Happy New Year everyone! I’m so excited that 2020 is behind us! While it brought amazing opportunity and growth for me, it also kinda sucked (if I’m being honest).
I thought I’d kick off this year’s articles by putting myself out there a little and talking about the amazing mental health benefits of sex! Interesting, right!?
I’m not going to get too mushy with it, but you should know that you’ll really maximize these benefits if you’re “rolling around” with someone who means something to you. Someone who you share an amazing connection with.
And I’m not saying just any sex would benefit you either. Your psychological and emotional state won’t benefit nearly as much with someone you just met at the bar. Sorry:/
<insert uncomfortable pause in the conversation> …so anyway, let’s get into it! 😀
Mental Health Areas affected by Sex
We all know that there are physical benefits of having sex. Who doesn’t want to burn calories and decrease their blood pressure while having fun, right!?
But you’re not here to read about that, are you?
Aside from the obvious emotional strengthening that occurs with a good romp in the hay, your mental state also benefits.
Some of these areas include mental satisfaction, reduction of distress caused by mental conflicts, a boost in your own self-confidence, decrease in anxiety and depression tendencies and trust building within the relationship.
Great news! So, let’s dig deeper into what this means in a more relatable way.
Mental Satisfaction
This might look different for everyone, but I like to think of it as the contentment that occurs when your mind is quiet, and everything seems calm.
When, for once, all is right in the world and you feel like not much else matters.
Bills? What bills?…Work deadline? (Okay, maybe don’t forget about that one)
This is an amazing place to be. It’s kind of like when you’re able to channel deep feelings of gratitude and live truly in the present.
*Interested in starting your own mental health journey? Check out the free 14 Day Morning Routine Challenge for Mental Health (click the picture check it out)
Take your mornings to the next level by trying this 14-day morning routine challenge. You’ll feel more productive and centered while keeping your mental health in check.
Back to the article…
Lately I’ve been learning (and practicing) more about mediation. I used to think it was a crock of B.S. but once I learned that it’s simply practicing the control of my own crazy thoughts to be in the present, it seemed to click.
When you’re present, you’re not anxious (living in the future) or depressed (living in the past – to some extent). Your mind is completely content and satisfied with where you are right now.
It’s a pretty similar feeling I think. Being able to enjoy the moment without worrying about things is what life is all about.
This amazing benefit alone can supplement other practices to avoid anxiety and depression to keep you as present as possible and in control of your mental well-being.
Reduction of Mental Conflicts
I like to refer to this as the mindless chatter that seems to take over from time to time.
For example, do you ever find yourself in bed trying to fall asleep and out of nowhere you start fabricating ridiculous hypothetical scenarios?
And the worst part!? It actually seems somewhat satisfying in the moment! What’s up with that?
It’s almost as if our subconscious will make sh*t up just to scare us into staying as comfortable as possible.
Kind of like that movie “The Truman Show” where Jim Carrey’s character Truman starts to notice that his whole life is rigged and right as he tries to break out of the norm, something bazaar comes out of nowhere to try to reel him back in to the safety of his pre-determined life. That’s exactly what it’s like!
Circling back to the point, having regular, satisfying sex will lessen the frequency of mental distress. Which results in a less destructive subconscious experience! (Sorry subconscious, we know you mean well)
Self- Confidence
This one is a bit more self-explanatory. Self-confidence is important because without it, it can suppress the development of the amazing person you’ve always been destined to be!
I’m not just saying that either. I believe we all have gifts and a purpose to share them with others in order to make the world a better place.
If you lack the ability to let yourself unapologetically shine through, no one will get to benefit from all you have to offer, and you’ll end up feeling (at least) only somewhat unfulfilled.
Being able to have a positive state of mind is, in my opinion, one of the best things you can work on in order to have better self esteem and ultimately higher self-confidence.
I recently wrote an article on How to Boost Your Self-Confidence. I’ll link it HERE and down below if you’re interested in checking it out!
Decrease in Anxiety and Depression
The reduction in anxiety and depression is definitely a benefit, however, it’s more of a result of the other benefits.
As previously mentioned, mental satisfaction, reduction of mental conflicts and a boost in self-confidence are all great benefits which will lead to a decrease in anxiety and depression tendencies.
Even if you do not have a diagnosed anxiety/depression disorder, the mental health benefits of sex will lead to a healthier state of being which is prevent a potential disorder from forming.
I also recently wrote an article on How to Tell if You Have an Anxiety Disorder. I’ll link it HERE and down below if you’re interested in checking it out as well!
Trust Building
Going back to what I said about needing some sort of emotional connection in order to really receive all the benefits, trust building is no different.
At the beginning of the relationship, trust is expedited with the passionate connection of being with someone in a sexual way – we all know that.
But what about long term relationships? The same is true for them! In fact, long time or married couples who can take the time to have a little fun together are less likely to argue, have more trust between them and ultimately find it easier to back each other up and show up as a team.
So what about you? Have you experienced or know of any other mental health benefits of sex? There are so many things we can do each and every day to improve our mental health and well-being.
I hope you found this article helpful! I love becoming more and more aware of little “hacks” to promoting better mental health and sharing them with you all!
I’d love to know what kind of posts would serve you the best and what you’re interested in relating to mental health and well-being!
Feel free to comment below or EMAIL ME!
If self-care for mental health is something that interests you, check out the 3-Month Self-Care Challenge for Mental Health. In this course, I go over the methods and strategies that I’ve used to implement the mental health practices that I now call habits!
Click the link above, or check it out HERE
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