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Scared of sex

13 replies

StuckInThisPlace · 10/04/2021 18:52

A bit nervous about posting in this section... I should mention that I had a long relationship with a partner that was abusive and sexually coercive.

I've been single now for 2 years and haven't had sex in nearly as long (had a crappy one night stand not long after the breakup). I'd really like to meet someone and have started talking to a few men online, hoping to meet up over the next couple of weeks. The problem is that I have so many insecurities and hangups about sex that it feels like I am doomed before I've even started!

I know everyone has insecurities, but I really do feel these things hold me back. I have backed away from so many sexual encounters in my life due to feeling anxious and worried about my body. As I get older, the insecurities just grow! My main insecurities are:

Floppy boobs, loose vagina, body hair (if I shave/wax everything off down there I end up with thrush, ingrown hairs etc), stretch marks on my belly, loose skin, clammy hands, just generally jiggly body.

I know that objectively I am a normal woman, I am a size 8-10 and I am not hideous. But I just can't get over the absolutely fear and shame of showing my body to men. That one night stand I had, I remember the man asking me to get on top, and literally the only thing I could think about where his view of my empty boobs! I can never relax and I am just constantly in my head thinking oh god, what must he be thinking? Do I feel loose? I am doing this wrong?

I think I probably look like I have quite a good body when I am dressed, as I'm slim, but then I imagine the man must be so disappointed when the clothes come off!

And this is not even mentioning the fact that I can never cum (no surprise with where my head is at during sex) so I am not really "great in bed" either...

At first I was thinking that I need to find a boyfriend and build things up slowly so that I feel comfortable etc. But now I am thinking that maybe I need to just have some casual sex to "practice" before I meet someone I like?

I am in my late 30's, I should be comfortable with myself and my sexuality, but I am so far from it! I know that I have a very sexual side of me and I really would love to be able to explore that fully with someone (now that I am free from the abusive relationship), but how do I get over these hangups? Help! Sorry for the long post.

OP posts:
Lilyminilli · 10/04/2021 20:43

Hi in my experience I don’t think casual sex will make you feel better about yourself.

If you meet the right man they will wait for you to feel comfortable and not ask you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.

I hadn’t had sex in five years and what I had before that was pretty uninspiring. I met someone last year and I’m having great sex and feeling much more confident about everything. I haven’t come with him but we are working on it, he wants to make me comfortable and I think it’s only a matter of time for this to happen. (No man has ever made me come for context)

Have you thought about getting counselling to discuss your prior relationship?

Also try not to worry about your body. I’m sure you’re lovely and we all have stretch marks, wobbly bits and hair etc no man is perfect either remember! He should thank his lucky stars he has you!
Try working on loving yourself (easy to say I know). You will have many positive things to contribute to any relationship x

JustAnotherOldMan · 10/04/2021 20:52

Don’t worry about your body shape, most men really don’t care that much & most of us have our range of hangups about moobs, middleage spread, thinning hair and ED ( but that might just be me !)

Parkerwhereareyou · 10/04/2021 21:25

@StuckInThisPlace

Hey hey hey ....... just slow down here.

You are in your late thirties, and you are a size 8-10. You're living the dream : )

... Really. I have done the same. Analysed every bit of myself and thought omg this and that and everything isn't perfect. Gone in close with photos to examine my imperfections. But apart from the fact that you are a perfectly fine and good size and age, you need to remember always that:

You aren't disparate constituent parts. You are a whole body and a whole person. With your own special energy.

And, in your case, very important:

You were in a situation for a long time where the feedback about your self, and your body perhaps, was very negative.

And (this is the worst bit) - because you were in a situation where you had to go along with what was effectively non-consensual sex (if we say consensual is where you actually are turned on and want it, not where you just agree to it and don't say no) - then you had to switch off your body.

In order to go through with it, you had to keep your mind alert, and switch your body off.

You are used to being used. (Sorry OP as this will not sound good but) you are used to being used as a receptacle. As an object, a physical thing which can be moved and positioned and manipulated and perhaps shoved and roughly pushed where the other person wanted and needed it. You may have also been forced to cum but by the sounds of it not (if you don't cum now).

Oh just writing this makes me feel v sorry for you and I am sending such a virtual hug to you. X

You have been through one of the most extreme assaults on your person/psyche that there is. And it doesn't have to be dramatic - it can be quiet, in private, in the dark, every night, and cumulative. Chronic erosion of you. Of your free will. Of your understanding that you even have free will, and a right to prioritise your own feelings and pleasure.

There are so many lovely men who would not even understand what it is to do this to another person. You need and will find one like that - a real person.

In practical terms:

Can you orgasm on your own?
Do you masturbate?
Do you have fantasies?

Your sexual ego sounds very down. : (

You need cheering up, big time. It might take the first encounter or so to just gently shove you out into the sunshine.

BUT. I think that hook-ups with strangers may not be the way to go. You might feel huge pressure to perform, and look perfect (which you do). And the person won't be emotionally invested and attached to you - he will presumably be polite enough, but it could be a situation where you bare your soul and they just say ok thanks bye. Which won't help you as you are at the moment.

I think the one nice person is who you need. And honestly although you don't want to go on about what's happened, they might need at some point to know about it, so they can get where your insecurities come from (layered over with the natural insecurities we all have).

All bodies are perfectly imperfect. Ok some might be super hard/toned/young/etc. - but that doesn't really mean anything. I had a literal god fuck me. He was better than photoshopped, and in real life. Like a work of art, one might think from the outside. But he was coercive and cruel and to me a cardboard cut-out with no intrinsic attraction at all. He could not believe that I didn't want him. He was outraged. Didn't believe it. But I didn't. He was actually repellent to me. I'm like omg, do you honestly, honestly think that having a good body is going to make me want you? Is that all you've got? You need so much more if you want me.

Real people, the ones you need to be around, don't just look at the outside of you. Your body is an expression of you, the person. If they love you, they love your body. OK we can refine ourselves, but the core energy and person is always the same. And anyhow your body sounds great so you really have nothing to worry about! : )

Shaving/waxing the most delicate and precious area of your body? .... where does that pressure/idea come from? Yes, as you've found - it's actually quite nice when just done but then hairs start growing back, etc, and it can be really uncomfortable. Why would you want to, even? Because you're worried a guy will not like your hair, will find your scent too strong maybe, will get hairs in their mouth, will just hate it? You need a guy who loves that, loves you. Embraces you in every way.

Don't fall into the trap of compromising yourself here. You need to be brave and just reveal yourself as you are. Obviously clean and looked after etc. But not hung up over every perceived imperfection and trying to second guess what the other person wants.

Have you ever been in a situation with a guy you love and noticed how sort of from one remove you think hmm yes that bit of him isn't perfect but omg that makes me love him even more?

I don't think just women do that.

Don't worry.

StuckInThisPlace · 10/04/2021 21:50

Thank you all so much for replying to my thread and being so kind and encouraging.

I have thought about counselling but I can't afford it right now. Hopefully in future. I do think I have some issues from that period, I often do disconnect during sex. I had an experience a few years back, when my ex and I were broken up briefly, where I was in bed with a lovely man that I'd been on a few dates with. We were making out and everything felt great and suddenly it was like I had an out of body experience, suddenly I was just observing the situation but not feeling anything at all. It happened in a split second and I actually had to stop what we were doing as I couldn't snap out of it. That was particularly weird as it switched so drastically and quickly. But yes, I do disconnect, as I used to do that with my ex when I didn't actually want the sex that was happening.

I do masturbate regularly and have orgasms very easily on my own. In fact I always thought I was quite a sexual person before I met my ex (I was very inexperienced when I met him) as I had always had a frequent "sex life" with myself from quite a young age. I have lots of fantasies and that's why I really do want to experience sex fully and to it's full potential. So there must be a mental block there.

I did find a way to orgasm with my ex, which was that I would masturbate while giving him oral sex, which I really liked. To me it felt really hot and like mutual pleasure and I was really happy with that. But after a while of us doing that he started getting annoyed and told me it "didn't count" if he wasn't the one actually physically giving me the orgasm. I understand where he was coming from, but for me that was still an improvement from not having orgasms at all with him. So we stopped doing that eventually.

I just don't know why I am so extremely self conscious. Even when a man goes to take my hand I panic and think "shit, is my palm sweaty!?" and I yank my hand away. It just makes everything so awkward!

OP posts:
Parkerwhereareyou · 10/04/2021 22:06

oh OP : (

Those repeated scenarios with him have fucked you up.

But it's great news you are sexual/sensual, can orgasm on your own. I too got stuck in the sucking him while making myself cum. He almost kind of ordered it. It felt lonely but at least I was the one touching myself. I suppose I was lucky then - it was acceptable, rather than him having to do it (: (

I can't invest £385 a session for counselling either so - let's do this for free. With the business of someone touches your hand, you think your palm is sweaty/therefore unattractive - two questions:

Is it actually sweaty?
Do you generally have sweaty hands?

What is a sweaty palm, anyhow? Isn't it just warm? Might it not actually be attractive? Would the other person even notice/thing about it?

Did he even once say that your hands were sweaty/horrible in some way?

Parkerwhereareyou · 10/04/2021 22:08

Ok that was more than two questions : D

And I meant would the guy even think about it?

jessstan2 · 11/04/2021 00:14

"If you meet the right man they will wait for you to feel comfortable and not ask you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with."

I agree with that from Lilliminilli.

Remember, the man may not look all that wonderful without his clothes on either but if the attraction and affection is there, it will work. Just don't be in too much of a hurry. 40 is still quite young!

Just keep yourself fit and healthy - shoulders back and smile.

(When it actually comes to 'it', start off in the dark until you are more relaxed and confident.)

Parkerwhereareyou · 11/04/2021 04:10

More than anything, you need someone who understands he has to keep you with him, and is patient and empathetic enough to make sure you don't detach.

Namechanged1010 · 11/04/2021 04:42

I think your insecurities about your body are going to take time and having a fling will not help. Neither will meeting someone and being used for sex.

I would start to get back into dating but make sure you are in and feel safe. Be really clear you won't be rushed into having sex, and with online dating I think it is a must. Although we didn't meet online my DH and I didn't have sex for a couple of months until after we met...I was clear I wasn't rushing anything as wanted to be sure he wanted to date me and not just have sex...awful now looking back but at least once we went to bed I had got to know him enough.

Deathgrip · 11/04/2021 18:08

Hugs to you OP.

I’ve had body confidence issues my whole life and outside of sex I absolutely hate my body. As soon as sex is finished I have to hide my body away, but during sex my husband makes me feel so incredibly good about myself. I can tell that he finds me very attractive from the way he is (ugh, just saying that makes me feel arrogant and awful which I am not!). You need the right partner who loves and respects you and your body as it is, and they are out there.

I’ve thought that I’d coped well with my history of abuse but I realised recently that I am actually scared of PIV and my fear of it actually puts me off wanting any sex at all. Often I’ll carry on even though it’s painful which is a vicious circle. I spoke to DH about it and he was devastated I had put up with pain and immediately said that PIV is just off the table now until I feel ready and want it - otherwise he won’t try or expect it. And it has helped me so much to relax and enjoy the sex we do have.

Do you think maybe there are certain acts that are particularly traumatic for you and which increase your anxiety about sex overall even though you’re not consciously thinking of that? I honestly never realised that my anxiety stemmed from this until we recently tried and I got very upset because it was painful and DH asked me why I didn’t just tell him to stop and I realised I’ve been doing this with sex for so long. The difference it has made taking that fear out of it is huge, not just to enjoying sex but how much I can relax and how confident I feel.

I think you need to find someone who deeply cares about you, who respects you and feels lucky to be seeing you naked - casual sex can be a great thing but it’s not ideal when you lack confidence and there’s no emotional connection.

I am sure you will find someone who makes you feel that way. It’s been really healing for me. And plenty of men like natural, unaugmented women’s bodies with jiggly bits and hair where hair grows (I reckon DH would be heartbroken if I removed my pubic hair - fortunately that works for me as I can’t be doing with that!). I have over time through our relationship come to actually believe that he wants me as I am and if I got breast implants, liposuction, tummy tuck etc he would genuinely fancy me less. I think my breasts are saggy and horrible but he is besotted with them (very odd to me but it’s what he likes!). It’s hard for me to talk this way after years of self-loathing and abuse and I still don’t like my body but I love that he does.

Please be kind to yourself. You’ve been through something awful but you can come out the other side of this and enjoy sex again. I guarantee that if I saw photos of you with no clothes on (obviously don’t send any 😂) I would find loads of beautiful things about you that you can’t see, and vice versa. Nobody else will ever be as critical of our bodies as we are.

StuckInThisPlace · 11/04/2021 19:51

@Deathgrip That's really interesting, I think also have issues with PIV sex. Through a fairly long period it was painful for me (because all the unwanted sex created little tears in the skin and even when they then healed the nerves were still damaged, or so the doctor told me) and PIV was something I endured, just waiting for it to be over. The pain actually went away after childbirth, which was a huge relief and sex was better after that. But I still have the feeling of waiting for it to be over and hoping it goes fast. I think that is because I am worried that it will start hurting if it goes on for too long and with my ex I didn't feel like stopping was an option.

Actually I think that my dream scenario would be to meet someone that I really fancy and then spend a long period just making out and letting things happen naturally. Where there was no goal of anyone having an orgasm. Just laying close together, kissing, sleeping together, touching in whatever way feels good. A bit like I guess that teenagers might do. But I think it's so unlikely that I would find a man who would be happy to do that! And how would I even explain that to a man? At what stage? The guy would have to be really bloody in to me to be up for that!

OP posts:
Deathgrip · 11/04/2021 20:14

But I still have the feeling of waiting for it to be over and hoping it goes fast. I think that is because I am worried that it will start hurting if it goes on for too long and with my ex I didn't feel like stopping was an option.

Yes this is exactly what I felt, even in a relationship with someone who would always stop if i asked, but I never did. He was so upset when he found out.

I appreciate it’s easier for me because I’m already in a loving marriage so it’s easier for him to propose no PIV, let’s just enjoy ourselves with no pressure. But I absolutely don’t see why you couldn’t start out a relationship this way.

If you met someone you really liked, cared about and could see a future with and they explained they’d had some past sexual trauma and could you take it slow, no pressure to do anything, you would say yes I’m sure! There’s no reason to believe there are no men who would be okay with this, and it’s actually quite a good filter for those men who do only want a shag and nothing more! You don’t have to go into any detail - you can just say you had an abusive relationship previously which has affected your confidence and enjoyment. I’m sure you’d be empathetic to that - why wouldn’t men be? Some won’t, but they’re not the type of men you need right now!

Parkerwhereareyou · 11/04/2021 20:23

@Deathgrip
*
I think you need to find someone who deeply cares about you, who respects you and feels lucky to be seeing you naked - casual sex can be a great thing but it’s not ideal when you lack confidence and there’s no emotional connection.*
Yes, this.

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