In itself, masturbation is a normal and healthy way of expressing and satisfying yourself sexually. However, if it gets to the point that your masturbation has become an addiction that is infringing on your religious or personal life, then you may need to take action. Learning to stop masturbating is a matter of mastering your urges and enacting self-discipline to curb your impulse to take part in such behavior.

Get to Know Why You Start and Why You Want to Stop

Before getting start to how to stop masturbation, you need to make the two things clear:

• Be honest with yourself about how your masturbation problem started and what is stemming your urge to continue. Most addictions stem from negative feelings that you may have about yourself. Getting to the root of these problems and working to solve them can help you limit your urge to masturbate. If you are having trouble getting through to the root cause of your addiction, work with a professional that can help you probe into the deeper issues surrounding your addiction.
• You also want to consider why you are hoping to stop masturbating. Whether you feel that you are masturbating too often or you belong to a religion that forbids the act of masturbation, you need a strong motivator for quitting. Masturbation is not harmful and in some cases it can be beneficial to the body. You should not be ashamed to occasionally partake in this activity. You should only work to quit masturbating if you have a strong personal motivation to do so. Trying to curb an addiction when you do not have strong motivation to change your behavior can be impossible.

How to Stop Masturbation

If you have decided that you would like to stop masturbating, there are a few methods you can take to start curbing the habit.

1. Stop feeling guilty - The first step in getting over an addicting behavior is to stop feeling guilty for indulging. If you are dwelling on your bad behavior, it only makes it more tempting to continue. Some also find they are just as addicted to the guilt as they are to masturbating in the first place. It is perfectly acceptable to make mistakes and stumble along your path to recovery. Forgive yourself and move on rather than focusing on your slip ups.
2. Rid enablers - Remove anything that increases your temptation to participate in masturbation. If you have a stash of toys or paraphernalia, throw it away. Block websites on your computer that allow you to access pornographic content. If you have someone in your home that you are comfortable sharing this with, ask them to reset your passwords so you will not be able to remove these bans yourself. Avoid situations such as hot showers or staying up late so you will not be tempted.
3. Fill up your social schedule - Do this so that you do not feel bored and lonely. Loneliness increases the temptation to masturbate, especially if you feel as though you are using masturbation as a replacement for romantic interaction. Boredom gives your mind time to wander to sexual thoughts and provides the time and energy to masturbate.
4. Join in activities and find new hobbie - As you work to fill up your schedule with other activities, you will want to find another channel for your energy. Finding a creative outlet for your energy will fill up your time and give you something to feel satisfied about so you do not need masturbation to be satisfied. Find a new hobby, join a club, start playing sports or find a volunteer activity that you can use to fill up your time.
5. Alter your diet - How to stop masturbating? Increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables can make you feel more alert and give you the energy you need to take part in other activities. This can also boost brainpower, giving you the push you need to resist your urge to masturbate.
6. Be patient - You are not going to be able to stop masturbating overnight. It is perfectly understandable if you have a relapse or struggle with letting go of your habit. Set up a reward system or checkpoint that you can use to keep yourself motivated. This will help you avoid dwelling on the negative and allowing a mistake from blocking your way to recovery.
7. Find someone trustworthy - Sometimes you might need in how to stop masturbating. Find someone you can trust such as a religious leader or counselor so you can talk through your urges and find a set of tools that can help you stop. There are counselors that specialize in providing counseling and care to those with sexual addictions who may be able to help you find healthy ways to rid yourself of these urges.