Flight or fight

Selena Gomez burns out and takes a 90-day break from her cell phone, but ordinary people deal with stress differently. Some with food, others with masturbation. But can we always do that when breaking under the pressures of the day?

Yes, it's true; masturbation is a healthy way to cope with stress. Wanking releases dopamine, endorphins, and many other hormones that bring you good feelings and relaxation. I successfully proved this in college, when I thought about sex more than the boring stuff written on the paper, even though I had deadlines and exams to catch up on. 

I was looking forward to finally getting the job because I thought it would be more straightforward: the eight-hour-long routine, lots of free time, and money for new gadgets. I enjoyed my job at the beginning - I'm one of those weird people who loves a challenge and enjoys working overtime. However, when I leave the office and the sun is sinking behind the hills, I suddenly realize I am tired as hell. Nevertheless, when I was writing a boring reply or apologizing to a customer over the phone for the tenth time using my sweet but sad voice, I often got really horny. My brain was drifting far away from the hassle and craziness. The result: a wet peach and a promise to myself to leave the office and head home as soon as I can. 

Covid restrictions have made it easier for me to balance work and good things. I have indeed accumulated so much unwritten over time that I could have earned a mini-vacation, but I have enjoyed my time working from home. The bed was right next to the desk. When I felt the moisture between my legs, I just turned around and hopped on the bed. Despite strict restrictions, I managed to relax and got up from my desk at the end of the day, feeling fresh and relaxed. I was reliving my days at college. With every masturbation, my desire grew. 

That day, when we returned to the offices, I could hardly wait for it to be over. The noise around me, the ringing phones, the loud conversations, and the rush from one end to the other drove the thought of ever touching myself again. All I could see was my bed, but not in a good way. I slept the whole afternoon out of exhaustion and used the weekends, when I forgot about work for a split second, to masturbate. But there was no end to weeks like that. The thought of sex rarely came up; nothing put me in the mood I used to know. My masturbation days had become so diluted that I was honestly worried about what was happening. Is it a consequence of my disease, or should I blame the stress at work and home? Will I still be able to do what I enjoy most?

I blamed it on MS for a while, but on holiday I realized that all those dirty thoughts come back. I had no choice but to blame stress, a significant inhibitor of sex drive. When we receive an unpleasant phone call or have to answer an e-mail judiciously and politely, when we know that we have fucked up, our bodies are flooded with stress hormones, cortisol, and adrenaline. Judging by my heart rate and reduced sexual desire, I thought my body was drowning in these stress hormones. Prolonged exposure to stress leads to chronic stress, ultimately killing the thought of sex. Unfortunately, reproduction is not a priority in a 'fight or flight situation. 

That's all good, but how do you get out of it if you're trapped in a daily routine that brings nothing but stress? Give up sex or resign your job and hope that the next one will bring you more boring work that will leave room in your head for something else? In my search for an answer, I found two solutions: accept that your sexual desire will fluctuate and arouse your sexual desire through foreplay. If that doesn't work, don't stress over it - it will come eventually. 

I didn't like Neither of these two solutions, but I could not do more than that. When it's too hard, and the stress is accompanied by panic attacks, I give in, fall into bed and close my eyes. But, when the day at work has been tolerable and not so devastating as to inhibit the thought of sex, I take the opportunity to put the second tip into practice. Then, for a short time, the world disappears, and stress and work are blown away at the first touch.