average guy with a question

In my case, it is all about feeling self-conscious. As a young guy I was used to frequent glances and occasional stares and comments, and although I found it acutely embarrassing, and would try to be modest, I often had a rush of blood to the head. The wrong head. Which of course made it worse. You can be embarrassed as well as proud at the same time.

Now I am well into middle age, either I have got more used to it, or nobody looks any more :)

I should think this is something you will get used to.

Taking another angle, however, I wonder if there is something inevitable about it. I know that when I take my clothes off, in almost any situation, the tackle begins to stretch out and fill out as an almost automatic reflex ... it's great to be free!

dolf: I used to have pretty much the same problem when I first joined the gym (for pretty much the same reasons) and usually opted to just go home and shower there. *Finally I decided to get over it and the fact that it was a 24 hour gym and I am naturally a night owl made it a bit easier. *I would go to the sauna at 3:00 in the morning “wearing” a towel that I would remove. *Keeping it fairly close at hand in case anybody came in I would relax there for 20-30 minutes and then when it was time to shower it was only a hop, skip and a jump away. *If interrupted in the sauna I would throw it over me cross my arms in front of myself and lean forward and use my hands to support my head as though I were just tired. Though I probably did not fool anybody it made me feel a bit better. *While naked (especially in the shower where there was no possible escape) I found for the first month I needed to do complex math equations in my head. *Being as math is not my greatest strength I got away with doing somewhat useful ones based on volume and time that I could relate to each day and therefore never get sick of repeats. *I agree that an erection is natural, but my fear being from a pretty red-necked area was that if I got an erection in the presence of another man he would think me gay and it would eventually get back to friends and family. *If I were living in a more liberal area I think that I would have followed the exposure therapy advice.

Good-luck.

dolf-the important thing is that you have dealt or are dealing with the issue in a manner the best or most appropriate way for you.
There is something I dont catch though. Others have referred to a fear of popping an erection and having others think they were gay.
In the shower area at my gym others as well as myself often enough are puffed or spring real woodies but only once did I ever associate this with homosexuality and that is when I saw a guy watching me and playing with himself. Other times I figured it really had nothing to do with the other guys there but from the shower, or relaxing post workout or who knows.
I talked to some friends and they felt the same way. So a guy sits in the sauna with a hard on but isnt oogling another guy......so what!

dolf: As I said, if in a slightly more liberal area things may be different. *I grew up in- and still spend some time each month in a fairly concretive, somewhat redneck city. *It suits me perfectly as I describe myself as a concretive, somewhat red necked person personality wise. *I now spend most of my time in a mining town and I would estimate that 50% of the men don't even use the locker room (they change at home) and only 3-5% of those who do use it shower there. *It is just the way things are here. *Many things are accepted, but a man showing wood in the shower would not be one of them. *How people perceive things is largely a matter of geography, and my location states that only a VERY openly gay man would openly walk around hard amongst other men. *My statistics are rough, but they are not exaggerations and it should demonstrate the mindset of those around me and I would not disagree with it. *If I should see a man showing wood comfortably in the locker room I would probably question it. *If I move to San Francisco, L.A. or New York I probably would not question it and just accept that the person has found a way to be comfortable in the locker room. *

"There is something I dont catch though. Others have referred to a fear of popping an erection and having others think they were gay."

Up here it's really only in a locker room. It is perfectly acceptable so long as you are not standing in front of another naked or half naked man with no women around. Out in public it would be fine; at the beach or in the pool as well- just not in a locker room. Perhaps it’s irrational but that's how it is here for better or for worse.

Sihobin: Well I took the first step yesterday. I sat down and watched the new James Bond movie butt ass naked. Stayed completely naked for a little over two hours.

H8Monga: Congratulations! Have you tried sleeping nude? Forgive me if you already said...

Sihobin: I was just wondering if a post was lost from this thread. The main page says Hapi Papi was the last to post but when opened my post is the last? Is something wrong? If so, could anyone who posted, repost? And Id also like to thank everyone who has added their two cents worth, it has been really helpful. This thread, and others like it, have lead me to a possible psychological study (like I said that is what Im training for). While looking over some sports psychology material I found a research listing about a theory that locker room fear causes problems in sports performance. Pretty interesting, and Ive gotten the go ahead to write a proposal but I dont know if Im going to do it. Granted on a college campus finding people to stand around butt naked in front of some people for a few minutes would be easy. Then I can have them fill out questionnaires pertaining to anxiety or depression. It would work, but I think my hypothesis on some people being "hardwired" for nocturnal behavior (as opposed to diurnal behavior) would be much more interesting.

Sihobin: Please ignore the portion of the previous post that refers to the lost message. After I posted that post Hapi Papi's message appeared. So it must be something with my computer, which means "Its all microsoft's fault" heh. In response to your post Hapi, I occasionally sleep in the nude. Im currently living at home again until either I find a place locally or move back to my college town. So I normally sleep in my boxer briefs. I also wear a tshirt about 50 percent of the time while at home.

ORCABOMBER: Nice to know you're getting used to your nakedness. Personally I haven't got the guts (or the money at the mo) to go to a gym. :( But hey, you're studies seem to be cool as well if you want to continue so far! Well done on all counts!

Savannah: And here I thought guys went around slapping each other on the fanny in locker rooms! Guess not.....

So here's a few thoughts on nudity:

A couple of years ago, I was invited by a friend to another man's home for hot tubbing. I was warned that the man was a nudist. My fear would have been that I'm a pretty big lady, but my friend was also a bbw, so I decided what the heck. The man was very courteous, even offering not to join us in the hot tub if I was uncomfortable. He was gracious, articulate, and made everyone feel completely at ease. The experience was not sexual at all and we had a wonderful time just yakking and relaxing in the hot tub.

My girlfriends and I sometimes travel together, so we are often in situations where we see each other nude, and as none of us is bi, there is never any sexual connotation. Of course this could be because women lose all sense of modesty when having children.

Now, regarding personal situations, the only way I can relate is that when women wear something low-cut, the "my" view (looking down) is much more revealing than the view from across the table.

...in a nutshell (no pun intended), you may be waaay more conscious of what your body is doing than the people around you. If you act comfortable with yourself, chances are others will be as well.

In view of your profession, I would ultimately suggest a visit to a nudist camp.

Savannah

Sihobin: Well I dont think Id ever been open enough to go to a nudist camp. Im slowly getting more used to the idea of being naked in a locker room. And seeing the local gym is a business holding of the Baptist affiliated hospital open nudity is usually only a occurance when an individual is getting dressed after a shower. I did find it ironic that they have up signs that say "No nudity in the suana, a towel or bathing suit must be worn at all times" and "Bearing in mind that children can be present in the locker room, we ask that youPlease dress immediately after showering." Yet, they recently removed the shower curtians, and I have never seen a kid in that locker room. 15-16 is probably the youngest guy I have seen in there. Its just messed up. But you must understand that this is a small town gym, when you walk in you have ... oh Id say ... a 50/50 chance of someone else being in there. Hell, the suana only seats 4 comfortably.But, I think Im getting there. Im going on vacation next week and the hotel we are staying at give free passes to a local gym so I guess that will be my first test run.