A lot of people believe that celibacy is something that people practice either for religious reasons or because they have no other option. Because why else would someone deliberately choose not to have sex, right?
Well, more and more people are making the intentional decision to practice celibacy as they discover all the wonderful benefits that come with it. Top of this list is all the benefits it can have on your mental health.
Here’s how celibacy can help you mentally:
1. It can give you mental clarity and boost your focus
For most people, thinking about sex is something that takes up a lot of their time. This means it has the power to cloud your judgement and affect how you think about things logically. Sex is so powerful that it affects all aspects of you, from your hormones to your emotions and even your brain chemistry.
Celibacy can allow you to think more clearly because it takes sex out of the equation. It can also help you realign your emotions and hormone levels, completely rejuvenating you in the process.
2. It leads to emotional growth
Celibacy is great for your overall emotional health. If you have trouble controlling your anger or frustration, for example, being celibate can help you gain control over these emotions and learn to master them.
3. It helps you make better decisions
Because celibacy leads to mental clarity, it will turn you into a better decision maker. This means you will make better choices in your day to day life.
The result of this is a ripple effect of benefits that cascade through every area of your life, from your work to your personal life and even your social life.
For example, being celibate can help you find a suitable partner. When your choice in partners is not affected by thoughts of sex or getting physical with each other, you become more rational and you will be able to critically look for qualities that are actually important to you.
4. It helps build more meaningful relationships
Being celibate in a relationship can actually strengthen it. Sex often clouds our perceptions of who our partners are and how compatible we are with them. The brain releases oxytocin especially during those early stages, giving us a sort of high that we associate with our sexual partner, blinding us to their faults or less than ideal qualities.
However, oxytocin levels decline steadily over time. It’s effects also gets slowed down, which is why the “honeymoon phase” doesn’t last long. You start seeing your partner for who they really are and that’s where the problems start. Most relationships don’t make it past this stage.
Practicing celibacy helps put reality in focus right from the start, allowing you to build more meaningful relationships in the process.
5. Celibacy is great for promoting self esteem
Having sexual partners affects your mental health and ability to make your own decisions. Sometimes, taking a bit of time off these connections is an important step in your journey towards finding yourself.
Additionally, some people associate their self worth with how successful they are at acquiring sexual partners. Removing this from the equation will help them find their true self worth without having to associate it with others.
6. It is great for people who are dealing with anxiety issues
Sex and sexual experiences are a major source of anxiety for many people. If you are dealing with such issues, sometimes, taking a break from it all can actually help you deal with the underlying cause of your anxiety and even cure it completely.
Celibacy gives you the mental clarity you need to live your life and figure things out without having to worry about your anxiety trigger.
Other benefits of celibacy
Temporary celibacy can help you appreciate and enjoy sex more
It allows you to enjoy zero risk of STDs
Masturbating while celibate allows you to enjoy the benefits of partnered sex, including most of the health benefits associated with partnered sex, while also enjoying the benefits of celibacy
Final Thoughts
It is absolutely possible to go months or even years without sex and still enjoy a full, satisfying life. In fact, practicing celibacy can actually be beneficial to you in the end, both mentally and
physically.
That said, if you are worried that you may be dealing with low libido issues, or if you are dealing with issues of infrequent sex in a relationship, consider talking about your concerns with a therapist or doctor.