How To Cure Sexual Anxiety

How To Deal With A Panic Attack During Sex

Having a panic attack at any time can be overwhelming. If you have one during sex and don’t resolve it, it could lead to sexual nervousness, sexual performance anxiety or sex avoidance further down the line. At times the reason for anxiety attacks during sex can be understood but, at other times, they can be hard to decipher.

“There are many reasons why someone may experience a panic attack during sex, even though the sex may be consensual and with a loving partner,” says certified love, sex and relationship therapist Andrea Balboni from Zoe Clews & Associates.

“Post-traumatic stress disorder , whether diagnosed or not, may be experienced by the survivors of sexual assault or other forms of trauma. Plus generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder can also lead to panic attacks during sex.”

Balboni shares her tips on what to do if you have a panic attack during sex, whatever the cause:

Health Intervention Under Review

Three common types of psychotherapy for the treatment of major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder are cognitive behavioural therapy , interpersonal therapy, and supportive therapy.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists defines structured psychotherapy as the treatment of mental or emotional illness by using defined psychological techniques, pre-planned with clear goals and employed within a specific timeframe. According to the College, patients must be seen by their treatment provider, either individually or in a small group, on at least a monthly basis. CBT and interpersonal therapy are considered structured psychotherapies, but supportive therapy is not.

Cognitive behavioural therapy focuses on helping patients become aware of how certain negative automatic thoughts, attitudes, expectations, and beliefs contribute to feelings of sadness and anxiety. Patients learn how these thinking patterns, which may have developed in the past to deal with difficult or painful experiences, can be identified and changed to reduce unhappiness.

Interpersonal therapy focuses on identifying and resolving problems in establishing and maintaining satisfying relationships. Such problems may include dealing with loss, life changes, conflicts, and increasing ease in social situations.

Be Aware Of Your Overall Health

In some cases, recurrent sexual dysfunction like frequent ED can be an early warning sign of more serious health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, or depression. If youre experiencing PE, ED, or other sexual issues, its a good idea to get medical advice from your healthcare provider.

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How Can I Overcome Sexual Performance Anxiety

Nope. Stop the negative thinking right now.

Sexual performance anxiety should not rest on your shoulders alone.

There are steps you can take to reduce these negative feelings. Here are four simple tips that can help you get past the thoughts that are screwing up your sex life, so you can get back in bed with more confidence

Setting The Stage For Intimacy

During my late teens, I had a lot of anxiety around sex. I spent a large portion of my day fantasizing about what my first time would be like. I daydreamed for hours, thinking about where it would take place and with whom, what I would wear, and the face I would make as I climaxed. Mostly, I wondered what kind of person I would become after losing my virginity.

Was I doing it right? Was this how people had sex? Did I look sexy enough?

My apprehensions were compounded by the unrealistic expectations I had internalized. Years of watching porn, reading romance novels, and watching movies with steamy sex scenes had only distorted my expectations. This resulted in excessive self-monitoring of my performance, leading to vaginal dryness and painful sex. I constantly worried that something was wrong with me and my body. I thought that I was just bad at sex.

Many years later and I still have similar anxieties. But Ive realized that these expectations Ive set for myself and my partners are toxic. Simply put, my performance anxieties have affected my sex life and sexual health. And Im not alone.

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Premature Ejaculation And Performance Anxiety

Learn about the causes and treatments for premature ejaculation and performance anxiety

It is common for some men to experience performance anxiety, before and during sex. In some cases, this type of anxiety can lead to premature ejaculation . In fact, studies suggest that performance anxiety may be either partially or fully to blame for many cases of PE. In other cases, performance anxiety is the result, not cause, of PE.

The goal of this article is to explain the relationship between anxiety and premature ejaculation, and provide you with an overview of the various treatment options available.

How Is Sexual Dysfunction Treated

Most types of sexual dysfunction can be addressed by treating the underlying physical or psychological problems. Other treatment strategies include:

Medication: When a medication is the cause of the dysfunction, a change in the medication may help. Men and women with hormone deficiencies may benefit from hormone shots, pills or creams. For men, drugs, including sildenafil , tadalafil , vardenafil and avanafil may help improve sexual function by increasing blood flow to the penis. For women, hormonal options such as estrogen and testosterone can be used . In premenopausal women, there are two medications that are approved by the FDA to treat low desire, including flibanserin and bremelanotide .

Mechanical aids: Aids such as vacuum devices and penile implants may help men with erectile dysfunction . A vacuum device is also approved for use in women, but can be expensive. Dilators may help women who experience narrowing of the vagina. Devices like vibrators can be helpful to help improve sexual enjoyment and climax.

Sex therapy: Sex therapists can people experiencing sexual problems that cant be addressed by their primary clinician. Therapists are often good marital counselors, as well. For the couple who wants to begin enjoying their sexual relationship, its well worth the time and effort to work with a trained professional.

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Talk To Someone Friendly

Another very effective technique is to talk to someone you like and trust, especially on the phone. Don’t be shy about your anxiety – tell them you feel anxious and explain what you’re feeling.

Talking to nice, empathetic people keeps your mind off of your symptoms, and the supportive nature of friends and family gives you an added boost of confidence. If you’re suffering from a panic attack, it also helps you feel more confident that if something were wrong, you’d have someone that can watch over you.

Boundary Anxiety And Fear Is Real

7. Take a breath. The physical symptoms of anxiety include increased heart rate, pounding chest, dizziness, and muscle tension. Learning to take a minute and slow down your breath can help you take back control of your body.

Simply take a seat, get comfortable, and take the biggest breath youve taken all day and hold it in for four seconds. Then exhale slowly, pushing out as much air as possible. Take another deep breath filling the stomach with air and continue until you feel your breath slowing down to its normal rate.

8. Act confidently. There are a large number of adults suffering from social phobia and crippling shyness. You can learn to be confident in the same way you learned to ride a bike. Act more confidently, and people will react positively.

This doesnt mean you need to be the class clown or the center of attention. Its just about being more assertive. Something that feels terrifying at first will gradually feel better each time.

9. Find social situations and engage. Make a conscious effort to be more social. Actively look for supportive social environments that can help you overcome your fears. Perhaps start with a social skills training class. Here you can properly practice your social interactions before heading out into the real world. This will give you some tips on what to say and do when you find yourself in a social situation youre unfamiliar with or anxious about.

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Sexual Side Effects Have Been Reported With The Following Medications:

Non-prescription medicines

Some over-the-counter antihistamines and decongestants can cause erectile dysfunction or problems with ejaculation.

Antidepressants

• Tricyclic antidepressants, including amitriptyline , doxepin , imipramine , and nortriptyline
• Monoamine oxidase inhibitors , including phenelzine and tranylcypromine
• Antipsychotic medications, including thioridazine , thiothixene , and haloperidol
• Anti-mania medications such as lithium carbonate
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as fluoxetine , sertraline , and paroxetine .

The following medications may cause erectile dysfunction:

Anti-hypertensive medications

• Diuretics, including spironolactone and the thiazides
• Centrally acting agents, including methyldopa and reserpine
• a-Adrenergic blockers, including prazosin and terazosin
• b-adrenergic blockers, including propranolol and metoprolol

The following medications may decrease sexual desire:

Hormones

Is There A Link Between Sexual Performance Anxiety And Situational Erectile Dysfunction

The short answer is, absolutely. Regardless if an anxiety-inducing situation is real or imagined, the body has a very real physiological response to stress. The hormones released during stressful situations stifle the hormones that are released during a pleasurable and sexual situation. When the body is stressed and perceives a possible threat, it goes into a fight or flight mode. This alone could cause sexual dysfunction. This stress might cause your body to release hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine. One function of stress hormones is to narrow the blood vessels. This can cause decreased blood flow to the penis, making it difficult to achieve and or, maintain an erection. Additionally, achieving an erection generally requires a level of relaxation. When caught in the throes of sexual anxiety, it could be very difficult to relax and allow yourself to feel aroused and pleasured. Research has shown a link between a manâs emotional state and his ability to sexually perform. Bottom line is, anxiety can really kill the mood.

Related: Losing Erections? Donât Panic, Here Are 7 Reasons a Man Might Lose His Erection

Also Check: How To Overcome Performance Anxiety

The Secrets To Great Sex If You Have Anxiety

Living with anxiety often means its present wherever you go including between the sheets.

Anxiety and sex are not happy bedfellows, said Jassy Casella Timberlake, a Massachusetts-based licensed marriage and family therapist and board-certified sex therapist, aptly summing up a complex issue.

Whether its anxiety/stress itself or the medication you use to treat it, the issue can have wide-ranging effects on a persons sex life. While no two people will experience mental health conditions in exactly the same way, you should be aware of some general truths about anxiety and sex.

Below, experts share what you might expect, plus some strategies to cope:

Does Performance Anxiety Only Happen With A New Partner

Being in a new relationship can be exciting, but it can also be a reason for getting sexual performance anxiety. You might be worried about pleasing your new partner and even worried the relationship will end if you cant.

Lots of people in new relationships feel this way so its completely normal. Remember that your new partner probably feels the same way. After youve been partners for long enough to feel more secure, and youve had sex more often, the sexual anxiety should get better. There are also some tips listed below that could help you through any early rough patches around sex with a new partner.

While anxiety with a new sexual partner is a common cause for performance anxiety, its not the only reason for it.

Some other common triggers of performance anxiety can include:

• Not feeling great about the way your genitals look or feel, or poor body image in general
• Work-related stress
• Problems in your personal relationships
• Financial stress
• Problems with your love life
• Worrying about coming too early , taking too long to come , not being able to get or stay hard , or getting pain during sex

Check out our research on what fears people have around sex:

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The Sexual Elephant In The Room

The obvious question becomes, if reaching orgasm works so well to settle anxiety, why aren’t more people doing it? This is where culture plays a huge role in anxiety treatment options. For the sake of illustration, it is the sexual elephant in the room.

First, sex and sexuality in American culture is decidedly paradoxical. On the one hand, sex sells. We use it in advertising everything from automobiles to washing machines. Our TV shows can be rife with sexual innuendo, even in prime time, but perish the thought that a naked breast is shown or that open and honest talk about sex becomes common.

Second, America is one of the most overtly religious nations on earth. And in our dominant religion, masturbation and pre-marital sex are considered sinful. Suggesting them to many people as treatment options would be to literally ask them to disregard their morality. The medical community, as a whole, is generally unwilling to recommend masturbation or sex as a treatment for anxiety because it really does open Pandoras Box.

Causes Of Sexual Performance Anxiety For Men

For men, sexual performance anxiety can come from a number of avenues. It could be something as small as reading an article about modern day sexual practices and thinking youre not doing it right, to changes in your body as you grow older.

Other causes of sexual performance anxiety for men include:

• Alcohol, smoking, illegal drugs and some prescription medicines
• Recovery from illness or surgery
• Ageing
• Stress and anxiety

So its worth bearing in mind if you know any of these might be an issue. In some circumstances, erectile problems can be the first symptom of other medical conditions, so its best to get checked out by your GP to establish whether there is an underlying cause.

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Sexual Anxiety Is A Common Issue

Performance anxiety is a common problem that can affect anyone. For men, it can be a stressful experience after all, no one wants to let their sexual partner down or miss out on enjoying sex because they feel anxious and uncomfortable.

Luckily, performance anxiety can easily be fixed. From open communication with your partner to guided imagery, relaxation exercises and ED medication, there are a range of treatment options that can help you overcome performance anxiety and enjoy a healthy sex life.

Interested in learning more about the psychological side of sexual performance? Our guides to porn-induced erectile dysfunction and average penis and erection size go into more detail about two of the most common causes of sexual performance anxiety.

Looking for a way to reduce feelings of anxiety? Our list of five science-backed reasons to start meditating explains how meditation can play a role in helping you overcome stress, anxiety and negative thought patterns.