this post was submitted on 21 Sep 2025
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Asklemmy
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Ooh that doesn't sound nice, you shouldn't be hurting yourself.
I'm suggesting you learn [train yourself] to be in the presence of women comfortably without even having to worry about getting an erection. It makes it a lot easier to get to know women.
But if you want a men's only gym there's plenty of hole-in-the-wall places called "Iron Pounders" or something like that. At-home weights are also widely available.
Maybe it's a mix of fear and knowing i'm not supposed to look or possibly getting caught on camera accdientally looking st someone. Just the gym setting makes it uncomfortable and taboo maybe? idk
The taboo is starring/oggling or catcalling a stranger. If you look people in the eyes/face and don't linger then no one is going to care except people who would have been a bother in any case.
No one has ever cared but the anxiety remains, I zone out and catch myself making eye contact with girls while daydreaming about unrelated shit all the time and they just smile or whatever, the fear remains, they have tripods at every rack at my gym, and like no one is that type of social media issue causer, it's all good people that I've met there, but the anxiety remains. Anxiety isn't necessarily logical idk.
Yeah anxiety sucks ass. Speaking from personal and recent experience my suggestion is ACT (or CBT) therapy if that's an option for you.
Idk it's only an issue at the gym, I goto raves bonerfree lol
Yeah I'm setting up an at home gym slowly, the local gym is new and really nice tho, was men only without wanting to be for 4 years, randomly shifted and now its 50/50
Seems you have a plan. Good luck!
K
Like the equipment is super nice and it's got everything, they did recentlly add cardio machines after not having them for years which prob caused the shift of gender