Caring For Our Sexual Health Is Essential

Caring for our sexual health helps us having a better quality of life. It is a fundamental aspect that needs attention, and has a significant impact on our physical, mental and emotional health. A good indicator of health is having an active sex life: sexual appetite appears because there is a surplus of energy. This surplus implies having covered basic needs like food, care, safety, etc.

The model of healthy sexuality is based on well-being, respect, responsibility, enjoyment, pleasure, etc. This model has the fundamental characteristic of broadening the concept of sexuality.

What is sexual health?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), sexual health is: “It is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality. It requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sex, as well as the possibility to have sexual experiences that are pleasurable and safe, and free of coercion, discrimination and violence.”  So, taking care of our sexual health involves understanding the importance of our quality of life:

At the biological level, the discharge of sexual energy brings great benefits: it is involved in brain oxygenation, our hormonal balance, breathing, stress reduction, and muscle toning.

Emotionally, sex contributes to a state of harmony because it helps release hormones and neurotransmitters such as oxytocin and endorphins, which have a key role in our well-being, feelings of pleasure and relaxation.

Psychologically, good sexual health increases our confidence and level of intimacy. We learn to better develop kindness and compassion, and we experience an increase in self-esteem, and our social and emotional ties are strengthened.

Healthy sexual habits

It is important to understand that we are sexed people from birth until we die. It is something that accompanies us throughout all stages of our life and something that we cannot neglect. These are some of the most important healthy sexual habits to consider:

• Sexual relationships beyond the genital aspect help the body in its entirety, giving us the ability to experience pleasure.
• Sexual intercourse is not focused only on penetration. It is not important, nor is it the purpose.
• If there are medications that interfere with sexual desire, then we must spend more time on the sexual encounter, always in a patient and full way.
• Do not become overloaded with expectations because it is necessary to be in a state of mental relaxation and surrender for the sensations to occur.
• Feeling physical security and comfort in the space is important for the sexual response to develop. Creating privacy and preventing distractions can help.
• Respecting and empathizing: not forcing relationships, communicating and understanding the wishes of the other person.
• For excitation to occur there must be desire and adequate stimulation. This will allow concentration and pleasure to develop through our senses.
• Allowing yourself to experience and feel the feelings. This means surrendering yourself at the encounter, letting yourself get carried away with confidence and using the same confidence to take the initiative.
• Knowing your sexual response from self-awareness and consciousness. We are responsible for what we feel and our pleasure.
• Freedom to seek and express our wishes, without shame or being limited by any fear.
• We are responsible for setting our limits, making decisions, accepting and rejecting without feeling that we might be judged for it. Learning to say yes when we want something and to say no when we do not want it.
• Do not accept impositions: each person lives his or her sexual encounter according to the individuality of their sexuality.

We enjoy our freedom to experience pleasure

Given the above aspects as indicators of what constitutes sexual health, we understand that we have the freedom to express our sexuality either individually or shared. The important thing is to recognize that we have great potential to experience pleasure and can make use of it in a responsible manner.

This potential is a basic resource, as we have seen, to improve our health in all aspects. Satisfaction, love, desire, pleasure and affection help create a healthy experience in order to live our sexuality with greater intensity.

Repressing ourselves or not tending to our sexual health means neglecting our ability to experience pleasure, it means limiting our wants and needs. Not benefiting from this aspect of our sexuality interferes with the happiness and love that we can experience. On this day, and the rest of the days of your lives we hope you have good responsible, conscious, sexual health, whether it be individually or shared.