Nervous!

[MKLA]

Hello, I'm a new member here, and I have a quick question. I am not currently a naturist, but I want to become one. The thing is, I am very nervous about letting others see my body. Penis, pubic hair, buns, everything. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_redface.gif[/img] But most of all, I am worried about getting an erection on my first outing.

Do you guys have any suggestions as to what might help me with becoming used to this kind of thing? Thanks in advance. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[MKLA]

Hello, I'm a new member here, and I have a quick question. I am not currently a naturist, but I want to become one. The thing is, I am very nervous about letting others see my body. Penis, pubic hair, buns, everything. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_redface.gif[/img] But most of all, I am worried about getting an erection on my first outing.

Do you guys have any suggestions as to what might help me with becoming used to this kind of thing? Thanks in advance. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[florida-david]

hello mkla

congrats, you are almost user 4000!! as far as the fear of erection, please review the many previous posts and other websites for similar discussions. most people will not react to an erection unless you are flaunting it in a rude fashion. erections are normal male functions and i personally would consider one unhealthy should a youngster not get an erection.

i would suggest enjoying your time naked and if the little fella gets bigger, try some method of covering up. as a beginner, try being nude at home alone, expand to the pool or the yard and/or to other private areas. this way you will become accustomed to how your body feels in the sun, with the wind, etc. if you get a woody, its usually because you are thinking you are going to get one. sounds stupid, but try to not think about it. where are you considering being nude? at a resort, a nude beach, etc. maybe fellow members could offer more advise if they knew where you are interested in joining into social nudism.

thanks and good luck.

[Bob S.]

Just realize, MKLA, that for naturists, the penis and the butt are just like looking at the elbow or leg. They are just a parts of the body. And the pubic hair is just like the hair on the top of our head, it's just there or not. We really don't care. You seem to still have a body image problem where you are trying to measure yourself to a higher standard. If so, get rid of that ideal.

At a nudist venue, you will see bodies of all types. Short, tall, muscular, skin and bones, fat, hairy, hairless, etc. Trust me, your body will not stand out. Ben and flora have given great ideas, especially flora's about practicing and Ben's about relaxing.

Take baby steps if you need. You don't need to rush. Just get used to yourself being naked. And for getting used to others seeing you naked, you will have to be naked around others.

Good luck.

Bob S.

[Willbtan]

Being nervous about new things is normal. Say you have gone to church all your life but visit a church or denomination you have never been to before, you will be nervous. What should I do? When should I do it? What will people think about me? Will I stand out?
But when we get through the visit, we find that most of the fears and nervousness were for nothing. everything went well and no one treated us like weird.
Going to a nudist venue is the same. I have been to many resort all over the US. All are a bit different but it does not take long to figure out where things are and you just relax and have fun.
People tend to note you are a newcomer to the resort and there is generally an attitude of letting you decide if you want to interact with others or not. I have found from experience, that if I speak to others I open myself up for conversation and that for me is desirable.
In over 30 years as a nudist, I have seen only 3-4 erections. So it is not like a common occurance for men to go around aroused. New nudists think it will happen a lot, but the environment does not have an erotic tone, it is in fact a natural state that is comfortable.
Relax and enjoy!

[theoldman]

You didn't say how old you are. That has SOME effect on getting erections. Teenagers (like my 15 yr old grandson) seem to be prone to erections a lot. He gets them often at home & at our place, but we all just ignore them. If you are a bit older the problem isn't as acute.

Try being naked at home, you may have erections at first but once you get used to being naked alone & you don't get erect often then move on to being around others (both sexes). It is NOT the problem you think it is, and besides, as has been mentioned in previous posts, if you ignore it and don't flaunt it, no one will get up tight & it'll go away quickly.

Good luck & welcome to a GREAT way to live!!

[Nude in MT]

You did not say how old you are, but I get the impression that you are younger. So, I thought I would share a word of encouragement.

From ages 12 to 20 I was totally terrified of being seen nude. Back then showers were REQUIRED after gym class and the insecurity about lack of atheletic ability and poor body image contributed to my discomfort.

Now that I have gone to the other extreme of choosing to be nude, I have discovered that my body has all the correct parts in the correct places, and the small differences are what makes me individual. I like the image I see in the mirror.

Among nudists, the parts that are "normally covered" do not matter any more than your eye or hair color. You will find that nude folks are a lot less judgemental than the general population about color, size, shape, fitness level, amount of hair, etc.

I would suggest lots of practice being nude by yourself. I found that the more time I spend nude the more natural (and more comfortable) it seems.

Then when I was finally ready to be nude around others, I was only nervous for the time it took to get out of the clothes. After that, it was just like benig nude on my own. Once I tried it, the desire to be nude was stronger. I spent even more time nude at home.

[Snoboy]

I think all the comments and/or suggestions that have been listed are good sound advice. I commend the members on encouraging our young people to have faith in themselves and enjoy good wholesome nudity without fear of ridicule. As my opera friends will say, BRAVO! Erections are common among the young and it is nothing to be ashamed of. Enjoy them! Just use common sense...and I am sure you have plenty of that. Take care and enjoy yourself. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img] [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[Xen]

I managed to reach my late teens having seeen only a handful of people naked (I wasn't into sport and never saw my family naked). Like you I combined a fear of being nude around others with a desire to be relaxed about it.

It still took me a few years to convert to naturism. When on holiday I looked for nude beaches and tried them out. My first one was in Norway and saw me either lying flat on my front or sitting up as I was 19 and managed to get (and keep) an erection for most of the afternoon. When I woman working at the youth hostal recognised me and waved I could have died. Next time was slightly easier but I still waited before going for my first swim and having to walk back up the beach nude.

I tried going nude around my flat (I lived alone by this time) but I only really became relaxed about nudity around others when I joined a gym which had communal showers and a steam and sauna in the changing area. It was small friendly and everyone went nude - though a towel could be kept at hand for any potentially embarassing moments. The next summer I went to my first nudist club (which felt great, though at first I again got an erection) and a year after that to a nude swim. The swim was possibly the hardest of all because unlike the club, where you can wander off and find a quiet spot until you relax a little, at a swim you are surrounded by people all the time - you can probably still put a towel on though and wander off to the sauna. It's not common but you can (I have) wear a towel if you are nervous. However the overwhelming memory of my first nude swim is how many people were there and how totally relaxed they all were with their nudity. I was so glad to be with them and realised that to fit in all I had to do was wear a smile.

I know this is a long reply but I hope by listing the stages I went through you many be able to work through them a bit quicker and enjoy your first naturist experience soon.

Good Luck

Xen