Everything You Need to Know About First-Time Sex

If you’re feeling nervous or timid about the first time you have sex, you're not alone. At one point or another, I promise you that everyone has felt the way you do—and your feelings are completely normal, valid, and fair.

But let me clue you in on one tiny little secret that may be causing some of that anxiety: There’s no right or wrong way to have sex. Sure, you probably have an idea of how you’d like it to go based on sexy movie scenes from Netflix, or what you’ve heard from your friend's experiences, but the truth is that it’s most likely not going to be like anything you’ve experienced before—and that’s okay.

TL;DR: Everyone has pre-sex jitters no matter how much chill they seem to have, and honestly, you should totally embrace the awkwardness. Fumbling in between the sheets with someone else for the first time = a recipe for weird sounds and clumsy things to happen (and TBH, that never really changes).

But just so you can make your first time as pleasurable as possible, here are some tips from sex therapist Vanessa Marin and psychotherapist Nicole Tammelleo.