Friday Five: Why Self-Pleasure?
Self-pleasure is often overlooked or stigmatized. Yet, it can offer a safe and empowering space for self-discovery without inhibition or shame.
Keep reading to discover 5 tips to embrace self-pleasure.🔥
1. Helps You Know YOU
While self-pleasure plays a key rol in understanding and connecting with our own bodies, fostering a sense of self-confidence by providing us with the knowledge and experience to advocate for our sexual needs and desires.
Through solo exploration, we can uncover what pleases us, learn about our uniqueerogenous zones, and cultivate a deeper connection with ourselves.
2. Helps You Stay Mindful
Masturbation is a way of practicing mindfulness as it prompts us to focus on our bodily sensations and breath, bringing us to stay present in the moment.
If you find it easier to go the other way around, you can incorporate mindfulness into masturbation to deepen the experience and enhance overall well-being. Mindful masturbation can promote relaxation, reduce stress, and increase sexual satisfaction.
Breathing techniques can enhance your orgasmic experience. Check out our interview with Denell Nawrocki to learn more. ⬇
3. Free Fantasizing
“Sexual fantasies say a lot about the emotional places we go to in our minds.”
― Roberto Hogue, Real Secrets of Sex: A Women's Guide on How to Be Good in Bed
Self-pleasure provides a unique opportunity to explore fantasies and deepest desires while replacing judgment with curiosity, allowing you to visualize freely a wide range of sexual scenarios as you go about pleasing yourself.
While you may not yet feel comfortable exploring these with a partner or sharing them openly with others, masturbation will allow you to experiment with different sensations as you explore your mind, noticing which mental images enhance your sessions and heighten your pleasure.
4. Catching Up with Tech
Sex toys—including vibrators, dildos, and lubricants—can significantly enhance solo sexual experiences as they allow you to enjoy sensations and textures that only tech can create; sex toys can always spice things up and bring novelty.Experimenting with different pleasure products can also prove helpful for those who find it challenging to touch themselves; toys can be a great way to start that pleasure conversation with your body without having to do something that feels awkward or uncomfortable.Buying your first-ever sex toy can feel intimidating, especially with the endless options out there. Here is a simple guide to ease into it.⬇
5. Learning Your Aftercare Needs
We all need something different after sex, and not many of us know what that is—some need a bath and alone time, some need cuddles and a glass of water.After self-pleasure, explore different self-care activities to nurture your body and mind. Take a warm bath, practice gentle stretching, or indulge in a favorite treat—notice what you are often in the mood for, and what feels best for your body.
Aftercare promotes relaxation, reduces post-play tension, and reinforces feelings of self-love and acceptance. For a deeper exploration of the importance of sexual pre-care and aftercare, consider delving into our guide on...
