Our hands are evolutionary marvels. They empower us to touch and feel, to create and communicate, to experience and move life into being. Our hands were our first sophisticated instruments, our most trusted tools. They can even replace our eyes as ways to perceive the world.
Our fingers carry our own unique mark in the form of a fingerprint. It has never been formed before and will never be formed again. Even if you share a name with a thousand other people in this world, your fingerprint is all your own.
Also, it was the gesturing with our hands that led to the development of human language and communication all those millions of years ago. This is something that every parent knows, right? My 1-year old can communicate an incredible number of things with his tiny little fingers. His hand gesturing is a critical step as he develops language – and his hands will continue to play an indisputable role as he learns the written word. You can say that our hands made us human just as much as our upright gait. Without them, who would we be?
Today I took a moment to really gaze at my hands and thank them. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to work more with my hands these days.
The hand-brain connection
Working with our hands stimulates the intellectual parts of our brains for a very simple reason – it’s biologically appropriate for humans to be physically engaged and active. Working with my hands gets my brain going, many people have said. By “shutting off our brains” and doing something active, pleasurable or meditative with our hands, we can tap into those deep, primal centers where big problems are solved and breakthroughs can occur.
From The Future of Work Is In Our Hands
The hand-brain connection is a crucial alliance for human beings. It creates a positive feedback loop that not only stimulates brain development, but also positive feelings of well-being. Working with our hands produces endorphins and reduces stress. It creates new neural connections and boosts neuroplasticity.
Unfortunately, this is not something we can get from computer work. Only through the manual, creative acts of making and transforming – getting our hands dirty. Shaping bread dough, modeling clay, planting seeds in the soil, foraging, weaving a basket together, whittling wood into a spoon, playing an instrument, building a shelf, or even a snowman… Anything that involves the axis our eye, hand, and brain in its perfect intellectual and emotional “constellation” will give us some serious benefits.
Removing all of the analog, hands-on tasks from our life would go against our very nature. So the next time you’re sitting in front of a computer screen and feel very restless, agitated or stuck, try taking a break and doing something with your hands. Chop up some veggies, fix that broken bicycle chain, scrub some dishes… even simple tasks such as these can be helpful. In the process, you may even find that you solve a problem, or at least gain some fresh energy.
“We cannot separate what nature has put together. By considering physical life on one side and mental life on the other we break the cycle of relation, and the actions of man remain generally separated from the brain…. Mind and movement are two parts of a single cycle, and movement is the superior expression.”
Maria Montessori, Education for a New World
More on this in The Future of Work Is In Our Hands, which is still one of my favorite posts ever.
Taking care of our hands
We use our hands for every single thing. No other body part is as busy, or as often ignored. They are the first area to show signs of aging, and they are a big part of the first impression we make with others. Since they give us so much, how should we give back to them?
A little time and TLC can go a long way. Especially as the pandemic had/has us scrubbing and sanitizing around the clock. Many have experienced painfully dry skin, which is actually breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. Remember that your skin is a big part of your overall defense system. Hydrated skin = healthy skin = better overall health.
I have lots of hand care tips around here on the journal, but some quick tips:
- Choose natural skin-friendly soaps that won’t strip all of the lipids and beneficial bacteria from your skin. The best soaps will help lock in moisture rather than stripping. Definitely no dish soap, k guys?
- Try to opt for good soaps instead of harsh, alcohol-based hand sanitizers. If you must use sanitizer, use one that’s loaded with glycerin.
- After washing, do not aggressively rub hands on rough towels. Simply shake them or pat them dry, but do not dry them completely. Apply a moisturizer when skin is clean and still slightly damp.
- Moisturize often with butter- and oil-based hand creams as they’re far more effective than water based lotions. Hand creams are most effective when applied to clean, damp hands rather than bone dry hands.
- Exfoliate weekly. You can make a simple hand exfoliator with ground coffee, ground oats, or even sugar mixed together with coconut oil or olive oil until it forms a paste. Add honey or aloe vera if you want. Gently rub into hands for a couple of minutes, rinse and pat dry. Slather on your moisturizer. I love to do this at night just before bed.
My hand care ritual
Cleansing: Wyld hand & body soaps. They just never get old. We rotate between all 4 scents depending on the season and our mood.
Exfoliating: caffeine skin polishing oil is my to-go most often, as I’m already using it twice per week on my face. It’s so easy to take the excess from my face and exfoliate my hands with it, and the results are great! But again, you can easily DIY this by mixing together finely ground coffee (or oats, or sugar) with a bit of your favorite oil (like olive or melted coconut oil) until it forms a paste. Add 1/2 teaspoon of aloe vera gel or raw honey if you want. Or add a drop of your favorite essential oil for a luxurious experience, taking a moment to really take in the scents and textures. Rinse off, pat dry, and apply your hand cream while hands are still slightly damp.
Moisturizing: We have all the wyld creams around our home and office – one of the perks of the job! The bare naked body cream is always a win. If my hands have been working hard or feel especially dry, I’ll often reach for the wonder balm or tallow tamanu cream. If I want to boost my mood and feel extra lovely, then I’ll use the grapefruit vanilla whipped body lotion.
Take a moment to gaze at the sheer wonder that your hands are and all they do. Honor them, care for them, and always use them for good.
