First up, pretty much any reaction to porn is normal. You might feel great, grossed out, de-stressed, confused or just have a laugh.

Any reaction is totally okay – and it’s normal to have opposite reactions at the same time too, like feeling uncomfortable and aroused – this is legit and okay.

Feelings can give us a ‘heads up’ on what’s important to us. If you tune into them, they can help you work out what porn you are or aren’t okay with.

So, if you’re feeling uncomfortable with something – it can be your body’s way of telling you what’s up.

Watching porn can create questions around gender and sexual attraction – and you might feel confused about what you are getting aroused to.

If that’s you, it can be super helpful talking an older trusted friend or adult, or you can talk to the pros HERE

‘Ignoring’ our feelings won’t make them go away so there’s some cool mindfulness tools that can help us out. Try this one called A.L.L. It might feel weird at first, but it does work:

Acknowledge: Notice feelings and acknowledge them “I feel uncomfortable ..”

Link: Your ‘feelings’ are your body’s response to something and it helps calm your mind if you link the feeling and the trigger. For e.g. “It makes sense I feel uncomfortable, because I saw something in porn I didn’t like.”

Let go: Next up put your hands on your chest and on your stomach, take a massive breath, then imagine breathing out the feeling. It might sound odd but it can activate your ‘social engagement system’ and calm you down.

Having a korero with a friend or whānau member can be super helpful. If you want someone a bit removed, try another adult you trust like a school counsellor or coach, or if you’re keen to keep it anonymous, text the counsellors at 4334 Safe to Talk and say “I’m struggling with something I’ve seen in porn and I don’t know who to talk to…”.

If talking to an adult feels stressful, but you want to try, check out some tips here.

It sucks when you can’t switch off your mind at night. When we’ve been weirded out by something, we can process it in our sleep – so if you’re having dreams about stuff you’ve seen in porn, try not to freak out.

If your dreams wake you up, try the mindfulness tip (a few clicks back) “Push Play on Processing”. Or distract your mind and focus on something else – get up, grab something to eat or read a book.

Sometimes images we see in porn can cause unexpected “flashbacks” afterwards. If this has happened to you, chat to a mate you trust, or go HERE for some advice from the pros.

A quick tool to help in the moment is ‘the body scan’ aka relaxing your body while doing some deep breathing. Easy as. Start at your feet and one by one relax your legs, hands, arms until you get to your head while taking deep breaths.

If you’ve experienced unwanted sexual touch or abuse, some forms of porn can be triggering. You may have flashbacks, panic attacks or feel overwhelmed by porn.

Having a korero with trusted adult/friend is super helpful or if you want to keep it anonymous text the counsellors on 4334 Safe to Talk and say “I’ve been hurt sexually before, I’ve seen some porn and now I’m feeling……. and want to talk to someone.” Kia kaha.

If you’ve had a sexual experience you didn’t want or were forced into a sexual act – that’s called sexual harm.

It’s important you don’t feel alone with this, so if you need medical support, want to report it, or just need anonymous support – the counsellors at 4334 Safe to Talk are there for you.

Check out our Talk/TEXT section for some more really great, free services with the pros. Some of these services are anonymous and any info you share is confidential and safe.