Self-love for men may seem like a foreign concept to most. We’ve all seen self-esteem how-tos in women’s magazines with mantras like, “You’re worthy of love.” But what does self-love mean for men? And why are men so often left out of this conversation?
Well, at Fleshlight, we’re huge fans of all things self-love related, and we’re firm believers that all genders and sexes deserve a premier self-love journey. (And some top-tier self-pleasure while you’re at it.) In this article, we’ll discuss what self-love is exactly, why it matters for men, and ways to boost your personal self-love practice.
What Is Self-Love?
With all the self-help and inner reflection talks going on nowadays, differentiating between self-love and self-care can be confusing. Let’s simplify matters.
Self-love is a feeling, and self-care is an action.
These two concepts are interconnected. For example, proper self-love usually requires extensive acts of self-care. Meanwhile, most people need to practice and reinforce feelings of self-love in order to take acts of self-care in the first place.
Think of self-love and self-care as the happy version of the ouroboros. The concepts feed into each other. Here are some common methods of pursuing self-love and self-care:
- Self-love: practicing mindfulness, using positive affirmations, meditating on past trauma/inner peace, and allowing yourself to indulge in acts of self-care.
- Self-care: treating yourself in your day-to-day life (listening to your favorite podcast, going to movies, eating fun foods), investing in your physical health, and practicing excellent personal hygiene.
Often, when people reference self-care or self-love, they refer to the two acts synonymously, but understanding the difference helps men practice self-love more effectively.
The Importance of Self-Love for Men
Let’s start here—men’s emotions matter. Our society is mostly past the macho-male, unfeeling concept of manhood. However, some nasty thoughts continue. The reality is that male physical, sexual, and mental health all matter greatly and impact daily life for every man.
With this, there are tons of benefits of practicing effective self-love, including:
- Boosted self-esteem: Low self-esteem makes it tough to live your own life with any sense of self-confidence. Quality self-esteem results in more confidence in personal relationships, work, and more.
- Better mental health: A strong mental state allows you to explore and engage in activities more freely. It also strengthens your ability to process feelings in times of stress.
- Increased self-worth: We all have a good friend who settles for everything. Premier self-worth pushes you to achieve and grow instead of settling.
- Advanced personal development: This practice involves upping your skills, qualities, aims, and daily life practices.
- Realized self-acceptance: Accepting yourself as you are is a tough battle that many grown men struggle with. Effective self-love can get you there.
- Better relationships: In order to give love, you need to know how to love yourself first. Social media and high-pressure society can make focusing inward seem like a bad thing, but it’s really an excellent way to improve your own love life.
These results of self-love are fantastic, but the question is, how do you get there using healthy ways? Here at Fleshlight, we believe we've cornered the market on one particular method of boosting self-love. Read on to learn more.
Ways to Improve Self-Love for Men Through Masturbation
Masturbation is a self-love practice that helps men improve their relationship with their bodies and become their best selves. There are many, many other methods of practicing self-love, but investing in pleasure is a key method that has powerful repercussions.
Below, we’re going through each step in the masturbation process, offering tips and tricks to improve your masturbatory act of self-love.
Set the Mood
Jacking off isn’t so dissimilar to partnered sex. The wrong mood or physical space can completely ruin the moment. Plus, you can’t feel fully in touch with your body if you’re not in a comfortable environment; connect with yourself by creating a peaceful space where you can take your time.
Try making these changes to fully optimize your self-love-making mood:
- Gather (Clean) Supplies: Keep lubricant, sex toys, and any other needed device nearby and within easy reach. Make sure everything is properly cleaned for safe and fun enjoyment.
- Ensure Privacy: No one wants to be interrupted during their “me time,” and it’s hard to relax when you’re worried about being interrupted. Make sure all doors are securely locked and your phone is on do not disturb.
- Set The Lights: Do you like the lights off? Would you prefer a dim ambiance? Make sure they’re at the ideal setting before you start your routine.
- Prioritize Comfort: No one wants to be uncomfortable, especially when they’re in the middle of a wank session. Wherever you are, ensure you’ve got all the amenities just right.
Once the mood is set, you’ll be in for a fantastic experience.
Be Present
Life gets hectic, and focusing on one thing at a time can be hard. You’re juggling work, friends, family, and the daily pressures of existence. However, being fully present during your session can further help you connect with yourself.
The first step to being present is making sure this is the right time for masturbation. Sometimes, you need a quick moment to yourself; we get it. But when you’re trying to strengthen your self-love game, it’s important to invest in your sessions fully.
Next, you’ll need to practice a bit of mindfulness to really get in the mood. Think back on your last sexual encounter, bring out the pictures of your partner, or crack open your favorite porno.
Finally, make sure you fight the urge to get distracted. You may have a big project coming up or something to do later, but at this moment, all that matters is you and endless pleasure.
Explore New Zones
Exploring your body is a great way to learn about what gets you going and show appreciation for all your body does for you. Stroking your member is a classic move that rarely fails, but bringing your attention to other sexual and erogenous zones can really up the pleasure.
Play with your anus and prostate for some mind-blowing sensations, stimulate your balls for extra vibrations, and don’t forget about other sensitive areas like the inner thigh and stomach.
Teasing all these zones in combination results in delightful sensations and extremely powerful orgasms. This makes for the ideal self-love session.
Add Toys to the Mix
Part of masturbatory self-love is all about exploration. Look into new adult films, explore new areas of your body, and try out fun new sex toys.
Toys are a great way to show your body love! Let your hands take a break after a long day, and use a hands-free toy or explore new zones with a little extra help.
There are plenty of delightful gadgets designed to bring about ultimate pleasure; in addition, they’re pretty fun to use. Check out the best oral sex simulator for a novel sensation that’s even better than real head. Dive into the world of anal sex toys to give that prostate a little love, and the classic pocket pussy for men will never fail to get you cumming.
Whatever toy you explore next, remember that this entire self-love experience is about you and your pleasure. Don’t hesitate to try new things, and don’t feel bad if something doesn’t work out like you hoped. Explosive sensations are possible with one of the top toys from Fleshlight.
Fleshlight Is Here To Support Your Self-Love Journey
At Fleshlight, we put pleasure and well-being first. From lubricants to realistic sex sleeves, our entire line of sex products is designed to get you cumming and revolutionize your self-love journey.
Discover your new bedside buddy with Fleshlight.