How to Control Masturbation: Here Are 9 Tips that Will Help You

Masturbation is a healthy and pleasurable activity. It is normal and, in fact, essential for maintaining sexual health. But an excess of anything is detrimental, and in this article, you will learn why masturbation addiction among women is unhealthy and how to control it. Unfortunately, there are numerous myths surrounding the effect of female masturbation on ovulation, pregnancy, and infertility. We’re here to debunk those too. You can also learn about a type of masturbation called water masturbation.

Causes of Masturbation

Masturbation is touching yourself for sexual pleasure or release. This is a completely normal activity, whether you are sexually active with other people or not. Even though many people don’t talk about it, lots of people masturbate! Masturbating is a common practice for people of any gender or age.

According to a study, even before puberty, while exploring their bodies, children sometimes find that touching their genitals gives them a pleasant feeling. Genitals are the external sex and reproductive organs, like the vulva, penis, and scrotum.

People masturbate for different reasons. Here are a few causes of masturbation:

It relieves stress and promotes relaxation
It helps understand the body better
It liberates sexual tension

Many people think that masturbation is only something you do when you don’t have a sex partner. But that’s far from the truth. It is common for people in relationships to masturbate to please themselves and explore.

Yes, it is seen that some people masturbate often, others rarely, and some people don’t masturbate at all, which is completely alright. Every person has their own reason for masturbation, as it is all about pleasing themselves. It is a personal call, and there’s no “normal” way to go about it.

How to Control Masturbation

1. Be Busy

Having numerous things to do on your list will surely help you not think about masturbating. As they say, an idle mind is a devil’s workshop. If you do not have anything to do, the chances of masturbating increase.

2. Wear Extra Clothes at Night

When you wear extra layers or the type of clothes that don't provide you with easy access to your genitals, it will make it difficult for you to masturbate.

3. Be Patient

Breaking a habit is not a one day job, in fact, it can take 18-254 days. If you try to over-control yourself, you may end up spending more time masturbating. A better approach is to try reducing the frequency, like from once a week to once a fortnight. This will allow your body and mind to adjust to the changes.

4. Limit your Alone Time

Try to move activities you’d normally perform alone into a more public space. For instance, if you like to watch sports, go to a sports bar or pub instead of staying home. If you enjoy reading books, go to a cafe or a library. Keep yourself around people to avoid masturbation.

5. Regular Exercise

Exercising, like masturbation and sex, causes the release of endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine. This helps reduce stress, and hence, the need to masturbate when stressed. You can do simple exercises like running, cycling, or swimming as a part of your morning routine. At least 30 minutes every day will do you good.

How to Quit Masturbation

1. Find a Therapist

If you are having trouble quitting or reducing your frequency of masturbation, you can talk with your doctor. According to a study, talking to a doctor will help you receive the help you need through a counsellor, psychologist, or psychiatrist who specialises in sexual health, depending on your need. These specialists are trained to assist people with their sexual health concerns and can offer recommendations.

2. Stop Watching Pornography

Exposure to pornography highly triggers the desire to masturbate. Those who want to quit masturbating should avoid pornographic movies, images, and websites. Putting a barrier on pornography can help you quit this habit quickly. To do so, you can limit your access to pornography by using filters on electronic devices that barricade such types of content.

3. Stay Active

If you keep yourself active and busy with something interesting and productive, the thought of masturbation won’t trigger the mind. Channelising energy into more productive things can replace the time spent masturbating. Take up a new hobby or learn a new skill, such as painting, writing or some sports.

4. Find a Support Group

There are various support groups for people with out-of-control sexual behaviour seeking help. You can ask your doctor or therapist if there’s a support group in your area to help. Likewise, online support groups may be beneficial for people who can’t meet in in-person to the support groups.

How to Stop Thinking About Masturbation

Controlling thoughts is not an easy task. You can stop thinking about masturbation if you follow the below steps and bring dedication and discipline to your life.

Start maintaining distance from pornography and other things that arouse you sexually.
Start engaging yourself in something interesting, and brainy.
Keep your phone and laptop aside 1 hour before you go to sleep.
Prefer books over spending time on digital platforms.
Start focusing on health and make exercise and meditation a part of your daily routine.
If you are interested in spirituality, you can even read the holy books.
Channelize your energy in productive ways. This will help you in giving a break to the thought of masturbating.

Why You Must Control Masturbation

Don't think of how to quit masturbation. Quitting means putting a full stop to masturbation. There is no need for that. There is a difference between stopping and regulating masturbation.

Stopping or quitting masturbation is not beneficial. If you are addicted to something, trying to stop it completely will lead to a full-blown relapse. And you'll have to start from square one again.

Regulating, however, means gradually practising things that will help you in the long run. The methods mentioned above, like avoiding pornography, staying active, and seeking help, ease the situation slowly and steadily and produce long-term benefits.

The Simple Psychology of Masturbation Addiction

To understand how to control masturbation, you must know that masturbation releases two main hormones in the body: dopamine and endorphins. Dopamine is the happy hormone that is released during masturbation. Endorphins, the stress-relieving and relaxing hormones, are released after achieving orgasm.

When you depend solely on masturbation to give you these feelings, it will lead to addiction. These hormones are also released during exercise and workouts, indulging in a hobby, spending time with loved ones, etc. You need to practise and not depend entirely on masturbation for a happy and relaxed feeling.

Side Effects of Masturbation

Excessive masturbation comes with a lot of side effects.

1. Physical Side Effects

Masturbation can result in physical side effects like edema, rawness and extreme genital irritation from too much friction. Edema means when body parts swell due to infection or inflammation.

2. Psychological Side Effects

Psychologically speaking, excessive masturbation is a fight on the inside. It can also lead to extreme feelings of guilt that can make the person feel sad or negative about themselves. Unnecessary guilt could lead to depression and phobia and also affects the way one behaves in society.

3. Behavioural Side Effects

Your perception of certain phenomena begins to change, and you would witness behavioural changes such as religious views being deferred, poor sexual communication, unnecessary sexual conflicts with your partner, and relationship issues.

Does Masturbation Cause Weight Gain?

There is no study found to prove that masturbation causes weight gain. It is a pleasurable, healthy, and safe sexual activity if performed up to a limit. It only becomes a problem when you get addicted to it.

If you are looking for tips on how to control masturbation, practise the suggestions and tips provided here in this article or seek professional help.

Also read: Does breast kissing cause pregnancy?

References

Naif Alsughier, 2015. Compulsive Masturbation Treated with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. (Journal of Psychiatry) https://www.longdom.org/open-access/compulsive-masturbation-treated-with-selective-serotonin-reuptake-inhibitors-Psychiatry-1000299.pdf

Nena Messina, 2021. Masturbation Addiction: Psychology, Effects, and Statistics. (Addiction Resource) https://addictionresource.com/addiction/masturbation/

Rubén de Alarcón, Javier I. de la Iglesia, 2019. Online Porn Addiction: What We Know and What We Don’t—A Systematic Review. (Journal of Clinical Medicine) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6352245/