Giving up sex might be a tough nut to crack, but there's beneficial growth to be made if you can somehow manage it.
That's according to the expertise of psychotherapist and sex therapist Christina Mancuso, from New York, who spoke to The Daily Mail about overcoming physical desires for the betterment of your soul.
"Some people [decide to be celibate] to allow themselves to be in control," she began. "They may date often but save intimacy for someone who they build a relationship with."
Mancuso revealed that consciously engaging in a dry spell enables people to stop using 'intimacy for validation', which provides 'immediate gratification' once the deed is done.
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Going celibate has an impact on your physical and mental health, so be aware that absconding from any bedroom antics will make you feel very different.
However, Mancuso argued that taking a break can make it more enjoyable when the action picks up again later on.
When the diary is bursting at the seams with intercourse, it's easy to wear yourself out and perhaps get stuck in the same sexual routine.
Per the therapist, temporarily putting the brakes on can help a person 'recognise what they actually want and need'.
Can you seriously consider all the things you want from sex with your partner when you're deep into the ecstasy-inducing moment?
Taking some time to think, breathe and reflect can give you and your other half the clarity needed to bonk each other's brains out in an even more meaningful way.
Mancuso also spoke about the benefits that not rushing into sex can have in a new relationship. Before the commencement of the boning, it's important to learn more about your new conquest.
"[Not having sex] also allows room for that early stage of excitement and anticipation to see the other person and learn exciting things about one another," she continued.
"Too often that period is skipped over and weighed down prematurely with sex.
"If someone is interested in you and you don't have sex with them and they don't call you back, then you figured out sooner than later who they are and what they are looking for," she went on to argue.
"You will also feel so much better knowing that you didn't give that person more than they deserve before figuring that out."
The shrink did concede that celibacy isn't suitable for everyone, though, so it's really a case of different strokes for different folks.
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Sex Education
Dan Seddon