Managing Strong Desires as a Muslim Man
Assalamu alaikum everyone, I'm a Muslim brother dealing with a high libido and I'm looking for advice. I used to have low testosterone and low drive, feeling lazy, depressed, and stuck in a bad state. After lots of effort and making dua to Allah, I turned my life around, Alhamdulillah. But now that I've overcome depression, I'm facing this new challenge. I stay active-working out, doing kickboxing, skateboarding, playing basketball, running-I just love exercising. I'm in school, have energy to get closer to Allah and learn my deen. Having a full life makes me happy, and I feel so healthy and energized, like it's the best ever. Going from isolated and depressed to this good place is amazing. But the problem now is the libido. Because I'm so active, my drive is really high, and I can't get married yet due to certain reasons, so I don't know what to do. I really fear zina; I don't talk to women, don't post on social media, and I lower my gaze because I know I'm not bad looking and I don't want female attention. I keep to myself mostly, but at work, school, or outside, I notice women trying to get close (including non-Muslims who might not know I'm Muslim). I'm growing my beard for the sake of Allah, which makes me look less attractive by Western standards but I like it. Still, things happen-like at school, a girl tried so hard lately and I just walked away. What can I do? I have self-control, but I'm scared that in the wrong moment, I could get distracted; it's crazy how the mind shifts. Is there a way to get more control over libido and lust? I don't want to drop my active life because I'd go back to being depressed and lazy.