Sexual wellness is central to a happy and fulfilling sex life. This includes sexual intercourse, play and self pleasure which encompass the other facets of your sexuality- physical, emotional and psychological.

Physical Sexual Wellness 

• How knowledgeable are you of your anatomy? Knowing what to call parts of your body allows you to become empowered over your own body. Saying it out loud asserts your bodily space out loud too. This is incredibly important to provide you with a safe space for pleasure and also knowing what doesn’t feel quite right should you need to seek professional care and guidance.

• Accurate understanding of the function of your body echoes your autonomy to make decisions right for you and your needs.

• Knowing how to care for your body means that an STI can be treated promptly and without shame. Regular checkups are essential to your sexual and overall health. Reproductive organs are not isolated from the rest of your body, so looking after your whole body health means being aware of your sexual organ health.

• Access to appropriate contraceptive information for both men and women is vital. Do you know what form of contraception works best for you?

Psychological Sexual Wellness

• It’s important to be able to communicate easily about your body’s functions and desires without shame or guilt

• Maintain a positive self image. How you feel about your body contributes to overall health.

• Your needs for sexual pleasure matters- with or without a partner. Healthy sexual wellness means you care for yourself sexually as you would any other need

• If you have had negative experiences about your sexuality, it’s important to seek support. You are not alone and you can heal.

• Professional counselling can also contribute to a healthy establishment of boundaries and consent. This contributes to your autonomy and comfort in sexual relationships. Saying yes or no with confidence matters.

Life Changes and So Does Your Sex Life

• As we age our sexual desires may change too. Are you in menopause and experiencing physical pain or frequent UTI’s? Are you experiencing changes with erections? These concerns can be managed by seeing a healthcare practitioner.

• Erectile dysfunction is common and yet a deeply taboo topic. However it’s just like any other physical need for care from your doctor which can often be solved with medication or other lifestyle changes. 

• Changes in libido may occur during times of stress or illness. Communication is key here. What are your needs? Perhaps the act of sexual intercourse isn’t as important as sexual play. Feeling free to explore these avenues means a greater self awareness and sexual wellness and introducing toys can help spice things up again. Touching without pressure to perform can be incredibly freeing at this stage for men and women.

• Do you need more reassurance emotionally in order to connect sexually? Expressing these needs helps deepen connection which in turn benefits overall health, including your sexual health.

Don’t suffer in silence. While you may feel like ‘you’re the only one’, as the saying goes: “There’s nothing new under the sun.” You are not alone.