Occasional masturbation is normal in both males and females. You need not feel guilty or worried about engaging in it. But it is a cause for concern if you think you are obsessed with it and it is interfering with your routine activities. In such a case, it may be advisable for you to develop more control on yourself. Here are some practical tips that can help you overcome the habit of masturbation.

When do you masturbate?

• Identify the times of the day when you spend maximum time masturbating. If you tend to do it mostly at night, some exercise before going to bed will help as it will tire you out and you will have less energy to masturbate. Try some sit ups or an after-dinner walk

• Go to bed in pajamas or other night-suits that do not let you touch yourself easily. A difficult to untie knot will give you more time to control your urge

• If you mostly do it in the morning, make it a point to jump out of bed as soon as you are awake. Open your bedroom doors and windows so that even if you do get into bed again, you do not have complete privacy

• If you find yourself masturbating during the daytime, you need to think how you can keep yourself busier so that you do not find the time to do it. Find activities that will keep you surrounded with people

• Distract yourself immediately when you have an urge to masturbate — go for something else that you find enjoyable. Pick up that new sports magazine, rush to the kitchen for a quick snack, tune into your favorite TV channel

Why do you masturbate too much?

• Many a times the desire to masturbate is an outcome of loneliness, boredom, or frustration.

• Ask yourself if you are masturbating too much to escape these feelings. Are you looking at masturbation as a solution to your loneliness or boredom?

• If you feel it may be a possible reason, focus on overcoming these feelings, rather than focusing on suppressing masturbation

Dos and Don’ts

• Strictly stop looking at pornography. Find out about softwares that can block pornographic sites on your computer. Having to put a password every time you want to view the site will discourage you from doing it. Put all your pornographic magazines out of your reach 

• Exercise daily. If you already exercise daily, increase your physical activity. It will reduce your stress and anxiety level, which may be an underlying cause of your habit

• Go to the bathroom often to keep your bladder empty. A full bladder can at times cause sexual stimulation. Some people have experienced that going to the bathroom makes it easier for them to resist the desire to masturbate

You can stop it

• Tell yourself again and again that you can stop it. Masturbating too much is not a disease. If you are determined to overcome it, you will

• Look at it as a test of your will power. Remind yourself that you are a strong individual who can resist temptations

• Put a note on your wall saying something like “I am my own master”. It will help boost your self-image as a more confident person and someone in absolute control