9 Tips for Living a Chaste Life
1. Practice modesty in your speech, dress, and actions. Modesty sends a message.
2. Find at least one good friend who has made the commitment to live a chaste life, and support each other in that decision.
3. Date only people who share your values. Date mostly in groups rather than singly.
4. When you do date singly, plan your dates and avoid sexual temptation. Avoid situations like the back seat of a car or being alone together at home, in a dark room, or on a bed. Avoid sexual stimuli such as most "R"-rated movies. Make a list of 10 ways you can have fun together that won’t create temptation.
5. Limit your physical affection to light hugs and kisses.
6. Tap into support systems, websites such as www.greattowait.com, www.worththewait.com, www.pureloveclub.com, www.reap.tem.org, www.reallove.net, www.chastitycall.org, www.sexrespect.com, and www.wagmuna.com. These websites feature real stories from the lives of teens and lots of practical advice on why and how to wait. Read a really good book that supports waiting, such as Sean Covey’s The 6 Most Important Decisions You’ll Ever Make. Subscribe to a good magazine, one that supports waiting, such as Just for Girls or Just for Guys (www.humanlife.org).
7. Know how to resist sexual pressure. Be ready with “comebacks” to the standard lines.
8. Have a game plan for starting over if you need to do that. A. C. Green, the former NBA Lakers basketball star known for his public stance on virginity, recommends these 5 steps for “getting back in the game”:
Make a commitment to start over. List the reasons you are choosing to change.
Find out who your teammates are. Find friends who will support you.
Communicate. Tell the people you date about your commitment.
Stay within the boundaries. Set limits on your behavior so you don’t go too far.
Focus on your future. When abstinence gets difficult, remember your future
goals and the reasons you have chosen to wait.
9. If you believe in God, make personal prayer a daily habit. Ask God in your prayer time for help in leading a chaste life. Keep in mind the words of Mother Teresa: “Purity is the fruit of prayer.”
