Are you sexually repressed? Here are 7 tell-tale signs to look out for

Let’s play a game. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind, when you hear the word sex? Do you feel so excited that you want to watch porn and masturbate? Well, there is nothing wrong in feeling that way. But in hindsight, if you feel shame and embarrassment, then mind you, it could be a big sign of sexual repression.

Wondering what it really means?

Well, sexual repression is one’s inability to express his/her sexual likes and dislikes. According to renowned gynecologist and obstetrician, Dr Aruna Kalra from CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, it is difficult for such people to talk about their sexuality with other people, or even their partners. 

“Fear of having sex, feeling anxious after having it gradually leads you to ignore it completely. This leads to inability to express sexual impulses, because of sexual absenteeism,” she explains.

If you talk about what causes sexual repression, then there can be many causes like:

• Strict gender roles
• A bad sexual experience
• Confusion about your sexual preferences
• Lack of sexual attraction with your partner
• Lack or misinformation about sex

All these reasons indicate that sex education is the need of the hour. That’s because you might not think of sexual repression to be a big issue, but it has some major repercussions. 

But is there a way to detect whether you suffer from it or not? Well, yes there is.

Here are seven telltale signs of sexual repression 

1. Physical signs: Difficulty in sleeping, body tension, difficulty with orgasms and pain during sex are all physical signs of sexual repression.

2. Emotional signs: Some emotional and mental health signs include sex-related anxiety, reluctance to act on sexual desires, and guilt related to sexual desires.

3. Lack of interest in sex: some people don’t get pleasure from sex because of sexual repression. This makes a relationship difficult to last.

4. Negative emotions: Some people have negative emotions towards sex. You start having negative thoughts about people who talk about sex or have casual sex.

5. Feelings of guilt and shame: Sometimes people don’t socialise with the opposite sex thinking that doing so will arouse sexual desires. They often have a feeling of guilt and shame after having or talking about sex.

6. Faking happiness: Another sign of sexual repression is when you fake to be happy, when one isn’t. it becomes very difficult for the person to communicate or talk about sexual likes and dislikes.

7. Depression: Depression may also be a sign of sexual repression. It is usually due to the inability to accept one as a sexual being.

Is sexual repression really bad?

Unfortunately, yes. According to Dr Kalra, sexual repression may have a negative impact on one’s health and personal life. Here’s what happens with people who are sexually repressed:

• People stop socialising with people of the opposite sex. 
• Their relationship with their partners becomes dull, due to the lack of interest in sex. 
• Some people suffer from depression, anxiety attacks or insomnia. 
• People feel shy and guilty, when they talk about sex, which often makes them lose their partners.