A few years ago, masturdating – as a word, at least – didn’t exist. Now it’s something which increasingly pops up on social media or in conversations between good friends. And while it sounds like something that a guy might engage in strictly as part of an erect penis care regimen, the fact is that masturdating is not a synonym for masturbation – even though masturbation may be a big part of the experience.

What is it?

For the uninitiated, masturdating popped up in the lexicon a few years ago. It seems to have originated as a term used by women to describe a date with themselves – but it has since come to be applied to men as well.

The idea behind masturdating is that a person – for this article, that person will be assumed to be male – goes on a date with himself. That may seem silly to some, who may assume that masturdating is the same thing as pulling on a pair of sweatpants and picking up a burger and fries at the local fast food drive-through before heading back home to binge watch that show everyone keeps talking about.

That’s not masturdating – that’s just hanging out with yourself. When a guy masturdates, he goes through all the same motions he would going out with another person – the idea being that he wants to treat himself with the same respect and attention he lavishes on a date. So he should take a nice shower and scrub himself clean; shave (or, if he has facial hair, neatly trim); and take time to pick out clothing that shows off his best qualities.

Rather than run out to a greasy spoon, he should pick a nice restaurant and order a meal that really fits his taste buds. Instead of trundling home afterward, he should engage in an activity that interests him – seeing a movie, walking along the shore, bowling a few frames, etc.

And once home, if he feels he has been a good date, he might invite himself to engage in a little masturbation. (In fact, it’s assumed that most people who masturdate engage in a rather lengthy masturbation session at the end. And why not reward themselves this way?)

Why do it?

So why should a dude masturdate instead of just staying home and masturbating? Well, there’s nothing wrong with masturbating instead – but an occasional masturdate might be beneficial to a person.

For one thing, it can be a lift to a guy’s spirits. If he’s feeling a little down, a masturdate can allow him to pamper himself, to tell himself that he is special and deserves to be appreciated.

For another, it’s a focused amount of “me time,” but unlike me time that has only the goal of masturbation, it gives a guy plenty of time and room to think. If something has been on his mind, he can really look at it and examine it. Even if there’s no one thing weighing on him, he still has the freedom to let his mind roam and to think and concentrate on whatever he wants; with only himself as a partner, there’s no need to worry about whether he’s keeping up his end of the conversation or if he might say the wrong thing.

Finally, he can do exactly what he wants to do without altering his plans to accommodate someone else. If he wants to spend half an hour skipping stones on a lake, he doesn’t have to worry about boring a partner. And, of course, when he gets to the masturbation part of the evening, he can use whatever arousing methods he chooses and masturbate for as long as he wants to with no pressure to please anyone else.

Lengthy masturbation (with or without masturdating) may lead to a sore penis, so he should have a first rate penis health creme (health professionals recommend Man 1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin) on hand. The best crème includes a combination of natural moisturizers (such as vitamin E and shea butter) to soothe a rubbed raw penis. And one with neuroprotective L-carnitine can help prevent loss of penis sensation form over-enthusiastic masturbation.