Relationships2 min(s) read
Self-pleasure is a normal and natural part of human sexuality, offering numerous mental and physical health benefits. However, like any activity that triggers a rush of pleasure, it can sometimes cross the line into habit-forming territory.
Determining when a personal routine moves from healthy exploration to an unhealthy habit can be tricky. While individual sex drives vary wildly, expert guidance can help clarify when it might be time to take a step back and reassess your daily routines.
A sex expert who goes by Catalina on TikTok, where she has 183,000 followers, has shared four key signs that you might be masturbating too much. In a recent video, she addressed the topic directly to help viewers evaluate their own behavior.
"Is gooning bad for you? Not inherently, but of course it depends," Catalina explained in the video. "As a general rule, there's absolutely nothing wrong with self-pleasuring, and it can even bring you a lot of physiological and psychological benefits, but like lots of other things that bring us pleasure, it can become unhealthy."
To help individuals evaluate their habits, she outlined four specific red flags to watch out for during personal time.
The first indicator involves physical side effects from overindulgence. Catalina asked viewers: "Are you doing it so much that you're causing yourself physical harm, for example, soreness or chafing?"
The second major warning sign revolves around compulsion and a lack of self-regulation. "Does it feel like something you need to do, or like something you have no control over, or once you start, does it feel like you can stop whenever you want?" she noted.
The third sign appears when self-pleasure begins replacing normal daily responsibilities and social connections. "Is gooning causing you to cancel plans with friends? Is it interfering in your relationship? Or are you prioritizing it over more important things like work, exercise, or sleep?" Catalina cautioned.
Finally, she warned about escalating the type of media consumed over extended sessions. "Over a long session, are you watching progressively more and more intense content until you end up in a place where you are not comfortable with the kinds of things that you're watching?"
"If your answer to any of these was yes, then I hate to break it to you, but your gooning habits might be unhealthy," she stated. "But if your answer to these was no and you just enjoy the occasional long goon sesh, then there's nothing wrong with that. Think of it a bit like playing video games: completely fine in moderation, but problematic if it starts to take over your life."
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