Are you ready for sex? Are you reeeally ready to being physically intimate with someone? Pressure to have sex might come from your boyfriend, or friends who are already ‘doing it’ (even though they might not be), or from a television series or movies.

You might also feel the pressure from a certain person you’re in a relationship with. There have been instances where for some people who have a girlfriend or a boyfriend, it is expected of them by their partner.

But, what if you are not ready or interested in having sex? Here is why it is OKAY to wait to have sex until you’re older.

1) You are just not ready yet

If you feel like not taking that step yet, so what? You have the right to wait until you feel comfortable enough to have sex. Not everyone will feel ready to be intimate with someone at different stages of their lives. What is important is YOU need to only have sex when YOU are ready to.

2) When it doesn’t feel right, don’t force it

So, you’ve met this guy who is pretty cool to chill with, but there is just…no…chemistry! Every time you are alone together you can’t bring yourself to even kiss him. You have ‘friend zoned’ him way before you have even realised it! That’s all right. Just being friends is still cool. It will be much worth it with someone you simply can’t friend zone.

3) You value your beliefs

Your beliefs don’t necessarily have to be religious. It simply could mean you see worth and value in waiting – you believe that you are special and the person who you will eventually have sex with has recognized that worth too. This is a great feeling chomas!

4) Reduced risk for contracting HIV, STIs and pregnancy 

Normally, after you have had sex for the first time, paranoia might start kicking in. You might worry about ‘the condom breaking’ which means you might be pregnant already or you might have even caught an STI. You are now so scared that you rush to get tested the next day! When you wait to have sex, you have more time to plan on making sure that none of that happens because when you do eventually become intimate with someone you will have been fully open with that person with regards to having safe sex.

5) You will tell which guys are not worth your time

Waiting to have sex until you are older will help you pick out which guys are just not worth it. The older you get, the more obvious it will be to see who just wants to have sex with you and nothing more. This will also make you realise which guys are prepared to wait.

6) It’s your body…end of story

This sums everything up. Nobody has the right to do anything to you or your body unless you give them permission to. Wouldn’t you rather do things that make you happy rather than making decisions that you know will make you feel regretful later on?

The truth is sex is a beautiful experience, and if you feel like waiting, that’s perfectly fine! There is no rush. You are young, you have plenty of time to have sex. Wouldn’t you rather wait to have it with someone worth having it with?