10 Things Only People Who Hate Being Touched Will Understand

When you grow up in a setting where physical contact just isn’t a normal part of your life, neither with friends nor family, you start to develop a love for personal space.

It’s not that you dislike other people or hate being around them, it’s just that you’re not entirely comfortable letting them touch you as if it’s no big deal.

If you’re someone who just isn’t a fan of all of the hugging and touching that goes on outside of intimate relationships, you’ll probably understand these ten things:

1. Dislike of physical contact has become so ingrained in your being that you cannot physically bring yourself to hug anyone, nor do you really know how to hug anyone because of it.

2. Meet and greets are your worst nightmare; why doesn’t anyone just say hello, nod their head, or give a harmless wave?

3. If you had to pick a plant that best describes you, you’d definitely be a cactus.

4. You’ve got a bigger personal space bubble than the average person; way bigger.

5. You’ve developed specific methods of escaping physical contact that you utilize whenever someone gets too close too fast.

6. Your immense value for personal space means that people often think you’re a cold, mean person, when really all you care about is keeping them a comfortable distance away from you.

7. You loathe having to go crowded events or giant concerts where you’re squished in the middle of seven different people.

8. You think that whoever invented tickling should have the crap kicked out of them.

9. You’re terrible at comforting your friends when they need someone to lean on, because, well, you don’t want them to lean on you.

10. Going to the doctor’s office makes you cringe; honestly, don’t stick your finger anywhere near me.