This is an interesting topic to discuss, in part because I get a lot of questions regarding the nature of masturbation and whether it’s considered healthy or not.
Not only within the context of porn addiction recovery, but in general as well as a thing for humans to do.
I’m also excited to write this article because I have a very clear explanation which I think will make a lot of sense to both addicts and non-addicts alike.
So, is masturbation healthy?
In order to answer this question, we really need to dive a bit deeper into why we’re asking this question to begin with, and in particular, why people masturbate within the first place.
For starters, if you’re a porn addict and you’re asking this question, then you’re most definitely asking this question for all the wrong reasons. You’re likely asking this question because you’re looking for a reason to masturbate.
And only addicts seek this kind of rationalisation.
So in this case, obviously it’s not healthy, at least potentially until you absolutely overcome your porn addiction.
To completely understand whether masturbation is healthy or not as an activity, ultimately we need to understand how people use masturbation as a coping mechanism, and furthermore whether this is something you can regulate to any degree.
So for example, if you are using masturbation as a means to cope with stress, depression and anxiety, then it’s likely an issue and you likely cannot have a healthy relationship with masturbation.
It’s an issue in part because there are much more effective ways for us to cope with these situations, given especially that masturbation does not scale well as we become more stressed and depressed.
We end up becoming addicted, seeking porn and overall wallowing in the prevailing condition that ensues.
In fact, it’s the very reason why you’re reading this article right now.
If on the other hand you don’t use masturbation as a means to help cope with stress and it’s something which you can do without getting attached to, as in feel as if you would be perfectly fine not masturbating for the next year.
Then masturbation could potentially be a healthy form of expression for you.
Of course, this obviously isn’t true, otherwise you’d be able to easily abstain from masturbation for the next year, and you wouldn’t be reading this article.
And if you were able to have a healthy relationship with masturbation, this still isn’t to say that masturbation within itself is healthy. It simply means that you’re able to have a healthy relationship with masturbation, which still could potentially turn sour if used as a vehicle to cope with stress.
Of course, I’m yet to actually meet anyone who is capable of casually masturbating without it eventually becoming a dependency of some sort, although I’ll provide you with the benefit of the doubt.
I’m sure there are many of you.
Ultimately, it comes down to the relationship you personally have with masturbation. Do you do it in order to help cope with uncomfortable feelings and emotions, as a way to help distract yourself from feeling them?
Do you simply do it out of mindless habit, as something you’ve been doing since you were a child? Perhaps you do it because you’re desperate to feel something positive in your life?
Regardless of why you do it, ultimately what NeverFap Deluxe is about is learning to develop healthier coping mechanisms, not only so we can replace these habits, however also so we can learn to live life more effectively.
So really, asking if masturbation is healthy is a bit like asking whether crossing your fingers or moonwalking is healthy.
It simply detracts from focusing on more obvious aspects which are known to be healthy, such as exercising or learning new skills.
Instead, it might make more sense to ask: What can I do in my life that I’m not already doing in order to become my absolute best self?
In summary, if you feel that you are dependant upon masturbation in order to cope, then chances are that you have a problem and that you won’t be able to have a healthy relationship with masturbation.
On the other hand, if you feel like masturbation doesn’t affect your ability to feel and connect with yourself, and is something you can externalise and not take personally, then it has the opportunity to be a healthy thing for you.
In my opinion, porn addicts should refrain from masturbation permanently, as it’s a huge trigger for most to watch porn, so why risk it?
And the great thing about NeverFap Deluxe is that this isn’t even a thing you’ll ever need to worry about, because once you effectively overcome your porn addiction, not only will you not be thinking about masturbation at all, however you’ll also have more effective and empowering strategies to help you deal with your emotions overall.
So really, asking whether masturbation is healthy or not is a distraction from developing healthy coping mechanisms, which is a vital part of the porn addiction recovery process.
Instead, remember to always focus your attention on the process, because the moment you decide to distrust the process is when everything begins to fall apart.
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You should totally be my first <3