In a world where you can get a sexual partner faster than a pizza delivery, it has never been easier to play the field. Yet, despite all that swiping right, a surprising number of people are not having sex at all \u2013 not for religious reasons, or because they can\u2019t get a date, but because they find that celibacy makes them happier.<\/p>\n
Some have never had much interest in sex, while others are taking a break to address personal problems, recover from bad dating experiences or change the way they approach relationships.<\/p>\n
Catherine Gray, the author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Single, gave up sex for a year in 2014. \u201cBetween the ages of 16 and 34, I hadn\u2019t spent more than a few months single,\u201d she says. \u201cI felt incomplete without a plus-one and constantly hunted approval. I reached rock-bottom after being disproportionately crushed by the failure of a six-month relationship, so I decided to give up sex and dating for an entire year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although deleting her dating apps felt like \u201cgiving up a drug\u201d, celibacy turned out to be a huge relief. \u201cInstead of doing what my boyfriend wanted to, I discovered what I liked, developing a love for yoga, photography and travelling. I dressed differently and no longer cared about attracting men. I started to see myself as a person \u2013 rather than a girlfriend or a sexual plaything.\u201d The period of celibacy changed how she approached dating; she is now in a healthy relationship. \u201cI realised that I had an anxious attachment style and that, if I started dating again, I would need to change who and how I date. If I feel insecure in the early stages of a relationship, I know it\u2019s because I\u2019m dating someone who is emotionally unavailable, so I back away, rather than persist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n The power of celibacy: \u2018Giving up sex was a massive relief\u2019 https:\/\/t.co\/QhGOHVZ4Jy<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The Guardian (@guardian) January 28, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n