'365 Days of Hugs': One mom's yearlong hug quest Can a hug a day keep the blues away? It can according to Melinda Schmitt of Raleigh, N.C., a mom and blogger who recently completed a self-imposed regimen of hugging as many people as possible for a full year. "Hugging has become a part of my life," she says in "365 Days of Hugs," a two-minute video profiling Schmitt and her hugging obsession. I won't ever stop doing this. I won't ever stop huggging strangers and people that I've just met. Because it is a complete lifestyle change. It feels so good, I just couldn't stop now. The video was posted to HooplaHa, a website founded in February that delivers one feel-good video a day. Schmitt chronicled of her year of hugs on her blog, where she also kept a tally of how many people she hugged along the way. By day 100 of her hugging journey, she had hugged 1,000 people, according to an article on newsobserver.com. Schmitt says her hug quest began after she moved to North Carolina from her native Connecticut. "When I moved to North Carolina, it felt so lonely because no matter how many people I met, I was missing the connection to family and friends back home, where we hugged often," she says in the video. So I challenged myself for an entire year to hug everyone I encountered and try to create that community that I missed from being back home. She also says that all the hugging has helped her be a happier person, made her family happier and inspired her friends to do more hugging as well. The video is shot in front of what appears to be a supermarket and features Schmitt hugging everyone who comes her way. A spokeswoman for HooplaHa said that "365 Days of Hugs" has been a very successful video for the site, but not its most successful. For now, that title goes to Baby Beatboxing. Focused or relaxed? Wearable plush cat ears reveal your mood