This term is used to describe the imagining of a sexual activity in order to get sexual arousal. It is done by all ages of people and is gender-neutral. Also, it is a perfect and healthy way for a person who wants to express their sexuality. But mental masturbation has negative aspects as well when it is used as an alternative in exchange for real-life encounters. People involved in excessive mental masturbation become disinterested in intercourse with their partners in real life and the whole process becomes difficult.
It is important to keep in mind that excessive indulgence in mental masturbation can lead to potential negative consequences. It leads to an increase in feelings of guilt and shame.
Benefits
There are benefits to mental masturbation that include :
- Help to reduce stress and anxiety.
- Help in exploring one’s sexuality and learning more about one’s own sexual fantasies.
- Help with getting turned on before having intercourse with a real partner.
- Helpful in maintaining one’s sexual arousal when one is not able to have intercourse with one partner.
- Helping in improving one’s sexual performance.
- Helping in boosting one’s mood and self-esteem.
Risks
There are potential risks from excessive mental masturbation is involved, like :
- Leading to a decrease in interest in having intercourse with real partners.
- Have difficulty achieving orgasm during intercourse with a real partner.
- It induces feelings of guilt or shame.
- One becomes addictive/habitual
- It slows down progress and hampers one’s relationships and other aspects of one’s life.
Excessive Mental Masturbation
The amount of mental masturbation, which, can be considered “excessive” depends on the person varies from person to person. However, some signs that can warn you that you may be engaging in excessive mental masturbation include:
- Finding that you are fantasizing more than you act with your partner.
- Have difficulty getting aroused during intercourse with your partner.
- Feel guilty or ashamed of your act
- Your mental masturbation is interfering with your relationships or other aspects of your life.
Reduce Mental Masturbation
To the victims of mental masturbation. It often flares up when we experience heightened life stress. It can be helpful to us in distracting us from our real-world problems. There are some ways that can help in prevention :
Identify your triggers: Try to understand the triggering point and start to avoid or develop coping strategies
Self control : Self awareness get skewed once the frequency of engaging in mental masturbation increases. This also cause one to neglect very important decision , practicing patience , fact checking disruptive thoughts. For regain self control one should get habit of recording ideas in journal , like thought that crossed the mind and double checking the worthiness of those ideas. One study that is published in the Journal of Research in Personality found that one should focus on ideas more that is a combination of what you feel like doing and things you are more interested in.
Set limits for yourself: Setting a limit to get engage in metal masturbation and stop at the moment the limit is crossed
Ways to deal with stress and anxiety
There are many different ways to help cope with stress and anxiety, like doing exercise . There are a few relaxation techniques that are easy to use , spending some time with your family and developing new hobbies.
Talk to a therapist: It is best, one talk to a therapist if one is struggling to reduce mental masturbation by themselves.
Set realistic goals: Instead of thinking, one should sit down and calm and write down the value, reason for pursuing the idea , its possible benefits and risks and the purpose of the idea. Then create a SMART goal that is linked with the answers. A SMART goal is:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
A study published in Psychological Bulletin revealed that making specific and challenging goals definitely increases your chances of achieving your goals by motivating you to spend more of your mental capacity on trying to achieve them. Specific and challenging goals are more likely to be achieved than goals that are too easy .
Mental masturbation can be a healthy way to express one’s sexuality and to boost one’s sexual arousal. However, it is important to be mindful of the potential negative consequences of excessive mental masturbation. If you are concerned that you may be engaging in excessive mental masturbation, it is important to talk to a trusted friend, family member, or mental health professional. Don’t let brain distracted and be focused on your goals . Sticking goals and practicing self-control will definitely let you climb the ladder of success . Mental masturbation is imaginative and fulfilling use of your time, but remember when and how to return to reality.
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