hard to seperate from each other.

As an infant grows up, they are generally placed in a dark quiet room by themselves to sleep. But the child wakes up in the night in fear and cries and screams. So, the parents routinely give the child a stuffed animal to sleep with. To the child the stuffed animal becomes a real protector of the night. But as the child grows, they are taught by society to discard the animal because it no longer becomes socially acceptable.

So you may need the feeling of hugging something, something that holds memories or feelings, like you did as a child.

Sounds like you just have an emotional connection to these inanimate objects and want to show it.

I think it is common for people on the spectrum to invest their emotions in inanimate objects rather than people.

I've had to curb that part of me as I became a bit of a hoarder.

This semester, a tea bottle has showed me more affection and warmth than any person on campus could've...

as well as a wolf plush of course.

Thanks for the replies, everyone. There are some interesting explanations that I hadn’t thought of.

When I hug a person (my family) I have a habit where I lightly tap my hand on their back a few times. I’m not sure why. I don’t think I do that if it’s a random thing that I’m hugging.

Sometimes I like putting my blanket over my head when I’m feeling anxious, or laying flat on the floor, so all of those could be sensory related if it has to do with pressure. Maybe hugging things is similar to that.

Tapping on the back means you subconsciously want them to stop hugging you.

The pressure of hugging random objects is comforting.

I always thought that was taking a hug to the next level , a hug and a pat on the back. Or possibly to make two men hugging feel more manly ? Maybe I've been wrong all these years , I don't do much hugging , hugging is not instinctive for me.

I also love to hug objects. I have stuffies. I love to cuddle them.

Im not a big fan of being hugged though. Touch is a consent thing with me.