Having vaginismus kinda feels like sitting an exam in a language you do not know. Absolutely useless.
Feelings of isolation and depression suck and chances are if you are experiencing vaginismus you have felt this way recently. The thing that really sucks is there are probably lots of GINAs all around you, every day and you might never know!
Here’s a fun little game you can play when you are feeling down. Look around you when you are:
- Waiting for a table at a busy cafe – chances are there is a GINA nearby
- Covered in glitter in the mosh pit at a festival – definitely more than one GINA there!
- Watching the Oscars red carpet – Yep there is definitely more than one GINA there too
- Sitting in the waiting room at your PFP – kidding! But not really, there will be GINAs there too
Vaginismus is everywhere! The only way to find GINAs around you is to be brave enough to talk about sexual pain.
No, you don’t need to get a face tattoo and take it upon yourself to educate every person in your homeroom.
When you feel comfortable and secure enough, choose one close friend or confidant, a therapist or a mentor, a parent or a parental figure, and talk to them about your experience with painful sex. OMG, ARE YOU CRAZY!
Crazier than a 9-month lockdown baby! Talking helps, we are all human and we all crave connection. You don’t have to go into the details, you don’t even have to talk about vaginismus, sex, or vaginas.
One golden nugget to always remember – comparison is the killer of joy. Sounds like Confucius but also could have been some girl at the bar last week, no?
Conversation suggestions
- ‘I’m not really feeling myself at the moment, can we do something fun to take my mind off things?’
- ‘My body is not responding to sex like it usually does, I am feeling pretty confused’
- ‘I’m feeling very isolated by my experience with painful sex’
If you are looking for more helpful ways to start safe and supportive conversations visit the ‘Helpful Conversations’ section of the app.