SEX LIFE: SIX WAYS TO FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF
• Learn all you can about erections and impotence problems by reading this book and talking to your doctor.
• Don’t give up on sexual pleasure even if your partner isn’t interested. Try to maintain physical contact with him, and give yourself pleasure by masturbating.
• Don’t let the problem control your life. Put energy into having some positive experiences. Don’t withdraw from friends, family and activities you enjoy.
• Take care of yourself. This is a difficult, stressful time for you, and you need extra amounts of support— which your partner, preoccupied with his own feelings, is probably unable to give. Talk to a close friend, or seek professional help with coping. Eat well and exercise to combat stress.
• Part of taking care of yourself is recognizing that most cases of impotence have nothing to do with the man’s attraction to his partner. Love may be strong, but it can’t open clogged blood vessels or overcome other physical conditions.
• Examine your attitudes towards erection. One woman said about her husband, “If I can’t give him an erection, I don’t want anything to do with him.” Her insecurity caused a lot of pain for herself and her husband. She was a victim of the myth that her partner’s erection would validate her worth as a woman.
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