When To Consider Seeing A Doctor
The male performance anxiety solutions listed above will help most of the people with anxiety or erectile dysfunction. However, for some people, they may not work. In these instances, you may need to consult your doctor.
The performance anxiety may also increase in some people even when the male performance anxiety solutions are followed to the letter. In other men, the symptoms may occur more frequently as compared to before. These people also require to see a doctor.
In these cases, the doctor will either perform a physical exam or do a blood test. These tests will show if there are underlying causes for the poor performance in bed.
For others, male performance anxiety will be diagnosed by administering a questionnaire to determine the mental health for conditions such as depression and stress levels. The doctor will recommend solutions that will reduce these mental problems.
Communicate Your Anxieties To A Partner
Communicating with a partner about your anxieties can take some of the pressure off and allow you to ask for support. It can be helpful to have a more in-depth discussion outside of a sexual situation and really delve into what the anxieties are, where they stem from, and potential solutions. For example, if you experience pain during penetration, you might say, âpenetration is painful for me, but I really like doing X, Y, and Z things.â
During a sexual encounter, itâs important to continuously check in with yourself and a partner. You might say something like, âDuring sex, I feel anxious about . And often, it makes it ever harder for me to . It would help me if you could . How does that sound to you?â
It can be difficult to communicate the specifics of your anxiety if you donât know your partner well or if youâre having a one night stand. In these cases, try communicating broader topics first, like your boundaries or what you do and donât like during sex. If you donât feel comfortable bringing up a specific issue, like vaginal dryness, consider bringing lube with you or saying something along the lines of, âI think using lube is hot.â While not every anxiety can be resolved with communication and you might find it difficult to speak openly with a partner, learning to express your wants and needs is an important first step.
Psychotherapy Treatment Of Performance Anxiety
- Cognitive behavioral therapy : This is one of the most effective psychotherapies for anxiety disorders. It is an approach used to identify and change thought and behavior patterns to develop more effective ways of coping, leading to symptomatic change.
- Counseling: This is a type of talk therapy used to empower people with strategies to overcome challenges and improve their sense of well-being.
- Coping strategies: These may include pre-performance rituals, deep breathing, and visualization.
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Remedies For Performance Anxiety
Like other forms of anxiety, the physical symptoms of performance anxiety are due to activation of the bodys sympathetic nervous system, also known as the fight-or-flight system .
And as with other forms of anxiety, theres some evidence that relaxation techniques and other calming practices can help. Some helpful relaxation techniques include progressive muscle relaxation and yoga . Some anti-anxiety drugs may also be effective, although these usually arent go-to remedies for performance anxiety .
Many different forms of psychotherapy can be helpful. For example, cognitive-behavioral therapy has evidence backing its benefits for several different types of performance anxiety .
CBT may involve coming up with new ways to think about situations that cause you anxiety. CBT can also teach you new techniques to cope with performance anxiety and helpful ways to confront the source of your anxiety to change your brain and bodys response to it .
What Are The Causes Of Performance Anxiety In Men
There are a lot of potential reasons why a guy might experience sexual performance anxiety.
Most of them stem from the mistaken belief that you will somehow do somethingor not be able to do somethingthat will end up disappointing your partner.
Sex is not like a TV show or movie that needs to be reviewed and critiqued, but turning it into that is just about the quickest way to make sex anxiety-provoking instead of fun.
Even the most confident guy is bound to be a bit nervous if he thinks his partner is going to be overly critical of his sexual prowess.
Let’s take a quick look at five of the most common reasons guys might experience performance anxiety.
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Causes Of Sexual Performance Anxiety
Sex is more than just a physical response. Your emotions have something to do with it, too. When your mind is too stressed out to focus on sex, your body can’t get excited either.
Lots of different worries can lead to the problem:
- Fear that you won’t perform well in bed and satisfy your partner sexually
- Poor body image, including concern over your weight
- Problems in your relationship
- Worry that your penis won’t “measure up”
- Concern about ejaculating too early or taking too long to reach orgasm
- Anxiety about not being able to have an orgasm or enjoy the sexual experience
These things may lead your body to release stress hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine.
1 Recognize What Youre Anxious About
âThink about the following questions: Are you only experiencing anxiety with a specific partner? Is it because you plan to try something new? Is it because of the way you view your body?â Dr. Thorpe suggests to O.school.
First identifying what is making you feel anxious can make the concerns feel less powerful and allow you to take the next steps to address the concerns.
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The Link Between Erectile Dysfunction And Performance Anxiety
Research indicates that there is a link between a persons state of mind and sexual performance . Feelings of inadequacy, as well as low levels of self-esteem, can produce physical symptomslike ED, for instance.
It should be noted that these feelings of inadequacy or inability to please ones partner can cause different levels of sexual dysfunction. This phenomenon can occur in both men and women.
What Is Sports Anxiety
Sports anxiety is a tendency to view competitive situations as threatening and to respond to these situations with apprehension and tension .
When under pressure, motor skills that are usually automatic become impaired by additional tension. Athletes choke while attempting well-learned tasks . Even highly-skilled athletes fall into the downward spiral of making stupid mistakes on skills they have been practicing for years. They get obsessed with the fear that it will happen again. This makes them even more tense and likely to mess up again.
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Can Anxiety Make You Orgasm Too Quickly
Yes. While some men find the pressure to perform in the bedroom stops them from orgasming, others find the increased anxiety causes them to orgasm faster than they want. If this is the case for you, as well as getting treatment for your anxiety, you could try premature ejaculation treatment.
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How To Get Over Sexual Performance Anxiety
While it would be great to have some quick fix for sexual performance anxiety, like all forms of anxiety it is a long term process. Everyone can overcome these issues, but it takes work, dedication, and smart decisions. The following represent some important strategies for overcoming this anxiety:
Finally, you’ll absolutely need to control your overall anxiety. Those that have anxiety are far more prone to experiencing anxiety in the bedroom, and no amount of practice is going to take that way.
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Worrying That Your Penis Wont Work The Way It Should
Guys judge themselves pretty harshly when their penises dont work the way the want them to.
Will it get hard enough? Will I climax too early? And will I be able to reach orgasm at all?
These are all questions that many guys grapple with going into a sexual encounter, especially if theyve experienced sexual difficulties in the past.
These uncertainties can weigh heavily on your mind and contribute to sexual performance anxiety, leading to more severe issues over time, especially if you find yourself preoccupied with them during sex itself.
How K Health Can Help
Anxiety and depression are among the most under-reported and under-treated diseases in America. Nearly 20% of adults in the US suffer from mental health illness and fewer than half receive treatment. Our mission is to increase access to treatment for those suffering in silence.
You can start controlling your anxiety and depression and get access to the treatment you need with K Health. Starting at $23/month get prescriptions for mental health medications plus unlimited doctor visits through the K Health app. Start your free assessment to see if youre eligible.
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Performance Anxiety Type : Sexual Performance
The origins of sexual performance anxiety are a bit more obvious. This is a society that puts considerable pressure on how people perform in the bedroom, the size of their genitals, the need to please the partner, and so on. Combine this with inexperience, a bad sexual experience, or perceived trouble at finding sexual partners, and it is no surprise that some people develop performance anxiety in sexual situations.
How the performance anxiety manifests may differ. The most common ways include:
No matter the effects of anxiety, there is no denying that anxiety itself can create more anxiety. The more you are worried about your performance, the more your performance suffers, and the more you worry about performance in the future.
Seek Help From A Professional
Sex therapists, sex coaches, and some sex educators are trained to give you tools and information to help with challenges like performance anxiety and sexual dysfunction. A sex therapist may be able to help you understand if there is something underlying your performance anxiety that may not have to do with sex at all.
If your anxiety is rooted in what might be a medical issue, such as vaginal pain, dryness, or erectile dysfunction, seek help from a doctor, sex therapist, pelvic floor therapist, or practitioner. There are medical treatments available that might be right for you.
The bottom line
While experiencing sexual performance anxiety may be difficult, it is possible to overcome. Be sure to pay attention to what you feel anxious about and talk with your partner about it. You might try strategies like mindfulness, focusing on foreplay or mutual masturbation, or working with a professional. Remember that sex is not a performance and that your pleasure is equally as important as your partnerâs.
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Remember That You Can Stop At Any Time
Dr. Thorpe suggest to O.school that you should âcheck in, communicate with your partner, and decide if having sex is whatâs best for you in that moment.â You might find youâre feeling really anxious, nervous or are experiencing vaginal pain and having sex is not enjoyable right now. Remember you can stop having sex at any time and that you donât need to apologize or feel bad about it. This is especially true if youâre experiencing pain â you never need to push through unwanted pain to continue having sex in order to please your partner.
Medications That Cause Ed/performance Anxiety
Your doctor can help potential causes of performance anxiety, especially when it is possibly caused by certain medications. Even a pharmacist can tell you the possible side effects of certain drugs.
Certain medications can contribute to erectile dysfunction and sexual performance anxiety. These include medicines that affect blood circulation, nerves, and the bodys hormones:
- Drugs for the prostate
- Anti-depressants
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Show Yourself That It Works
If your penis works when you masturbate, you know your equipment is working from a physical perspective. However, if youre also having the same problems during masturbation, that may be the sign of a more serious issue that requires medical treatment.
Understanding your sexual response by practicing when you are by yourself is a good way to reinforce that there is nothing wrong with you and can help you start to build up your confidence.
Ways To Help Your Child Get Over Stage Fright
Stage fright is shared by many so dont be alarmed if your child exhibits signs of uneasiness before a recital. What you can do instead is help them overcome their fear and assure them they are capable of pulling off a great performance.
While music itself boosts mental and emotional health, sometimes children need a little extra boost to help them overcome stage fright:
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Treatment Options For Sexual Performance Anxiety
Because performance anxiety can occur for a variety of reasons, treatment usually focuses on identifying and solving the factor or factors that caused the anxiety in the first place.
Sometimes, performance anxiety may solve itself as you become more familiar and comfortable with your sexual partner. In other cases, performance anxiety may disappear as you identify and manage sources of stress in your life.
If sexual performance anxiety does not resolve on its own, there are other treatment options available.
Diet Trumps Adaptogens Every Time
Firstly, it cannot be stressed enough how much more important it is sort your diet out before you start looking into other supplementation. The inclination can be to start taking an adaptogen to try and solve a problem that is actually being caused by something that you are eating on a regular basis. This strategy would just result in you wasting your money and not solving your problem.
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Sexual Performance Anxiety Statistics
While there are no statistics for sexual performance anxiety as a unique diagnosis, we can gain a sense of how prevalent sexual anxiety is by looking at statistics for related issues:
- Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S. An estimated 19.1% of U.S. adults had any anxiety disorder in the past year and an estimated 31.1% of U.S. adults experience any anxiety disorder at some time in their lives7
- Erectile Dysfunction occurs in 18% of men over 20 in the U.S.8
- Lifelong Delayed Ejaculation affects approximately 1% of sexually active men and acquired DE affects approximately 4% of sexually active men9
- Female Orgasmic Disorder is present in approximately 26% of premenopausal women10
- 10-15% of women report never having had an orgasm11
Is There A Cure
Theres no single cure for performance anxiety.
If your performance anxiety is caused by erectile dysfunction , then ED medicines such as Viagra can help you to get and keep an erection.
If your performance anxiety is caused by stress and anxiety, either about sex or other areas of life then you might try to:
- Take the focus away from sexual intercourse – there are many different ways to be intimate with your partner without penetration. Placing too much of an emphasis on sexual intercourse can put a man under pressure to perform, and focusing on other ways of pleasuring your partner can help you to relax and enjoy sexual intimacy without the pressure to have an erection.
- Make healthy choices – eating the right balance of foods and exercising regularly can help to combat stress and anxiety
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