Lets Talk About Sex(ual Health)
Do you ever find yourself experiencing days where your desire for sex or intimacy is so intense, it is like driving pedal to the metal on the highway? But then a day later it is like an unexpected traffic jam, you are slamming the brakes? Do you ever have days where you feel so confident, so in charge of your life, and nothing in the world can stop you? Or do you have days where the stress of life is so overwhelming that you are not even sure who you are, or who you’re meant to be? You are not alone.
The world health organization (WHO) defines sexual health as a “state of physical, emotional, mental, and social well being.” This definition alone considers all contexts of your daily life and how they impact your sexual desire, for better or for worse. Nurturing your mental wellbeing will benefit you (and your partner(s)) in the big wide world of sexual desire. With that said, welcome to the sexual health series! Where this taboo sultry topic turns mainstream!
Now, think about this. The days where you feel a desire so strong, nothing can interrupt it; are you feeling strong, confident, and on top of the world that day? In other words, are you driving pedal to the metal? The likely answer is yes. Just like the days where you feel that super intense desire is hiding away where it cannot be found, are the same days that you feel overwhelmed by life, stressed out, or even a little insecure. Like you just slammed on your brakes involuntarily.
You might be wondering, why is this? The simple response: our mind and body are interconnected. Too often people walk around not truly connecting the fact that our psychological wellbeing has an impact on many aspects of our lives, including our sexual health and wellbeing. That explains why the days you slam the brakes are the same days your desire is low; and vice versa. Stress, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, body image; it all impacts how we feel desire.
The impacts on our sexual health can look like: low libido, worrying about performance, feeling distracted, loosing interest in intimacy, weakened connection, and withdrawing from physical touch among a variety of other factors.
The impacts on our sexual health can look like:
- low libido
- worrying about performance
- feeling distracted, losing interest in intimacy
- weakened connection
- withdrawing from physical touch among a variety of other factors.
So, when we consider this, we can see how negative mental health and stress can work to reduce our levels of desire. Working on stress management skills and improving our mental health can help improve our experience in the bedroom. That is not all though: just like our mental health can affect our sexual health, our sexual health can impact our mental health. Increasing sexual function is often associated with better mental health. Positive sexual health is an important piece in the puzzle we call quality of life. You heard it, positive sexual health can improve your quality of life. Now are you interested in talking about it?
Join me in the next couple of weeks as we break down the barriers to talking about sex, work to improve our mental and physical health, and learn more about increasing sex and intimacy in our relationships. Welcome to our sexual health series!
Stephanie Byerson
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
