Or taking the phrase ‘love yourself’ to another level 😉
- Wanking, flicking the bean, rubbing one off, or whatever you call it – masturbation is the act of stimulating yourself for erotic and sexual arousal. This can involve touching the clitoris, vulva, nipples, penis, anus, or any number of parts of your body! What ever makes you feel good is up to you, every body is different and unique.
Why do people masturbate?
- Well, for a lot of people, it feels great. Our bodies are capable of experiencing all different kinds of pleasure, and it’s exciting and empowering to explore that on your own.
- For many people, it is a way to explore your own body sexually in a safe and comfortable environment.
- There’s hundreds of reasons why people masturbate: it could be because it feels good, you want to get to know your body more, it helps relieve mental or physical pain, it helps you get to sleep, because you’re bored, because you’re horny – the list is endless!
Masturbation is completely normal
Some people don’t do it. Lots of people do. Some people masturbate daily, others only when the urge compels them. Research shows that all genders masturbate. Everyone is different, and no one should feel shame for doing it or for not doing it. We understand why you might feel shame for it though-we often aren’t told it’s normal, safe and OK!
Some people choose to use sex toys to masturbate, while other people are content with just their hands, fingers, or other objects like pillows. Understanding your own body through masturbation can also help you when it comes to communicating to your partner/s what you like, should you choose to have a partner/s. If you’re worried about how much you masturbate that’s ok. As we said masturbating is a normal part of being human and lots of people do it, and you shouldn’t feel shame about it.
Impacting your life negatively?
However, if it’s stopping you from doing things that you want to do like going to school or work or impacting your relationships then it may be good to talk to someone about it and support you to get the right balance for you. We have created a handy resource for you which lists some sex-positive and inclusive counsellors in the Boorloo (Perth) area. If you’re regional we recommend your local headspace or research counsellors or psychologists who advertise they are “sex positive”.
