My inner critic basically dials down my erection when sex is about to commence. There’s no real voice, it’s more of a torrent of self-doubt. I also have a lot of fear and anxiety in the hours before any date in which sex may be a possibility. I never thought of that as an inner critic, but I guess it is in many ways.
I’m imagining it as a worm with a top hat. It’s drilling into my brain, saying things like “bet you can’t get hard” or “will you be hard enough when it’s time to be?”
It’s a voice that says work hard at pleasing her in other ways as you are not going to get hard enough to have intercourse. Hope that is enough for her to be satisfied. Makes me not even want to take my pants off.
It’s a voice telling me i’m doing everything wrong or assuring me that the worst will happen
My own voice telling me not to go soft or else the mood will be ruined again
My inner critic is worryful about the situation, rather than confidence it worries that the issue will occur which then induces it
My inner critic is like a little version of me yapping in my ear in an annoying evil voice about all the bad things that could happen when I try to have sex, like your not gonna get it up, why even try, what’s ur excuse to this girl now
My inner critic isn’t necessarily a voice, rather my own thoughts with one main theme: losing my erection. I’m constantly fearing not being able to stay hard. I know I can perform well, and obtaining an erection isn’t difficult, it’s staying hard once I’m having sex. I immediately get in my head once sex behins. During sex, my inner critic won’t allow me to stay hard — I think more about staying hard and don’t focus on the feeling. Ultimately, and probably most importantly, my inner critic always says “you won’t stay hard…you’ll lose it…” — or if/when I am “doing well”, I’ll think to myself “oh wow, why isn’t it happening?” Then it happens.
It seems like my inner critic keeps reminding me that I’m going to fail in maintaining an erection before I orgasm and please my wife.
My inner critic says there’s no point in trying to initiate sex because it will be disappointing
I didn’t have sex for the first time until I was over 30. Even though I’m now in a long term committed relationship, my inner critic likes to bring up old thoughts about how I’m not as experienced or competent sexually. It says you’ve never been good at this and now you can’t even get up for it at all.
It’s my voice. A very cynical and snide version of myself. Telling me that the slight movement or change in position is enough that I will lose my erection. And then I lose the erection and it won’t come back. The more I focus on it, the more limp it becomes.
I think it’s just me. Nebulous self doubt.
My inner voice sounds like me; it starts out supportive, being logical and pragmatic. Giving me status updates essentially, but then moves to a more and more urgent voice reminding me that things are not going according to plan. Distracting me and reminding me that this has happened before and it didn’t go or end the way we wanted. It eventually gets desperate to find a solution, racing for what has worked before and what might be the problem this time.
Ultimately it becomes a conversation with myself, taking the focus off just enjoying the moment. The focus becomes arousal, why am I not aroused, what trick can I use or have I used in the past. Then guilt and frustration set in, around needing a trick. It feels like I’m cheating on my partner, thinking about someone or something else to be able to perform.
Finally I just give up on me and focus on pleasing my partner, oral, touching, etc. All while just want to have sex.
My inner critic is myself. My own voice telling me that it’s not going to be good. You’re not going to stay hard. You’re not as good as her previous lovers, and she will get bored of you and leave.
None I don’t really have a bad inter dialogue
From my perspective, my inner critic is quite loud and anxious. It tends to focus on worries and insecurities related to my body and physical appearance, particularly when it comes to how others perceive me. I often find myself questioning whether my partner is truly enjoying their time with me or if they are secretly judging me for my scars, weight, or other perceived flaws. These thoughts can be very distracting and create a lot of self-doubt and anxiety.
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My inner critic doesn’t have a voice. It’s just a feeling of dread and nerves that grips my insides and makes me feel out of control and my penis doesn’t react to anything
My inner critic doesn’t have a voice but more so a whisper. They are an intruder in my mind who bombard me with ways to counter an awkward moment. Hours before sex, they start preparing me for the big moment with suggestions to not masturbate, use a lubricant to make penetration easier with a semi-hard penis, plan sex positions, take an ED pill, plan how much alcohol to drink, etc. These instructions fill me with anticipation and turn into crippling performance anxiety when it’s game time. It’s exhausting.
Its like me. It hypes me up when I do well and tears me down when I do not.