Masturbation is a common activity. A study in the United States found that approximately 38{0cab0315eb88983cc6345dfecff4f621a8cecabbfee422d927279c9ad2a3b209} of women and 61{0cab0315eb88983cc6345dfecff4f621a8cecabbfee422d927279c9ad2a3b209} of men masturbated at least once in the previous year.[1] X Research sources When done occasionally and not excessively, masturbation can help reduce stress, burn calories, and promote relaxation.[2] X Research sources At the same time, masturbation is also considered a taboo and should not be done in many religions and cultures. Masturbation can also be unhealthy if it is difficult to control and interferes with personal relationships and responsibilities at school, work, or home.[3] X Research sources If you want to control the urge to masturbate, you can do this by diverting attention,
Avoiding Things That Trigger Masturbation
Identify and avoid things that stimulate your passion. Masturbation triggers can be thoughts, feelings, habits, and situations. Everyone has different triggers, but they can include, among other things: seeing an attractive person, body part, clothing, animal, or inanimate object. For some people, things that can trigger can include sounds, smells, thoughts, or other stimuli. If you try to overcome or reduce these things, you can better control the urge to masturbate.
Make a list (in your mind or on paper/computer) all the things that spur you to masturbate. The list could include things like: viewing pornography, thinking or fantasizing about sex, viewing sex-related objects, increased stress or anxiety, or difficulty sleeping.
Limit contact with pornographic items. There are several triggers that you can control yourself, such as observing objects, pictures, or videos that excite you. By eliminating these things, you will be able to reduce the appearance of unwanted stimuli and reduce the urge to masturbate.
Pornographic items can include: DVDs, magazines, pictures, posters, statues, and romantic novels.
Avoid places that can trigger such arousal, such as: strip clubs, brothels, or other locations for prostitution.
Get rid of objects related to sex. Not just pornographic items, objects that remind you of sex or masturbation can arouse arousal and lead to masturbation.
Get rid of or hide sex objects that can trigger you, including: condoms, lubricating gel or oil, vibrators, dildos, sexy clothes, and other objects that can make you think about masturbating.
Limit internet usage. Some people have an addiction to watching pornography on the internet. This can be very stimulating for some individuals and lead to difficulty reducing masturbation.
You can install censorship on your computer or TV through your internet/cable service provider which restricts you from accessing pornographic sites. Discuss this with your internet/cable service provider. You don’t have to admit your problem to them because many married people use these censorship services to prevent their children from accessing certain sites or TV channels.
Divert Your Mind
Do something else. Keep yourself as busy as possible throughout the day. Focus your thoughts on activities that don’t stimulate your sexual fantasies. This will vary for each person.
Examples of some positive or distracting activities you can do: video games, movies (non-sexual), walking, shopping, playing with pets, reading books, playing music, creating art (drawing, coloring, sculpting), and write in a journal.
Focus on your responsibilities. Daily tasks can help us focus on the things we need (money, food, housing, education, etc.) instead of the things that don’t matter in daily life (masturbation). By reducing idle time, the urge and ability to masturbate will decrease. If you don’t have the time to do it, it’s unlikely that you will.
Make a list of the things you have to do each day. The list could include, among other things: getting office or school work done, shopping, cleaning the bedroom, paying bills, playing guitar, and exercising. Hold on to the list. If you feel the urge to masturbate, read the list and say to yourself, “I don’t have time to masturbate right now. I have to finish all of this today.”
When you are old enough, find a job. A job is a good distraction and can help you create structure in your life. What’s more, you’ll also earn money to spend on activities that distract and entertain you.
Change your environment. Sometimes, the environment you live in (home alone, or in your room) can increase the urge to masturbate. Since masturbating in public is highly inappropriate and illegal, changing the environment you’re in can reduce the urge to masturbate.
If you feel the urge to masturbate, go for a walk outside. Being in public can prevent yourself from masturbating. In addition, you can also take your mind off the urge to masturbate.
Take a friend for a walk, or spend time with the family. Your chances of being able to masturbate will be limited if you are in front of many other people.
Do exercise. Exercise can help reduce sexual desire. If you masturbate to reduce stress, exercise is a healthy alternative because the endorphins in your brain can be released so you will feel happier and less stressed.
Try a fun aerobic activity or sport such as: surfing, swimming, mountain climbing, biking, bowling, jumping rope, dancing, gymnastics, or yoga.
Think about the negative effects that could occur. One way to distract yourself is to remind yourself of or imagine the possible negative effects that excessive masturbation can have such as: decreased sexual function, depression, dissatisfaction in relationships, high blood pressure, increased risk of prostate cancer for men, and prostate cancer. which swells and hurts. For women, excessive use of a vibrator can result in genital numbness, irritation, or injury.
Identify the personal negative consequences of your masturbation habit. The list could include things like difficulty completing work or schoolwork and disrupted personal relationships.
Create boundaries. If you really don’t want to masturbate, try to focus on avoiding it “when” it’s not the right time to do it. This includes when you and your partner are planning to have sex, when you are not completely alone, when you have to be productive or do other work, or when you have to save sperm for medical testing.
Set specific targets that fit your needs. Some people want to avoid masturbating completely for religious and cultural reasons, while others want to reduce the amount of time they spend masturbating.
You can easily lose a lot of time while masturbating. Make sure how much time you have before you have to do other activities such as completing office work, school, etc. If you don’t have enough time, don’t masturbate.
Controlling the Sleep Environment
Lie on the bed just to sleep. Since the bedroom and bed are the areas most frequently used for masturbation, you must control that environment, especially regarding things related to sleep and what you choose to do in your room.
Don’t spend time in bed doing other activities like reading, watching TV, or using the computer.
During the day, if you are in your room, keep yourself in a standing or sitting position.
Always keep your bladder empty. The urge to urinate can be misinterpreted by your body as an urge to have sex/masturbation. Go to the bathroom before you go to sleep at night and in the morning as soon as you wake up. If you feel the urge to urinate, do so as soon as possible.
Go to sleep when you are really tired. This way, you’ll fall asleep quickly once you’re in bed and won’t be spending a lot of time trying to fall asleep. Drink a glass of milk before bed if needed to help with sleepiness.
Go to bed early and get up earlier if possible. Avoid staying up too late; it can lead to boredom and increase the urge to masturbate.
If you find it difficult to fall asleep at night and you use masturbation to calm yourself down, try doing some breathing exercises. Inhale deeply, slowly, through your nose, and exhale out through your mouth until you fall asleep.
When sleeping, lie down on your side. This can help reduce stimulation because you will be less likely to get aroused from rubbing against something. In addition, most masturbation is done in a supine or prone position.
Get out of bed as soon as possible in the morning. As soon as you wake up in the morning, get out of bed as soon as possible and avoid lying awake in bed. This period is the time when the urge to masturbate is on the rise.
