Pre-pandemic I embraced personal space. Now I want to keep friends close

Lockdown brought relief at being able to skip unwanted hugs ... until I craved connection

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Pre-pandemic, I didn't really distinguish between a hug from a loved one and a bodily restraint. My reluctance to be embraced was well known to friends and family, and immediately obvious to anyone who tried.

You stood as far away as a person can stand from another person, while in physical contact with them," a boyfriend once said of our first date.