by Danielle Wright
Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels
Ever heard of, “The Rabbit”? Chances are, you have. It’s the sex toy mentioned in Sex and the City when Charlotte for the first time decides to masturbate after Miranda encourages it. But what is masturbation? Masturbation is the stimulation of the genitals with the hand for sexual pleasure. While almost everyone masturbates, there are a small few who do not.
When we think of masturbation it is easy to turn your lip in disgust, believing it to either be sinful, embarrassing, or downright unnecessary or come with serious disadvantages (Read Mr. Mind Blowing's piece) – especially if you are in a relationship or married. I once dated a guy who was both shocked and annoyed that I masturbated. His take was, “If a vibrator can pleasure you and make you orgasm then why am I here?” and the sad reality is, I did for a split second ponder the answer.
But as Charlotte stated, “I’m afraid that if I like it too much, I won’t want to have sex with a man anymore.” Truth be told, this can be a frightening thought. But no matter how much you masturbate nothing can replace physical contact, the smell of someone’s hair, the feeling of a person underneath or on top of you, or penetration.
Men masturbate. Women masturbate. Members of the LGBTQ masturbate. People of all ages masturbate. Some people masturbate a couple of times a day, while some only do it every once in a while. We are clear advocates of masturbation because this form of self-pleasure poses many pros.
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Masturbation is safer than any other type of sex. But if you use toys be sure to clean them after every use. Not cleaning your toys or sharing toys can lead to infection.
Masturbation can help you learn what you like and don’t like sexually. I am not a fan of someone playing with my breasts. I enjoy foreplay in other forms. Such as role-playing, spanking, fingering, and kissing, of course. However, it wasn’t until I started masturbating that I learned these things about myself and was therefore able to communicate this to my partner.
Plus, masturbating can help you get comfortable talking about sex and all else that comes with sexual intimacy between you and your partner. Men too can advocate their wants and needs far better when they are familiar with their bodies. Some men will mention to their partner how they like their blow jobs – whether firm or gentle. Hand jobs as well.
Exploring your body can be empowering. Knowing what turns you on and the fact that you can bring yourself to orgasm or ejaculate gives you a sense of peace. You are not someone who relies on outside help to feel good. Masturbation can also help with improving your body image. Confidence is king.
Masturbation can lower stress and help you relax. It even helps some people fall asleep. For adult sex toys online at amazing prices, we recommend Jack and Jill Adult. And if you want to explore a range of fantasy-themed sex toys, our top pick is Hankey's Toys.
Having an orgasm releases endorphins – feel-good chemicals in the brain and orgasms can be a natural painkiller and even help with period cramps.
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IS THERE SUCH THING AS MASTURBATING TOO MUCH?
College is where I first began masturbating and to be honest, I was doing it every night before bed. As aforementioned it can be a sleep aid. While there is no such thing as masturbating too much, there is such a thing as masturbation addiction. If you find yourself masturbating at work, school (during classes or in between), in public bathrooms, or if you find that your need to masturbate is interrupting your daily life, you my friend may be addicted to the feeling.
Masturbation addiction is a complex condition. In this case, you have developed a psychological, emotional, and physiological dependence on self-gratification. It is a chronic and progressive condition where individuals continue to masturbate despite personal and social consequences. This is treatable but for the sake of this article, I did have to mention that such an addiction is plausible.
For those who are not addicted to the feeling but perhaps are caught masturbating, it is nothing to feel ashamed or embarrassed about. Chances are, the person who caught you masturbates as well. If someone walks in on your masturbating, you can laugh it off or make a joke to help make it less awkward. However, this can depend on the circumstances, if you’re an addict and you’ve been caught masturbating in a public space it is important to have empathy for the person who caught you as the space is most likely inappropriate, and in some cases can be deemed sexual harassment.
While masturbation in and of itself is a healthy practice, excessive masturbation in public spaces may bring with it negative consequences. Our brain when stimulated to receive such pleasure can and will crave more of it. How you satiate your brain's desire for more is within your control. Like anything else, if something makes us feel good, we will naturally want more of it.
As with masturbation, it releases mood-enhancing hormones such as dopamine and oxytocin as well as cortisol, which assists with the regulation and maintenance of the immune system. But masturbation is not the only thing that can do this, exercising can as well. The benefits of exercising are similar and whether done in public or private is not a taboo practice.
Let us know in the comments below if you’re a fan of masturbating. If so, when was the first time you began?