Sexual Self-Care – Nurturing Your Sexual Well-Being for Enhanced Satisfaction
Self-Sexual care has become one of the hottest buzzwords. It’s often associated with things like face masks, yoga, and mental health days off.
But sexual self-care is also essential. It involves learning about your body, educating yourself on sexual health, and checking in with your sexual preferences (which may change over time)!
Exercise
When we think about self-care, things like facials, massages, mental health days, and practicing kindness come to mind. However, sexual self-care is also an important component of overall health and can improve your quality of life in a number of ways.
For example, regular exercise can help to increase libido, orgasm, and overall sexual satisfaction by improving blood flow to the body. It can also help to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, which can have an impact on sex drive.
It can also help to build self-esteem and body awareness by allowing individuals to rediscover the pleasure that their bodies are capable of. Integrating masturbation into a routine can be a great way to do this, as it is often steeped in pleasure and a deep connection with one’s own body. More solution: cenforce | cenforce 100mg | cenforce 25mg | cenforce 120mg Ultimately, this is an act of self-care that can lead to greater intimacy in relationships and more satisfying sexual experiences.
Eat Right
When people think of self-care, they often think of massages, facials, yoga, and taking a mental health day from work. But sexual self-care should also be a priority –
- and it looks different for everyone. It could mean trying a new lubricant or position, or it might involve making time to talk about your sexual preferences.
Food is a big part of sexual wellness, too. A well-balanced diet that is high in nutrient-rich foods can help boost libido and enhance pleasure.
For instance, a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids (such as fish, nuts, and seeds) and L-arginine can enhance libido in both men and women by promoting healthy blood flow. Other nutrients that enhance sex drive include vitamins B and E, potassium, zinc, magnesium, and selenium.
Also, seeing a doctor regularly for routine physicals and reproductive health exams is important to sexual self-care. This helps you to identify and address potential issues before they become serious.
Sleep
Sleep has a profound effect on our moods and emotions, including sexuality. Insufficient or disturbed sleep has been linked to low libido, erectile dysfunction, and other sexual problems.3 By prioritizing a good night’s sleep, you can help ensure a healthy libido and optimal sexual function.
Getting enough sleep can improve your mental health, boost libido, and make it easier to get orgasm. It also reduces stress, which can negatively impact sex drive.
Sexual activity, both sex with a partner and masturbation, can also increase sex drive and promote orgasm by releasing the feel-good hormone oxytocin. It can also lower stress levels, which is one of the main causes of insomnia.
If you struggle with insomnia or sexual dysfunction, talk to a doctor about it. There are a variety of treatments available, from prescription medications to herbal remedies. In addition, therapists can address psychological issues that may be contributing to these issues.
Take Care of Your Health
In the self-care movement, we often hear about skincare routines, ice baths, and meditation, but sexual wellness is not always prioritized. Sexual self- care can look like many different things, from making a playlist to inspire pleasure or journaling to explore sexual likes and dislikes to proactively checking in on your sex preferences.
Taking care of yourself also includes addressing physical arousal by getting enough exercise. Regular physical activity promotes blood flow, which helps with sexual arousal and can protect against heart disease and some forms of cancer.
Make sure to get your regular check-ups, which can help you address issues that may impact your sexual arousal (or create barriers to arousal), such as STIs or unplanned pregnancies. It’s also important to communicate with your medical professional in a way that makes you feel seen, heard, and understood. This could mean using real names for body parts that are pretty awesome (quick anatomy lesson: the vagina, vulva, clitoris, and sex) or asking your medical professional to help you find healthy sexual pleasure.
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present in a moment. It’s often associated with meditation, but it can also be used to practice sexual self- care. To do this, simply bring your attention to your body and senses during masturbation or sex. It’s important to practice this technique because it helps you stay in the moment and can increase pleasure.
Another aspect of sexual self-care involves rediscovering your body and all its beauty. This could include masturbating more regularly, trying a new lubricant or sex position, or even getting a massage. This can help you become more aware of what you like and dislike about sex, which will help you communicate that to your partners.
This also includes building a healthy connection to your female genitals, especially if you’ve received low- quality sex education or negative messaging about your body in the past. Rebuilding this connection can help you move beyond shame and regain your power.
Practice Self-Compassion
Self-compassion is one of the hottest wellness buzzwords of our time. It has been linked with better health and wellbeing, including sexual well-being.
Sexual self-care can look like masturbation or orgasms, but it’s important not to limit ourselves to those things. It can also mean practicing vulva self -love, exploring new ways to experience pleasure, or learning about your sex preferences and understanding that they may change over time.
The key to practicing self-compassion is noticing when your automatic thoughts (the negative, critical voices in our heads) are surfacing and replacing them with compassionate ones. One way to do that is keeping a thought journal, where you write down your original thought and then analyze it to see if it holds up against logic. Ultimately, retraining our thinking can help us feel more accepting and grounded, which is vital for sexual well-being.
Take Care of Your Emotions
Incorporating sexual self-care can feel challenging at first. But, it doesn’t have to be a big thing right away. Start with one small step, like experimenting with a new lubricant or sex toy or focusing on pleasure in more ways when masturbating.
It’s also important to communicate your health-conscious choices to your sexual partners (without shame). This can include using condoms and avoiding sexual activities with known STI carriers or those who have not been tested for them.
And, remember to check in on your sexual preferences over time. It’s normal for them to change over the years, especially after breast cancer treatment or if you have had a mastectomy.
Practice Self-Care in Relationships
While “self- care” has become one of the biggest buzzwords in recent years, many people still don’t think about sexual wellness as part of their self-care routine. But the truth is, your sex life is a crucial aspect of your overall well-being!
Practicing sexual self- care can help you build your sense of pleasure and reconnect with your body. It can also be a way to release feel-good hormones, such as oxytocin and dopamine.
If you’re a woman, it’s important to take care of your reproductive health by regularly visiting a doctor for a physical and pelvic exam. These exams, often referred to as “well-woman visits,” can help you navigate menstrual and hormonal changes, STI/STDs and fertility questions, and more.
It’s also a great idea to practice communicating clearly with your partner about sexual and romantic preferences. This will ensure that you’re both on the same page and can maximize satisfaction in your relationship!
Practice Self-Care in Your Relationships
When it comes to sexual self-care, there is a lot that can be done to improve one’s experience and health. This can include everything from a regular masturbation routine to experimenting with fun lubes to finding ways to communicate and discuss intimate topics in more open, honest conversations.
It is also important to practice safer sex, which can mean using barrier methods, sharing STI/STD and HIV test results with partners and being sure to ask about partner history and sex practices before engaging. It can also involve making sure to schedule routine doctor’s appointments to check for STIs, sexually transmitted infections and cancers, as well as visit for general health screenings.
Just like we’ve all learned with maintaining a healthy workout regime or daily meditation practice, establishing a routine for these new behaviors is key to success. So, be sure to add them to your calendar and treat them like any other important appointment.