{"id":1583,"date":"2020-06-26T14:20:39","date_gmt":"2020-06-26T19:20:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/wellness\/?page_id=1583"},"modified":"2023-06-12T12:18:04","modified_gmt":"2023-06-12T17:18:04","slug":"sexually-healthy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/wellness\/sexually-healthy\/","title":{"rendered":"Sexually Healthy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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According to the Minnesota Department of Health, sexual health includes emotional, psychological, physical, intellectual and spiritual dimensions. The following are characteristics of sexually healthy adults, however, note that sexual health is developed over a life-span, from cradle to grave. Integrating sexuality into one\u2019s life in a balanced way is a life-time endeavor.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\n<\/figure>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tCommunication\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n <\/button>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
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  • Interact with all genders in appropriate and respectful ways<\/li>\n
  • Communicate effectively with family and friends<\/li>\n
  • Ask questions of other adults about sexual issues, when necessary<\/li>\n
  • Are able to communicate and negotiate sexual limits<\/li>\n
  • Communicate respectfully their desires to have sex and not to have sex<\/li>\n
  • Accept refusals of sex without hostility or feeling insulted<\/li>\n
  • Can physically express feelings of attraction and desire in ways that do not focus on the genitals (ex: holding, caressing, kissing, etc.)<\/li>\n
  • Talk with a partner about sexual activity before it occurs, including limits, contraceptive and condom use, and meaning in the relationship<\/li>\n
  • Communicate with partners their intentions for the relationship (ex: only dating, want marriage)<\/li>\n
  • Listen to and respect others\u2019 boundaries and limits<\/li>\n
  • Are sensitive to non-verbal cues of others\u2019 boundaries and limits<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\n
    \n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tRelationships\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n <\/button>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
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    • Develop friendships that do not have a sexual agenda<\/li>\n
    • Avoid exploitative relationships<\/li>\n
    • Choose partners who are responsible, trustworthy, safe and giving<\/li>\n
    • Can be sexually intimate without being physical (ex: talk about sexual feelings, verbally express attraction, do things that awaken desire in partner)<\/li>\n
    • Can express themselves in ways other than genitally (ex: holding, caressing, kissing, etc.)<\/li>\n
    • Take personal responsibility for their own boundaries<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\n
      \n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tSelf-esteem and self-worth\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n <\/button>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
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      • Appreciate their own bodies<\/li>\n
      • Are sensually aware and able to stay conscious in their bodies<\/li>\n
      • Can touch their own bodies without feeling shame or disgust<\/li>\n
      • Allow themselves to experience pleasurable sensual and sexual feelings<\/li>\n
      • Have the capacity to nurture themselves and others, and accept nurturing from others<\/li>\n
      • Feel joy in sexual experiences of their choosing<\/li>\n
      • Know when they need touch rather than sex and try to get their needs for touch met appropriately<\/li>\n
      • Have a developed sense of self, an understanding of who they are<\/li>\n
      • Enjoy sexual feelings without necessarily acting upon them<\/li>\n
      • Accept refusals of sex without hostility or feeling personally insulted<\/li>\n
      • Allow themselves to be vulnerable<\/li>\n
      • Are comfortable with their sexual identity and orientation<\/li>\n
      • Are becoming aware of the impact of negative sexual experiences such as sexual abuse, and the impact of negative cultural messages on their sexual development<\/li>\n
      • Are taking steps to address issues that have arisen as a result of past experiences<\/li>\n
      • Feel confident in their ability to set appropriate boundaries<\/li>\n
      • Realize that, by working through sexual issues, individuals may heal psychological and emotional wounding from past experiences and damaging beliefs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\n
        \n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tEducation\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n <\/button>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
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        • Realize the consequences of sexual activity<\/li>\n
        • Comprehend the impact of media messages on thoughts, feelings, values, and behaviors related to sexuality<\/li>\n
        • Understand that the drive for sex is powerful and can be integrated into one\u2019s life in positive and healthy ways<\/li>\n
        • Respect the right of all people to enjoy and engage in the full range of consensual, non-exploitive sexual behaviors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\n
          \n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tValues\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n <\/button>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
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          • Decide on what is personally \u201cright\u201d and act on these values<\/li>\n
          • Demonstrate tolerance for people with different values<\/li>\n
          • Are not threatened by others with sexual orientation different from theirs<\/li>\n
          • Show respect to others whose cultural values, ethnic heritage, age, socioeconomic status, religion, and gender are different from theirs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\n
            \n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tContraception, protection, and body integrity\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n <\/button>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
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            • Take responsibility for their own bodies and their own orgasms<\/li>\n
            • If sexually active, use contraception effectively to avoid unplanned pregnancy and use condoms and safer sex to avoid contracting or spreading a sexually transmitted disease<\/li>\n
            • Practice health-promoting behaviors, such as regular checkups, breast or testicular self-exams, regular and routine testing for STDs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\n
              \n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tSpirituality\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n <\/button>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
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              • Honor the sacred aspect of sexual union<\/li>\n
              • Understand that sexual energy is not separate from being human<\/li>\n
              • Understand that sexual union is one way human beings connect body and soul<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1247,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1583","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P4Iir5-px","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1247"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1583"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1583\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4328,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1583\/revisions\/4328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}