What to get when you’re not getting any: Dealing with sexual frustration during COVID-19

We all get an itch that needs scratching. But it's one of life's greatest lessons that we don't always get what we want, and some itches just have to be endured. And this imbalance between what we want and what we're getting leads us to feelings of frustration, which is but a natural response, really.

With COVID-19 shaking us up on a grand scale, the sense of frustration has become rampant. The pandemic puts tremendous pressure on our economic and social lives, including our relationships and sexual activities. Our agitated social environment frowns upon certain types of physical (more so sexual) activities at the risk of spreading the virus, so we take necessary precautions.

Whether you're single or in a relationship, having to follow quarantine guidelines and practicing social distancing makes scratching the itch even harder. While it's hard, know that there are means you can manage. Following are some ways you can deal with frustration, sexual or otherwise, this pandemic season.

Get Solo

Just cause you're not getting any from anyone doesn't mean you can't get any on your own. Now is as good a time as any to bring that automilker out of the bottom drawer and play solo.

Besides being a simulation of sex and relieving your sexual urges, masturbation has many benefits beyond sexual. It's an opportunity for you to get to know yourself better and explore your desires. It can lower your stress levels and help you relax, thereby helping you sleep better. It also enables you to achieve orgasm(s), which releases endorphins—the feel-good chemicals that can be a natural painkiller.

And unless you're using unwashed hands (which is a huge no-no in this pandemic) or an unsanitary object, masturbation cannot cause disease or infection, and it carries no risk of pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease (STD), so it's safe.

Get Intimate (in other ways)

There's nothing like a good orgasm, but your sexual frustration may simply be a result of a lack of intimacy. And other than physical, emotional intimacy is just as important. Sometimes fixing emotional intimacy is all it needs to get you and your partner back on being physically intimate.

If physical intimacy is out of the table because of lockdown, observance of safety protocols, or other constraints brought about by the coronavirus, rest assured that getting intimate with your partner in different ways can help further strengthen your relationship and get you through this pandemic together.

Get Physical

Be more physically active and exercise! Exercise, like sex, pumps up the feel-good brain chemicals, endorphins. As such, it can help you deal with depression, anxiety, and stress as it boosts your mood and improves your sleep. Regular physical activity is also good for your body as it increases your overall health and sense of well-being. In this pandemic, a physical and mental health booster doesn't seem so bad.

Get Online

You can do almost anything virtually these days—homeschooling, working from home, shopping, virtual parties, dating, and even sex. If you're single, in a long-distance relationship, or are physically apart from your partner because of this pandemic, getting online is an easy and convenient way to close the distance. You may spend endless hours online talking and flirting. And if you're into it, there are teledildonics to help you actually get it on.

Get Busy

Sometimes you just have to focus on something that will keep your mind off the things that frustrate you. Focus on activities that you enjoy other than sex, then maybe you can forget about it.

Other times, sexual frustration is more a result of having too much energy than really being aroused. Some means to expel energy include volunteering, taking on projects, and picking up a new or forgotten hobby. If you exhaust your body and mind, then you won't feel so sexually frustrated at the end of the day.

Get Positive

Your frustration may be from spending too much time thinking about what you lack rather than enjoying what you have. It may sound cliche, but now is probably the best time to think positively and focus on the good things rather than the bad—on what's present rather than missing. If you think about it, having to endure the physical distance of quarantining and necessary precautions is a lot better than losing a loved one to the virus from utter disregard of the safety protocols.

Takeaway

How you deal with sexual frustration in this pandemic is the difference between feeling resentment about yourself or toward your partner. With COVID-19 becoming a global concern, we can agree that as of the moment, it's way bigger than our sexual frustration. Recognize that we're all in this together, and you have the means to manage your frustrations. Just remember that, as seasons go, this too shall pass.