89 Day Retention Streak: My Experience/Benefits

As the title says, I am currently on Day 89 of retention. It has completely changed my life. I won't go into too much detail here because there is a lot, As well, I left some benefits out that had to do more with outside interactions such as social anxiety and magnetism. This will be a long post so grab a snack, sit back, and relax. I promise it will be worth the read.

Now let's talk benefits. I will break them down into two categories, physical and psychological. I wrote extensive journals throughout my streak and kept track of everything I experienced so there is a lot. Let's start with the physical benefits. (These are in no particular order)


1) Increased Muscle Strength and Growth - Now I work out and run every morning, but I strongly believe that even if I didn't do that I would experience this because the growth I have seen is ridiculous. This is an obvious one that everyone talks about, but it is true. Work out while on retention and you will blow yourself away with the results. Something else to note is that my run times significantly dropped while on retention, I can now run farther and faster than before.


2) Clear Skin - I never had a problem with acne growing up but my skin did not have any color. It does now. I don't look like a zombie anymore; it is especially noticeable on my face.


3) Clear Eyes - This one still blows me away. At around day 60 I noticed my eyes were vibrant. When I was younger (Before PMO) my eyes were green, for the past 8 years, my eyes have been more of a hazel, much darker than they should have been. They are back to normal now and it is mind-blowing, my eyes are clear green again. I catch myself staring at them for extended periods in the mirror because it is astonishing to me


4) Increased Metabolism - I already had good metabolism and ate a good diet but now when I wake up in the mornings it is very noticeable that my metabolism was working hard while I was sleeping.


5) Increased Hearing Sensitivity - This is not one I have seen anywhere else, but I can no longer listen to music at full volume with my headphones in. My ears will get blown out.


6) Increased Eye Sensitivity - This is also not one I have seen anywhere else. This strictly has to do with screens. My eyes have become very sensitive to screens to the point where I had to order blue light glasses to help.


7) Increased Physical Performance - I touched on this one a little bit already but it is most noticeable in my morning runs. I can run substantially farther and faster than before. I can also lift a lot more than before. I'm often not tired after either of these activities anymore as well.


Those are all of the physical benefits I have experienced so far. Next is the psychological benefits I have experienced and there are a lot of them so stay with me.


1) Better Memory - A common one but it is true. I find myself remember the most random things from the past. Lots of childhood memories coming to the surface. Lots of other memories surfacing have helped me connect the dots in certain parts of my life. Overall it has been extremely beneficial.


2) Increased Confidence - Another common one but also true. The confidence boost was even more than I was expecting but this one is self-explanatory.


3) Increased Energy - This one was very important for me because I struggled with keeping my energy levels stable for years. I have since discovered this had something to do with my PMO addiction. My energy levels are crazy high and remain stable throughout the day. I'm not having spikes and dips throughout the day anymore. Also, it greatly helps if you have a healthy diet while on retention.


4) Insane Drive - Procrastination no longer exists. I used to consider myself to be the king of procrastination... not anymore. I used to be the guy who wrote his 10-page research paper the night before it was due and still get an A most of the time, but I created an enormous amount of anxiety for myself by procrastinating it. Now my paper is done and turned in a week before it's due because I want to do it.


5) Nightly Vivid Dreams - I used to have nightly vivid dreams as a child but that went away with my PMO addiction, since quitting, the dreams have returned. I don't know the exact explanation for this but I attribute it to the increased brain activity.


6) Intense Emotions - I am no longer a robot! I feel again. This one blows me away. It is even relieving to feel sad sometimes because I was numb for so long. I haven't had any moments of uncontrollable anger like some people describe while on retention, but I think it may relate to the fact that I have always been very levelheaded and participate in yoga every day.


7) Increased Intuition - I am an intuitive person by nature but this took it to another level. My thoughts are significantly deeper, and I can connect the dots on complex issues at light speed. This is one of my favorite benefits so far.


8) Greater Understanding - This is an interesting one and I haven't been able to put my finger on it yet but my understanding of the world around me has gone up. This is a very general statement, but I think it’s something you may have to experience yourself to understand what I mean.


9) Joy for the little things - With dopamine levels becoming more natural I have joy for the little things now! This is another common one that you can read about in a lot of places


10) Greater Compassion - I want to help and be of service to those around me who are struggling. Not something I ever really wanted to do but it is a benefit to this process.


11) Greater Empathy - Going along with number 10, I have become more empathetic. It’s almost as if I could not feel empathy before retention.


12) Greater Passion - Self-explanatory but my passion for things has spiked significantly. Also related to increasing in energy and drive.


13) Deep Love For Life - I love and appreciate my life so much more now.


14) Deep Sense of Self - Understanding yourself, your thoughts, behaviors, and feelings is so much easier now. As you grow more self-aware you begin to care less what people say and think about you.


15) Increased Spirituality - Before retention, I was not spiritual at all. I was the opposite of spiritual and thought it was nonsense. It is hard to explain but it just hit me out of nowhere.


16) Less Stress - Stress still exists but it is minimal and much easier to handle now.


17) No More Anxiety - Used to have a small anxiety problem that is now nonexistent.


Have questions? Want to no more? Need tips on retention? How to avoid wet dreams?Just ask. There was not a lot of detail in here because I just wanted get out the benefits, but I would be happy to elaborate on anything you are wondering about.

 

The number one thing I can recommend to someone who lost a long streak that they can't get back is to get rid of the instant gratification in your life ASAP. This means to delete your social media accounts, fix your diet (junk food is a form of instant grat for the brain), stick to only drinking water. You just have to stop giving your brain that hit of dopamine without it doing any work for it. The reason I recommend this is because most people can't stop thinking about getting back that long streak and all the hard work it is going to be to get back to it (it creates a sort of anxiety in the subconscious). Your brain which is hooked on instant gratification immediately just thinks "why do all that work when I can get some pleasure from porn, social media, junk food, etc. Stop giving your brain instant gratification and this process will become so much easier I promise.

Warning: By suffocating your brain from instant gratification for a time life may be miserable. The flatlines I experienced when I did this were abominable. It is important to remember that the flatlines are where the change is taking place in your brain. You are purifying your brain. Here is a quote from Carl Jung that I read whenever I am experiencing a flatline that helps me. "To diminish the risks of a breakdown an active approach is crucial. We must view ourselves as explorers of the chaos, not passive observers who are merely pushed and pulled by forces beyond our control. Our goal at this stage is to explore novel ways of ordering our lives in an attempt to fill the void left behind by the sacrifice. While novel forms of order are crucial for the ascent from the realm of chaos, experiments with novelty can be stressful and often accompanied by states of intense fear and anxiety. We must be aware that is a natural part of the process and not an indication that there is anything inherently wrong with us. This will allow you to continue to push forward despite the inner turmoil."

 

Easy fix! Usually means you're not transmuting enough energy upwards. The way I do this is through yoga. Twice a day, once in the morning and once before bed. Physically and mentally demanding and one of the best ways to transmute energy. If yoga is not your thing then start running or just straight up stretching. Before bed would be the best time for these. Keep in mind this should rid you of wet dreams however nocturnal emissions may still occur which is okay as long as it is not associated with wet dreams. Dreams are our glance into our subconscious, wet dreams indicate a lot of sexual energy and sexual focus. Loosen up your mind by loosening up your body.