3 Ways To Connect With Your Sexual Self
Apr 03, 2019
Last week, I wrote about why I believe it’s essential to cultivate a good relationship with the erotic side of yourself. I talked about how it can improve not just your own health and happiness, but your relationships. I also shared a series of questions that you can ask yourself if you want to release some negative ideas or stereotypes that you may be carrying about self-pleasure. If you missed last week’s blog, you can find it here.
This week, I’m going to be building on last week’s installment by sharing some tips for ways to improve your relationship with your erotic self. Some of these are activities, and some are shifts in attitude. This isn’t a prescription, just a set of ideas–you can pick and choose from this list based on what sounds exciting, enjoyable, and useful to you. Happy browsing!
- Connect with your senses. Many people don’t feel very connected to their bodies–and particularly their experiences of bodily pleasure. They’re tuned out from their senses. They may notice when something feels bad, but they don’t necessarily check in and notice when something feels good. So take some time to pay attention to the small moments of pleasure you experience throughout your day. It doesn’t have to be sexual–you can try paying more attention to the feeling of warm water hitting your back in the shower, or the delightful feeling of freshly-washed sheets, or the sweet smell of flowers in your garden.
- Consider your “erotic theme.” Most people have certain fantasies that they return to again and again. As diverse as these fantasies appear on the surface, there’s often a core theme or themes running through them. For instance, a variety of different fantasies might be united by the idea of being so wanted by someone that they are willing to break a taboo or act totally out of character, just to be with you. Think about the fantasies that you return to, and ask yourself what unites them. Why do they continue to resonate with you? What’s the spice that makes them sexy? Understanding your erotic theme can help you identify fertile new ground to explore, as you can develop new fantasies that fit into, expand, or develop your core erotic themes. If you’re able to express what you discover to your partner, it can be a fun, sexy conversation, and also help them understand where you’re coming from and what sex means to you.
- Release yourself from expectations and pressure. One of the most common reasons that people don’t explore new sexual activities, fantasies, or experiences is that they’re afraid that they won’t be aroused enough to get hard and stay hard, or to reach orgasm. They might also be worried that they won’t reach orgasm quickly enough. Any time you try something new, it is likely to take some time to figure out how it works. That’s just life. But there are so many benefits to switching things up sexually that it is more than worth the journey. Plus, the journey itself should be fun. Imagine just exploring pleasure without a lot of outcome goal or time pressure. You can do this either alone or with a partner, but for the moment I’m focusing on self-pleasure. Next time you try this, make sure you won’t be interrupted, and create an intention of deep self-loving, not just “getting off”. Take the time to allow arousal to ebb and flow. Remind yourself that there is no rush. Allow yourself to explore freely–you can always return to your usual style of touch or your favorite fantasy when you want to.
If you’re interested in learning more about the many benefits of switching up your sexual routine, you might want to check out these previous posts:
