Do you hug your Dolls when you are upset/lonely?

I always have him near me when im sad, even if its to just watch me cry, although he sits on my lap and gives a good cuddle when I'm really down.

 

Not really when I'm sad or alone, but I do hug Nathanial a lot. Mainly he sits beside my mattress on the floor and I place my finger in his hand so his fingers wrap round mine. It makes me feel so much better if I'm down.
With Nathanial though, I do lie him beside me once I reach exhaustion, and need a lie-down to perk back up again, Nate lies beside me, and having something to gently hold as I nap is so relaxing~!

I would be so lost without Nate sometimes!

 

No I don't hug my dolls as they aren't cuddly, but I do carry them around with me and change their outfit etc which cheers me up.

I hug my cat hehe, or my toys seal or toy bunny.

 

Nope. Granted I love my dolls to death to me thought they are a really wicked form of art. I use them as models for making cloths and pose them for when I’m practicing to draw a particular hard pose. I give name and personalities base Ion the character I pick them for but that about it. Or maybe when I am particularly proud of how well something turned out BJD related and they happen to be the humanoid form. I think it’s because I have a very warm snugly dog and boyfriend . . .

 

None of my dolls come out with me, no. Not unless it's a doll-related event (con, meetup, friend's house visit). Definitely not to work or play. But then, I was never the kind of kid who could keep track of her teddybear, & always kept leaving the blankie behind everywhere - security-objects never managed to stick to me. ^^ Always the lone traveller.

But at home, it is a different story. After a rough day, I grab my EID Akando and I squeeze him on my lap and I nuzzle the top of his head. xD He's a big sturdy bugger, weighs 7 pounds, and fills up my arms. He can take a lotta love. You just cannot hug a 10cm Tiny or an MSD, it simply doesn't work. Plus-sized guys make the best woobies. And a quick woobie-break is good for you now & then.

Eventually, though, it's time to put down the toys & get back to filing my taxes, doing my laundry, balancing my checkbook, yelling at Frontline on TV, or whatever onerous Grownup task I had been doing that made me say "I want my dolly!" in the first place.

 

Yup. Me too. I have intermittent agoraphobia. It's not fear of open spaces (empty open spaces are heavenly), it's anxiety caused by the people in the streets and in shops and in restaurants. I've never taken my doll out with me -- for the very good reason that I only got her last Friday -- but I do take shawls, spun and knitted by me. Almost literal security blankets. Somehow wearing something I've knitted myself feels like armour against the potentially stressful situation. A doll might be even better as a source of support and protection. I think I might join you and get a lovely little tiny that can fit in my handbag.

And talking of handbags -- why do so many women, including me, carry round big handbags full of stuff they don't need? I wouldn't be surprised if on some level they find just having their stuff with them makes them feel comforted and more secure. I don't say that's the reason for everybody but I'm sure that's true of me and I doubt I'm the only one. Taking a doll with you is a more focussed way (and probably more effective way) of doing the same thing. Thanks for the idea!

 

I really sympathise and relate to this. I've been going through a highly stressful time recently that has led to alot of anxiety and I do find myself clinging to things. While I don't have a bjd, my boyfriend has bought me a Woody doll collectors edition and he now goes everywhere with me! >,< He's just the right size to sneak into my rucksack. I think anything that helps you get through the day without hurting you or others has always got to be a good thing. And by the way I'm not a child either-- I'm nearly 25!!

 

There was sort of a thread like this, dolls as therapy. I have social anxiety, SPD and I'm bipolar. I'm 28 and married and have kids. Usually just going out there is too much going on for me to be able to take even a small doll with me (I don't have pukis they are too small for me personally to attach to). However when I go places like anime conventions I always take a doll with me, the larger the better. The reason for this is because they keep me calm. There is something about the weight and the smooth feeling of the resin that I find very comforting. Usually I find it impossible to get through a convention. Because of my sensory issues I get very overwhelmed at a convention. I cannot process what is going on around me and separate important information from unimportant information, it all hits me at once. There is just so much going on, all of the lights and people and sounds (sound effects me the most followed closely by light and touch) I overload quickly. I used to spend the majority of any convention clinging to my hubby in a state of panic. Since I started collecting BJD's and taking them with me I don't have so much trouble. When I start to feel over whelmed or panicky I just rub my doll's hands or stomach and I feel better. I don't feel nearly as over stimulated as quickly nor do I feel as anxious about interacting with people at conventions as I used to. I don't get that sheer exhausted feeling I used to get from being there, or that fear that I'm going to get separated from my husband and get lost which at my age just seems silly anyway. I don't typically take my dolls out with me other places, but when I am feeling particularly anxious I may drag one around the house with me or take one out with me if I can manage it. It all just kind of depends on where I am going and if I can manage the kids and a doll.

 

I take a doll with me to two of my classes- and only those two. I have some pretty serious people-issues as well (I'm very much an introvert and bipolar, to boot) and being out in public makes me anxious. I'm always super careful with my boys, too. They're just nice to have around during class so I can fiddle with them while I work and forget that I'm in a room full of people I don't know, nor want to get to know. I also tend to lug one or two around with me, maybe have them sit on my desk while I'm doing homework, or cuddled up with me in my pillows while I read or draw or something. They may be MSD sized, but I find them perfectly cuddle-able, and they're nice companions when I don't want to be around actual people.

 

I feel a bit like an odd duck here.
Dolls don't function as a comforting item at all.
I don't bring them to school or whatever. Mostly only to doll-related events.
Even at home they're not my stress relievers.

I don't find comfort in items at all.
My bed maybe. It's the place where I cry. That is what relieves my stress when I don't want to talk to people.

Maybe it'll change when I'm able to drag them around the house freely without having to worry about smoke. =/

 

The only comfort item I have is my baby blanket - mind you, I'm 20 and I still have it. I sleep with it.

Maybe when I get my Pukis I'll take them places, but we'll see. To school, possibly. To work, heck no because someone might punch them or sit on them, or they'll fall out of my pocket while I'm running... yeah, too dangerous.

I could keep one in my purse, though, because I keep that in my locker! Hmm, I'll just have to wait and play it by ear.

 

for me they aren't really a source of comfort but they do make me happy inside when i hold them.
I don't take my dolls anywhere cause i'm afraid they'll get hurt or get stolen or lost or something like that.

 

I think dolls can definitely be a source of comfort, but I second the warning about carrying them around as such. My wallet was stolen a couple of days ago, and I'd had it for five years and carried some sentimental things in there. They were all completely worthless as far as monetary gain for someone else goes and there were only six dollars in the wallet, but sh*t happens. Things get lost, stolen, misplaced, etc. Whoever it was did try to get $300 off my debit card at an ATM, but of course they didn't have my PIN (don't keep your PIN in your wallet!!) It was bad enough losing something important that didn't cost several hundred dollars. So yeah, basically if you want to carry a doll around, I would make it a small one and physically attach it to your pants or something

 

That is a definite yes. I think I hold them actually more than "hug" them. If I get down, I just will pick her up and go around doing whatever I was doing with her in my arms. Sometimes, just bringing her into the different rooms at my place when I am watching TV, doing some art, doing my computer work; helps too.

 

Yup, I carry my Abadon around the house with me, especially on the days I'm home alone (no classes) since it's odd being there without anyone, I just don't like it. >.< Kros is SD13 sized, so very huggable. He's such a special character of mine, so I tend to gravitate to him the most. I usually pose him near me or pet his soft head. Sometimes I forget I'm carrying him around the house and my bro will ask why he's with me. Sometimes you just need that stable security force to hold on to.

Not that I don't love my other dolls, but the MSDs and smaller aren't the best to hold on to (altough my tiny moves around with me quite a bit) and I'm too worried about damaging my 70cm guy, I couldn't get another! (Plus, two of my family members don't know I have him yet )

 

i do like to hold her, but not necesarily hug. just the feel of her weight and the resin is comforting to me somehow. helps me to focus and center my emotions. but i save the squeezing & snuggling for my copious stuffed animals.

 

My dolls are certainly big resin security blankets for me, I don't feel the need to carry them around with me any more (they stay in my room on their shelves unless I'm taking photos) but when I'm in need of a bit of comfort I'll make a bee-line for one of them. Usually Connor.

 

Hmm... I hugged my little girl when the electricity is died & I'm all alone at home. XD;;

 

No, I don't since they're not cuddly.
I hug dogs, stuffed animals and husbands, when feeling upset.

 

Add cats to this list, and that'd be me, too. I don't really hug my dolls (since none of mine would be the right size), but I do like to keep them near me.