Masturbation
 

I used to do it 7 times a day but recently I knew I had a problem so I stopped but I cracked and did it once yesterday and twice today. (Once in the morning the other in the afternoon) I don't want to go back to the way it was before, I am usually very good when it came to restricting myself with things like biting my nails, but at least then I had a reason to stop as my hands were painful when I bit them. With this it is different. Whats a healthy amount to masturbate?

Re: Masturbation
 

Hi there. Thanks for coming to us with this. I hope we are able to help.

People hold different beliefs as to what's "too much" masturbation, or even whether people should masturbate at all. Masturbation, in moderation, is actually a very healthy thing to do. It helps to explore your body, relieves tension, is the safest form of sex, and just releases happy chemicals in your brain. Orgasm feels good and that may explain why it can be a frequent activity for some people.

Personally, I don't feel there is such a thing as a set amount of "too much" masturbation. You can't set an arbitrary limit and say "well, they masturbated four times today, so that's all they can do." I think a better way to go about it is asking if it interferes with your day to day activities. If you're putting stuff off or forgetting stuff or not getting around to tasks because you're masturbating that makes it a problem and, yes, you may want to decrease the frequency with which you engage in masturbation.

I do want to note that stopping completely is a bit harsh and a little unrealistic. Just because you feel you do it excessively doesn't mean you have to stop completely, or for good. It's actually harder to deal with a habit you're trying to change if you go cold turkey. So maybe gradually decrease the amount of times you do it until you feel you're at a healthy amount for your daily productivity levels.

Re: Masturbation