Six ways that sex is healthy for you
Six ways sex is healthy for you as a woman | Breaking Glass Podcast
Our conversation with marriage and family therpaist, Chrissy Powers taught us about the messy intersection of sex and religion. In addition to her private practice, Chrissy is a wife, a mom, a podcast host and a writer, and she joined us to speak about her upbringing in the evangelical Christian church, and the pressure she experienced to be pure and to save herself for marriage. She unpacked everything from the sex talks she had with her father and the shame she felt around her own body, to the purity agreement that she signed and the mental health issues she subsequently struggled with. Sex was tied up in all of that. And now as a therapist, Chrissy is reflecting on purity culture and our relationship to sex and pleasure.
One key takeaway from our conversation with Chrissy was that women often carry much more of a burden when it comes to sex than men do. A lot of that comes from social pressures in our society as a whole. Based on our conversation with Chrissy, as well as the work of world-renowned sex therapist Dr. Ruth, we’ve developed a list of six reasons embracing and understanding sex as a woman can be beneficial.
- Physical – Humans are social beings who ultimately crave connection to other people. Physical touch has a significant impact on us, and even helps our brains release endorphins which make our bodies feel better and improve our mental wellbeing.
- Sociological – Most people just want to feel understood. Prioritizing and fostering healthy intimate connections with others can directly impact our sense of belonging and place in the world.
- Psychological – Sex allows us to connect our minds and bodies together as well as with another person’s. Part of the psychological benefits of sex come from forming a positive connection with someone else, and part comes from forming a positive connection between your own mind and body.
- Confidence – Learning to foster healthy sexual relationships and educating oneself about sex often helps women feel more confident about their bodies, their sex drives, and themselves as a whole.
- Stress Relief – Sex, including masturbation, decreases certain hormones like cortisol and adrenaline and increases other hormones like oxytocin and prolactin. The result? Our bodies feel less like they are being chased by a lion and more like they are safe to relax. Sex may also help with sleep, which also improves stress levels.
- Emboldening – In many ways, our sexual narrative still presents women as passive and men as aggressive. But embracing sex can mean being more assertive about educating oneself and exploring what feels good. The more we know, the better sex we can have.
Interested in learning more? Explore these sources:
Chrissy on Breaking Glass