Kabul Mehra on Medium has a lovely piece on a self-comfort technique you might find useful. I know I'm going to try it.

Why doesn't Medium make it easier to access a writer's friend link? I would have much preferred sending you the link.

Having said that, I thank you for this beautiful writing. I read it as I lay in my at-home hospital bed waiting for my aide to arrive. I'm turning 63 soon and I pretty much expect to live the rest of my life without being held. Holding and even hugging is difficult when wheelchairs and hospital beds factor into the equation. But we'll see. God is infinitely more powerful than my puny human expectations!