10 Methods to Help You Stop Masturbating

Masturbation is a normal expression of your sexuality. In fact, masturbation is considered a healthy way to explore yourself sexually. However, if you need to stop masturbating for one reason or another, there are ways to curb that desire. 

Here are some cases where masturbation may be a problem and ten strategies to stop or at least decrease your masturbatory behavior. 

Why Stop Masturbating? 

Again, masturbation is perfectly normal regardless of whether or not you are in a satisfying sexual relationship. However, too much of a good thing can become a problem, especially if the behavior is done impulsively and interferes with other important aspects of your life. 

Here are a few signs that masturbation has become a problem: 

You Cannot Control the Urge

While having the occasional urge to masturbate is normal, having uncontrollable urges to touch yourself can be a problem. If you’re not able to stop thinking about masturbating whenever you feel the urge, including thinking about masturbating in situations where those thoughts are not appropriate, it should prompt you to review your habits.  

You Skip or Ignore Other Aspects of Your Life to Masturbate

Skipping family commitments, social events, school, and even work to masturbate is definitely a red flag. While taking time for yourself is important, you may have a problem if you’re skipping commitments to masturbate. 

You Plan Your Schedule Around Masturbating

While masturbating is fun and satisfying, it should not rule your schedule. If you’re planning your day around self-fun time, you should reconsider your habits. 

Side Effects

While masturbation on its own does not have side effects, compulsive masturbation may be a problem and can lead to side effects, such as swelling and skin chafing. 

10 Ways to Stop Masturbating

If you’ve identified masturbation as a potential problem, the next step is making an effort to stop. Here are a few strategies to try: 

1. Seek Help

If you feel like your compulsion to masturbate is out of control, you will benefit from seeking help from a doctor or a therapist. There may be a medical reason why you feel the constant need to pleasure yourself, or the reason may be psychological. 

Whatever the case, asking for help is one of the smartest and bravest things that you can do in this situation. Sure, the problem may seem embarrassing, but doctors and therapists are generally focused on helping, not judging. Plus, seeking help now can help identify and fix a problem that may spiral out of control later. 

2. Be Honest With Yourself

There are many reasons people become obsessed with masturbation, and confronting these reasons is often the first step to dealing with the problem. For instance, you may have been taught that masturbation was inherently wrong or dangerous because you grew up in a religious household. 

While masturbation is not dangerous when done in moderation- no, you will not go blind if you masturbate– having stigma and guilt associated with the act of pleasuring yourself may have led you towards your compulsive masturbatory habit. 

3. Avoid Pornography

Many people associate pornography and masturbation, so simply watching porn may be a trigger for initiating masturbation even if pornography is not one of your triggers, 

4. Stay Active

Exercising gives you an alternative activity to masturbation and can also give you endorphins, which are the happy hormones that make you feel good after you’ve exercised. Plus, you have the extra satisfaction of knowing that you are doing something healthy for your body. 

5. Spend More Time With Others

Being around others limits your ability to masturbate. This might mean going to a coffee shop, restaurant or inviting a friend over for dinner. Whatever the case, being in the company of others helps keep you from touching yourself because masturbation is a private activity. Hanging out with family and friends can help keep you engaged and thinking about things that aren’t related to sex. 

6. Find a Support Group

If you feel like masturbating has become a compulsion, you are not alone. In fact, there are likely online communities where you can safely get support and perspective from others who have faced a similar problem. Do a bit of research about local or online groups to help ensure that you have someone who can truly understand your experience. 

If you have an individual in your life, such as a partner or friend who can understand the situation, you can also get them involved in helping you quit masturbating. Simply having an accountability buddy can help keep you honest about your habits. 

7. Stay Busy

 Keeping a busy schedule is a great way to limit yourself from masturbating. After all, if your schedule is full of work, school, social events, and family time, you won’t have the time to pleasure yourself compulsively. Plus, having other activities on your mind will help you focus on something other than self-pleasure. 

While staying busy is important, you want to make sure that you choose necessary or fun activities. Engage in something that you either need to do, such as going to work to pay bills, or want to do, such as hanging out with friends

8.Try Something New 

Keeping a busy schedule will reduce your opportunities to masturbate and will give you something new to occupy your mind instead. This might include picking up a new hobby, going to a new place, or even exploring local restaurants. Consider something that is soothing and engaging such as yoga or art. 

9. Be Patient With Yourself

Compulsions are hard to break, so you may find that you have slip-ups or even feel like you have failed. However, the important thing is that you can don’t give up and go back to trying to get the problem under control. If a method fails multiple times, consider trying something else. For instance, if you’ve decided to get a new hobby but don’t like the hobby and want to masturbate instead, consider selecting a new hobby. 

Likewise, you may discover that the first session of therapy may not work. In fact, you should enter therapy with the expectation that multiple sessions may be required before you can see the desired results. 

10. Develop Coping Strategies

Your therapist or doctor can help you develop coping strategies to help control your compulsion to masturbate. This may include planning alternate activities for times when you are most likely to masturbate, such as before bed or in the shower. 

Takeaways

• Masturbating in moderation is healthy and normal.
• Blowing off work, school, or social commitments to masturbate or scheduling your day around masturbating can signal a problem. 
• If you’ve identified masturbation as a problem, there are steps you can take to regain control of your life.