There’s nothing like a good orgasm to relieve tension and stress, but sometimes they linger just out of reach and remain there like an elusive rescue cat (pussy joke, anyone?!). Are you depressed and anxious because you can’t orgasm, or are you struggling with orgasming because you’re depressed and anxious? 

If you feel caught up in the endless cycle of this oh so sexy “which came first” when you’re not cumming at all, I’ve got some satisfying news for you – your solo play has not seen its final act. This blog will teach you about the mental wellness benefits that accompany masturbation by understanding how it works and how it can work for you, so you can get things WERKing in the bedroom again!

Putting the Moan in Hormones.

The benefits of masturbation are lengthy, so let’s start in the bedroom… with the quality of your sleep. Getting restful sleep is essential for solid mental, physical, and emotional health. Masturbation releases hormones and neurotransmitters to help reduce stress and blood pressure while promoting relaxation, which may make it easier to fall asleep. So, rubbing one out can actually help you achieve new depths… of your REM cycle. As an added bonus, with a solo adventure, you can pass out, without pissing off your partner!

Masturbation can also leave you swimming in more feel-good hormones than a teenager at sleep-away camp. These hormones and neurotransmitters are involved in learning, memory, and motivation, so getting off can help get you in a better frame of mind. After a self-induced O, your system is flooded with:

• Dopamine: The feel-good hormone, responsible for doing the heavy lifting around feeling positivity and pleasure. It’s considered a “happiness hormone” and is a part of your brain’s reward system.
• Oxytocin: Fights cortisol levels, which relieves stress and quiets distracting thoughts or internal talk. Considered the “love hormone”, it inspires feelings of bonding and connection.
• Endorphins: A natural mood elevator, endorphins can lead to improved self-esteem, greater focus, and sharper concentration. This hormone is known to relieve pain, making masturbation another option for pain relief during your period.

• Testosterone: present during sex, it improves stamina and inspires arousal. During masturbation, fantasies can accomplish this release.

Additionally, sexual excitement can reduce activity in the frontal cortex, which can decrease feelings of fear and anxiety. This is where a healthy libido can directly support your overall outlook on life and your mental well being, keeping anxiety and depression at bay. But what if anxiety and depression are already getting in the way of all these proven benefits? What then?! Commence fist shaking!

Anxiety and Depression: cockblocking and clitterference.

Depression can leave a person uninterested in sex, and therefore unable to access all the mental health benefits that come from sexual release. Our self-esteem can also take a hit, especially when coupled with weight gain and lethargy, common side effects of depression. If you’re not getting the D because you’ve got the Depresh, it’s worth considering how you can flip the script- leverage those above hormones to bring yourself back to balance. Mustering the desire to schedule in a little afternoon delight may be difficult, especially when coupled with anxiety, but we have tools to get you on the right track.

Anxiety can have a person so preoccupied with distracting thoughts, that they seem to creep in during the most inopportune times. Have you ever had to stop some sexy times because you just couldn’t stop thinking of an outside matter? It’s such a lady-boner killer. Getting your hair pulled, only to remember that you haven’t scheduled a touch up and a bang trim, and that if you don’t do it by tomorrow, you won’t be ready for the event this weekend can really take a gal out of the moment. 

Luckily, anxiety too can benefit from the hormones released after a good solo sesh! But what do you do when you’re not feeling it? When you know the benefits, but just can’t seem to muster the motivation? Sometimes anxiety and depression can leave you feeling that way, and are managed with medication that also impacts sexual desire. The tools we have work for those too!

The SSRIs Have It

To combat the impact of anxiety and depression, some people take medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). While SSRIs help manage the initial issues, they often have challenging side effects that can include loss of genital sensitivity, difficulty experiencing and sustaining arousal, erectile dysfunction, and reduced interest in sex. Well… shit, right? How do you combat those issues to get to the fun times and access the healing powers of masturbation? Cum with me:

ON Libido is formulated to support a woman's healthy sexual response and desire. It naturally corrects imbalances that may be robbing a woman of her desire for sexual intimacy. Used daily, ON Libido inspires desire and supports libido. Let’s get that mind straight into the gutter…

Used prior to playtime, externally on the clitoris, ON Arousal Gel offers topical sensory enhancement. It combats loss of sensitivity and brings back the sensations that had you sneaking out after curfew to fool around. 

Using transdermal technology to deliver the active ingredients directly into the bloodstream, On Sex Drive for Him helps boost testosterone to inspire arousal and support erections. Also for our aging gents experiencing a biological drop in testosterone, this product can course correct and have you standing at attention once more.

Get Your Heal On.

Whether you grapple with depression, anxiety, both, or the impact of the medication you’re taking to manage them, masturbation can help turn your “blahs” and “mehs” to “oh yeahs!” Along with the tools we discussed today, our Reclaim Your Libido course is a great way to get you out of your funk and into your pleasure era. Get ready to know and love yourself like never before.