I often masturbate to relieve tension from various unpleasant experiences. Masturbation is a foolproof way to take my mind off what's bothering me. Or, I use it as a method to tire me out so I can sleep instead of worrying about what's bothering me. These tension-relieving sessions are nowhere near as pleasurable as normal masturbation, and they often require a lot more time and effort. In the case of sexual frustration, masturbation is an excellent release, and those times lead to the quickest, best, and messiest climaxes.
- age 20, Mississippi
This Week's Wackiest Response:
I've done this a couple of times. It's very relieving, and better than taking my anger out on a friend. (Well, a *bigger* friend!)
- age 16, Missouri
I'm a college student and get frustrated a lot — sexually as well as in other ways. Sometimes, I find myself masturbating in bed at night after a frustrating day. I guess it's like I want to end a bad day with something good. Part of me is determined to have an orgasm, while the other part isn't in the mood. I usually achieve my goal and find it easier to fall asleep after I have masturbated.
- age 18, New Jersey
I spent a marriage with a woman who decided not to have sex and turned her back on me every night. Frustration is putting it mildly! I finally decided I would go crazy if I didn't masturbate. So, every night from then on, I did it right next to her turned back, heightening the sound effects so she couldn't possibly miss it. How could something that feels so good to me feel so awful to her? It will not surprise you to learn that the marriage ended in divorce. Her sister once told her: "No sex, no marriage." She was right.
- age 36, Florida
I have masturbated when I was sexually frustrated and it turned out great. I took my time instead of rushing through it.
- age 16, New York
The times I masturbate when I'm frustrated are the best. I can just sit back and go at it, all wicked and furious and stuff. And then when I climax, it's the best because out come all my frustrations about everything else, too!
- age 20, Massachusetts
Besides being a great source of pleasure, masturbation is a quick and effective way to relieve stress and frustration. You can use it to your advantage. For example, I am an actor, and I have found that masturbating about an hour before a performance can significantly reduce my stress and stage fright. When I've had a bad day, it's always helpful to have a quick orgasm to calm myself down. And when I have a lot of homework and I'm having trouble focusing on it, I just masturbate. It gets rid of all the distractions. Since the purpose of these sessions is just to have an orgasm and relieve some sort of frustration, I usually go pretty fast and have my orgasm within two or three minutes. It's not quite as pleasurable as other occasions, but it definitely serves its purpose!
- age 15, South Carolina
When I'm frustrated and stressed, I masturbate much more. I'm doing post-graduate work, so my frustration level can rise drastically. Normally, I masturbate once or twice a day — but if I'm working on a hard paper or studying for an exam and become frustrated, I masturbate to calm down and put everything back in perspective. About two weeks ago, I was frustrated while writing. I was going nowhere. I masturbated 7 times that day, and the paper turned out well.
- age 26, Ohio
No, I usally don't feel like masturbating when I'm frustrated. Masturbation is supposed to be an experience you enjoy, not that you do when you are frustrated.
- age 17, California
I'm frustrated sexually, oh, every night. I don't have a girlfriend at the moment and work with a lot of attractive women, so when I get home from work, I'm usually really horny. And then there's the matter of being frustrated in general, like over deadlines at work. When I was in school and had a test coming up or big paper due, I used to masturbate like crazy to relieve the tension. I can't really say, but for the most part these sessions weren't really a whole lot different from my usual masturbation.
- age 23, Minnesota
Yes. Under many circumstances, the stress of viewing women can become quite difficult to deal with. Slipping away and masturbating quickly makes it much easier. It happens fairly often, and the sessions are usually pretty quick and hard. When I am that frustrated, I am horny enough that it doesn't take much effort, and the result is usually quite powerful.
- age 18, Michigan
No offense, but isn't feeling horny the reason everyone masturbates?
- age 27, United Kingdom
I don't think I could masturbate if I were frustrated. I'd probably have trouble getting in the mood at all.
- age 17, Nebraska
In a sense, all my masturbation is due to sexual frustration. If I had an adequate sex life, I wouldn't be masturbating as much (not counting mutual masturbation, which I'm sure I would still enjoy). On the other hand, when I'm frustrated for nonsexual reasons, sometimes I find it more difficult to sustain an erection and therefore to masturbate. So extra tension caused by personal frustrations is more likely to keep me from masturbating than to cause me to masturbate.
- age 44, Tennessee
When I get in a fight with my girlfriend, it always makes me feel better to masturbate thinking of what she does to me when we are having sex. For some reason, it makes me know how special she is to me — not just the sex, but the way she touches me and loves me. It is a great way to forgive her for being mean to me.
- age 15, Mississippi
I use masturbation as a form of therapy.
- age 34, Sweden
Sometimes when I'm angry, masturbating is the only way for me to get happy again.
- age 13, Denmark
I have a high-stress job and sometimes I come home at night, peel off all my clothes, lie down on the couch, and just stroke — not really thinking about anything sexual. Towards orgasm, I'll stroke faster, letting out loud screams and moans until I ejaculate — and then everything is calm. I'll feel my body shake and quiver while I caress my scrotum, and then I know I have relieved my stress for the day.
- age 21, Texas
Sometimes if I've had a frustrating day at work, I'll come home and masturbate for about an hour to relieve the stress. Sometimes I think a frustrating day is from not masturbating enough. If I can't wait to get home, sometimes I do it while I'm driving.
- age 18, Wisconsin
I masturbate to ejaculation at least 3 times a week, sometimes more. My doctor advised me to ejaculate the 3 times for prostate health. I am a widower now and alone. I get frustrated a lot, and depressed sometimes, so then I masturbate. I really enjoy it, because I never did it much when I was married. I had forgotten how good it felt. I advise all older single people to masturbate as much as they can.
- age 74, Nevada
I masturbate just because it's great, not to relieve frustration.
- age 14, Florida
Several years ago, when my boyfriend and I had broken up, I masturbated so much that I injured my poor little clitoris. (Can't you just see a guy referring to his penis as "little"? Ha!) I was very sexually frustrated for a few weeks and masturbating about 4 times a day. It was sad; nothing satisfied me. I even asked a friend if I could borrow her boyfriend. Fortunately, she was more clear-headed than I was and refused.
- age 30, California (female)
Of course, I masturbate because I'm frustrated. I'm usually frustrated because it has been a long time since I have had sex. Come to think of it, I also masturbate when I'm stressed from school or my job. It really helps calm me down and not get so nervous. Man, masturbation is a lifesaver!
- age 18, Missouri
One time I was fixing my computer (something I really have no idea how to do), and I got so upset I just couldn't take it anymore. I was ready to throw the computer across the room. I don't know whether I wanted to calm down, got turned on, or what — but the next thing I knew, I was masturbating. I got done and returned to the job with more patience. I didn't fix the computer, but that was a memorable session.
- age 16, Virginia
When I've had a bad day I do sometimes masturbate to get in a good mood before I go to sleep, but it doesn't give me much pleasure. Of course, it's enjoyable when I do it, but just as I finish, a stupid "why did I do that?" feeling comes. Then, I don't feel any better than when I began. Having good masturbation is like having good sex with someone — the context, the ambience, and your state of mind are very important.
- age 21, France
During exams is probably when I am the most frustrated. After a long session of studying history or chemistry or something equally tedious, the *best* feeling is just to get naked and lie on my bed and masturbate! It totally relaxes every muscle in my body, and the pressure provides an *amazing* orgasm. At least there is something to look forward to at exams!
- age 17, Canada
Masturbation is often a good stress release for me — whether that stress is from frustration, sexual energy, job tensions, or whatever. These sessions feel a bit more superficial and less sexual than regular sessions, which are focused more on amplifying sexual energy itself. But whatever the motivation, masturbation is a good way to express or release frustration.
- age 57, California
I definitely masturbate when I'm sexually frustrated! My girlfriend and I have had sex on several occasions, and at other times, we have given each other oral stimulation. When it doesn't work out for whatever reason, I definitely go home and masturbate. The only way it's different is that for some reason when I'm sexually frustrated, I ejaculate much more than usual.
- age 14, New York
Sometimes, when I'm having a rough day at work or something just won't go right, I feel tension in my groin. I sneak away to a place where I can masturbate — sometimes the urinal or restroom stall. It's a quick process, hardly "sexual" at all in that I'm not aroused in the usual way. I just need to release some tension, and the only way that works satisfactorily is to have a quick masturbation session. After a quick cleanup, I'm calmer and ready to go back to work.
- age 40, California
Sometimes I masturbate when I am sexually frustrated. Usually when I am physically flustered, I can't get an erection. When I'm sexually frustrated and I ejaculate, my semen level is usually higher — sometimes more than a few tablespoons.
- age 16, Tennessee
Most of the time that I masturbate, I do it because I'm sexually frustrated. After my husband and I have sex and I can't orgasm, I need to masturbate — either as soon as possible or the next day. Sometimes I slip out of bed when he falls to sleep and go into another room to relieve myself. Those orgasms aren't very good — just a relief.
- age 25, Alabama (female)
I get very frustrated every day with homework and studying for tests and stuff. When my dad told me about masturbation years ago, he said he does it when he's frustrated, it helps him to relax, and that I should try it when I'm frustrated. Guess what? It works for me, too, and it's easy for me to concentrate after I have an orgasm and get my breath back. This happens about every day after school — but it feels the same as any other time I masturbate.
- age 14, Maine
When I masturbate out of frustration, my strokes are usually quicker and rougher than when I am calmer. Also, I'll masturbate several times that day until I exhaust myself.
- age 23, New Jersey
Actually, when I become frustrated, I tend not to masturbate at all. It can last for weeks at a time. I once went 8 weeks without masturbating because I was emotionally frustrated. When I'm sexually frustrated, I'm really just too frustrated to do anything about it.
- age 17, California
For me, masturbating to relieve sexual frustration can be more intense and enjoyable. I go all out, make it last, and unload my tension along with a huge ejaculation! If I'm trying to relieve stress from work or home life, the session is not as enjoyable, since I find it harder to concentrate and unfortunately feel guilty when I am done. I feel as though I am using masturbation to escape dealing with issues I should resolve some other way.
- age 32, Texas
When I am frustrated, I calm myself down by masturbating. For some reason it relaxes me. I do this just about every day, usually after school.
- age 13, Oklahoma
Sometimes when I don't get to have sex (which is quite often) I masturbate because I am frustrated. Or, I simply masturbate because I am bored. These sessions are different from my usual — the stimulation usually doesn't feel as good. They also seem more like a chore than the pleasure it is supposed to be. I really hate to masturbate when I am frustrated or when I am bored. But sometimes, it does relieve a lot of built-up tension from work or from other things. So masturbating in frustration is not always bad — sometimes afterwards I feel much better.
- age 26, Pennsylvania
My parents have strict rules about not dating until I am 16. I've been well developed and pretty horny since I started puberty at 10. I've never even been kissed, so saying I'm sexually frustrated is the understatement of the millennium. Consequently, I masturbate to orgasm at least 3 times a day and have been doing so since I was 11. At this point, it's all I can do to relieve that tension — but something tells me I'm not going to stop masturbating once I start dating.
- age 15, Connecticut (female)
Since I quit smoking, I find that masturbation can be a relief during high stress and helps to reduce my frustration level. Even when I may not be interested in sex, I can manage to get an erection and masturbate, though the fantasies are usually more aggressive and directed toward the source of my particular frustration. These sessions take longer, fatigue me more, and sometimes result in a sore penis if I don't use a lubricant. But overall, a sore penis a couple of times a year is better than all the health risks of smoking.
- age 31, Missouri
I have found that if I masturbate when I'm in a bad mood or stressed out, the frustration takes away all of the joy. So instead, I do it when I feel extremely relaxed. It feels better, and I ejaculate farther.
- age 13, California
I usually masturbate when it's hard for me to get to sleep. Once I reach orgasm, I usually drift right off to a peaceful rest. This seems to take care of clearing my mind and exhausting my body. Reaching an orgasm is a great end to a hard day at work, especially if it was frustrating. Also, it gives me a chance to fantasize about whomever I've seen during the day that was sexy. I usually masturbate at least once a day. If I go for several days, then it's got to happen or I begin to feel quite sexually frustrated. The only thing different about a session after going without for several days is that it takes much less time to reach the peak and there is a lot more to clean up. It seems that if I am having an orgasm regularly, I get an erection more often during the day for no particular reason. If it's been several days, I don't notice an erection very often, until I have the next orgasm. Then the frequency resumes.
- age 39, Louisiana
I masturbate every night, whether I'm frustrated or not. Sometimes if I'm frustrated over a girl, I don't masturbate because I can't get in the mood. That's the only way frustration has ever affected my masturbation at all.
- age 18, Minnesota
Presently, I don't participate in sexual relations of any kind — male-female or male-male. Masturbating helps ease the stress that comes from hearing about and seeing sex in conversations, movies, videos, etc. As far as regular stress goes, masturbating just helps me relax. After a long, hard day, there's nothing better than opening up a Guinness, putting a little visual stimulation on the VCR, and taking care of myself.
- age 20, Ohio
Sometimes I get home from a date, and either I haven't had sex with her, or she hasn't masturbated me. After this happens a few times, I resort to masturbation. Don't get me wrong — I think masturbation is God's gift, but I like it a lot better when I'm with a girl. Anyway, these sessions usually don't differ much, except that it takes longer for me to reach my climax. However, it's usually better, because most girls don't know how to masturbate a guy.
- age 15, Illinois
When things aren't going well, and they can't go well all the time, masturbation doesn't help me much. I've found that masturbating then makes a dark mood darker — like, why am I not doing this with my wife, or a friend? The momentary pleasure disappears quickly. I see masturbation as a wonderful activity to enjoy when I am feeling good mentally and physically, which is most of the time.
- age 55, Michigan