A woman has revealed what it was like to stop masturbating for an entire month in a candid first-person recollection of her journey.
No Nut November (NNN) is officially coming to an end tomorrow, so for those of you taking part in it, you're almost there - triumph will soon follow.
But for the majority who aren't taking part, or who may not even know what it is, NNN is essentially a viral 'challenge' where you go the full month of November without masturbating.
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While some have mentioned the benefits of taking part in it, some sex experts have warned against it.
Nevertheless, Amanda Chatel wrote a first-person piece for Bustle, detailing exactly how it felt to abstain from the act for 30 days.
She first admitted: "I masturbate almost every day. If I’m bored or feel the urge, I will do it a couple of times a day."
Chatel wrote that she doesn't do it if she's feeling down mentally though, or is in a certain place, such as her parents' home.
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The problem for her though is that when she travels, she will sublet her apartment and upon getting back, she may need to wait up to a month to get her place back, meaning she stays with her folks.
So, here are the things she experiences when abstaining from masturbating, for someone who does it regularly.
Week one
"The first week is always relatively easy, and whether or not I'm masturbating doesn't really cross my mind," she admitted, saying that there isn't much of a difference.
However, she did say: "I do spend some time wondering why I can’t bring myself to masturbate at my parents’ house though, especially since that’s where I masturbated for the very first time when I was a teenager," adding that she also can't have sex at the house.
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It might be for the best.
Week two
Revealing that she never thinks she will 'get agitated' from sexual frustration, she confessed: "During week two, the slightest thing gets on my nerves. I’m also antsy - like I have an itch I need to scratch, but just can’t."
Chatel admitted that she knows how the 'issue' can be fixed, but revealed that she gets 'angry' at herself for not giving in while at her parents'.
Week three
"I'm finally at peace with the agitation, or, at the very least, accepting of it," she says.
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Chatel then revealed the biggest positive: "But what the third week also offers is the best part of going a month without masturbation: a huge amount of creative energy."
"It’s during this week that I realize why some athletes say they don't have sex or masturbate before a big game — their pent-up energy can be applied to running fast and winning on the field," she explained, as she puts all her energy into writing books.
Clinical sexologist and sex and relationship coach Dr. Janet Morrison further explained: “Since sex is not necessary in the same way as food and water, the mind can override it, and with time, the habit of not having sex or masturbating becomes the new norm.”
Week four
"It’s during week four that, without fail, I have an orgasm during a dream," Chatel states.
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Describing it as 'having an orgasm without having to do anything', though noted that it isn't the result of a sex dream, instead being aroused by a smell in her dream, but she highlighted: "Who really cares if it’s a free, effortless orgasm?"
Chatel further admitted: "To me, it doesn't really count as quenching the thirst, the way masturbating would."
Week five
Describing it as coming 'to the end of my rope', she says that in the final days, she can't wait for it to be over.
"Despite having considered never masturbating again, for the sake of my art, it will be the first thing I do when I get home... and it always is," she admitted.
As well as finally getting rid of the urge, she orders a pizza right afterward, as she jokingly says: "While five months without New York pizza is even more torturous than a month without masturbation, there’s no denying masturbation wins in the realm of physical health benefits."
Morrison further explains: “Masturbation is normal and healthy, keeping our sex organs primed for use by working their muscles and improving circulation to the area.
“The endorphins help us feel better. The oxytocin release relaxes us, a relaxed, elevated mood helps keep our cortisol levels down which improves our sleep, our digestion, and decreases fatigue."
She concluded: “Masturbate for the health of it!”
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Health, Viral, Weird
Joshua Nair