When it comes to masturbation, there are a ton of prominent, shame-laced myths that simply refuse to fade away. Not only are its benefits not well-understood, self-pleasure is often still the punchline of many jokes. The reality, however, is that masturbation is not only healthy, but an ideal way to get in touch with yourself and your sexual desires.

Masturbation Myths And Facts

There are many myths about masturbation that aren’t true. You don’t have to be single to masturbate and masturbating won’t make you impotent, infertile, or grow hair on your palms. Masturbation is not unhealthy or dangerous—quite the opposite, in fact. Self-pleasure is actively good for you, sending feel-good chemicals throughout the body and reducing stress!

Anyone can masturbate, regardless of the kind of genitalia they have, age, disability, gender or relationship status. Masturbation can help you explore your body and find out what you would like during partnered sex, or it can be just to give yourself pleasure.

Basic Techniques For Masturbation

The key to masturbation is exploration. The easiest way to start is by experimenting with your hand and different kinds of touch. Which movements feel good? What kind of pressure or friction is arousing? Add a lubricant to make your touch glide more smoothly and to heighten sensation.

If your hand isn’t producing the sensation you want, or if you have difficulty using your hands to masturbate, the second step could be trying out a sex toy to heighten your experience. Whether you have a vulva or a penis, there is a sex toy out there that will vibrate, pulse, suck, or wiggle in just the right way to help you orgasm and/or maximize your enjoyment.

The easiest way to start is by experimenting with your hand and different kinds of touch.

What masturbation will make you is more in touch with your own body, and more able to know what turns you on and what kinds of stimulation you enjoy. That’s a great thing! It also puts you in charge of your own pleasure, knowing you can make yourself feel good whenever you want, regardless of whether have a sexual partner or not.