With the semester in full swing and the elections just around the corner, we’ve got a lot to stress about right now.

But the scores on our midterms and the fate of our nation in the 2024 presidential race are not the only things resting heavily on the minds of University of Minnesota students. Something far more daunting is on the horizon.

No Nut November.

Originating on the internet in 2011, No Nut November is a month-long challenge in which participants (mostly men) attempt to abstain from masturbation for the entire month of November. While satirical in concept, this ultimate test of willpower has become a nationwide phenomenon for content creators and horny teenagers alike.

As silly as it may seem, No Nut November is more than an innocent joke. It’s a manifestation of our social taboos around masturbation, showcasing the misinformation and shame that persists around one of our most fundamental and regulatory biological impulses.

In a survey of 5,000 people around the world, 86% of people ages 18-54 have masturbated at least once, according to the Tenga Global Self Pleasure Report.

Despite its ubiquity, masturbation seldom makes its way into casual conversation.

Izzy Shleifman, a third-year student at the University, said she and her friends have never talked openly about masturbation. Shleifman explained how female self-pleasure is often overlooked, making it difficult for women to have frank conversations about the subject.

“When you hear ‘masturbation,’ you don’t really think about women that much,” Shleifman said. “Some people don’t even think that women masturbate.”

The media and the scientific community have long ignored female masturbation, which has made it difficult for women to know how to achieve sexual satisfaction and the seemingly elusive “female orgasm.”

“My parents lived in South Minneapolis, and there was a sign on somebody’s fence that said, ‘If women had to orgasm to make babies, we would be screwed,’” Shleifman said.

It’s a gross injustice that women often don’t have the resources or confidence to talk about masturbation, but it’s hard to believe trends like No Nut November foster constructive dialogue for anyone.

Growing up, masturbation was the butt of jokes in the locker room, not the subject of conversations about how to better understand our changing bodies. Sometimes I would hear people talk about how not masturbating increased their testosterone levels and improved their mental focus, both of which are common myths.

Ryan Rahm-Knigge, assistant professor and coordinator of the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Program at the University, said he has never recommended a patient abstain from masturbation. He believes masturbation is critical to facilitating self-exploration and improving sexual experiences.

“The more you know your body and how it functions and what feels good, then the more you can share that information with partners,” Rahm-Knigge said. “It can be helpful for addressing concerns around sexual functioning and pain.”

Masturbation has allowed me to gain more autonomy over my body. After years of experimentation, I better understand how and what I need to feel good, which has led to more confidence and satisfaction during sexual encounters.

When we only have to please ourselves, we can create a space of non-judgment where self-exploration is paramount to the opinions of other people.

Rahm-Knigge said masturbation is an equally important part of sexual experiences as sex itself.

“I think because of how it facilitates the exploration of pleasure and it can foster communication, it can enhance relationship functioning and sexual satisfaction,” Rahm-Knigge said. “And so rather than thinking about it as, ‘I just have to get it over with,’ celebrating it as a really important part of sexuality.”

Many of us have been there — you get home from class after a stressful day, and you have a mountain of homework towering above you. But suddenly it seems if you don’t masturbate right away, you might drop dead on the floor. So you clench your fists in annoyance and do the deed as quickly as you can, just so you can finish your work without thinking about Bryce Hall in his underwear — well, maybe that last part is just me.

But what if masturbation was more than a chore? What if it was an opportunity to connect with and show love to your body? I think that’s far more valuable than claiming to have made it past the second week of No Nut November.

So pull down your pants, get up in your junk and show yourself a little love — in a private place, of course. If you feel too afraid or unsure where to begin, websites like Planned Parenthood and Scarleteen provide fact-based information about masturbation, among a wide array of sexual education topics.

In my experience, the best way to feel more comfortable with your body is to talk to your friends or people you trust. You’d be surprised how many of us experience the same struggles, fears and confusion around our sexualities.

With everything we’re dealing with right now, feeling guilty or ashamed of self-pleasure shouldn’t be on your mind.

Life is too short. You know what I’ll be doing on Nov. 1.