Sometimes forces outside our control seem to be conspiring to make our genitalia shrivel up and fall off like little strips of dried mango. We’re living through just such a time right now, but there is, for the first time in so long, a light at the end of the tunnel. So what can you do to prepare for when your fun bits might be ready to rejoin the land of the living?

We wish this horoscope could predict the results of next week’s election, but hey, we’re not that powerful. Instead, we’ll give you the heads-up you need to make the most of your sex life this month.

We’ve talked a lot over the last seven months about how the stress of this moment in history is affecting people’s sex lives. But when there’s really no clear end in sight, what can we do about it? Well, thanks for asking–today we’ve brought you six sensual practices that will ground you, reduce anxiety, and help you get out of your head and into your body. Use them to fall asleep, use them to break the cycle of doomscrolling, use them as foreplay, use them however you want! You still have some choices in this world!

So there’s good news and there’s bad news. Bad news first: the pandemic is still a thing somehow. But the good news is that due to the pandemic, a lot of us are spending more time outside, where it’s safer, which presents tons of new opportunities to have sex in public places. Here are a few fall-specific ideas to get you started.