Relapsed after hitting 99 days

I relapsed after 99 days of NoFap. This was the longest streak that I ever had and I can't believe I went this far. I was proud of this achievement and felt more motivated to start again. I think I relapsed because I was on my 3rd week of quitting caffeine cold turkey and I was losing my mind. I tried breathing exercises like I normally do but it did not seem to help. I later learned that I should not quit caffeine cold turkey while quitting another addiction. I should have weened off gradually.

I did not feel the guilt after PMO. I felt relieved and satisfied which was something I don't usually feel after PMO. The first thought that popped in my head was it is okay to make a mistake because I learned so much from the 99 days of NoFap and I am more motivated to restart. I felt proud of my accomplishment as I have been an addict for over 15 years and this was something I never thought I could do. I was successful at work because NoFap helped me to focus on my projects. I managed to complete a difficult project earlier last month.

What I learned from my 99 days:

• Quitting social media will free up your time. I was surprised that I was spending between 15 - 20 hours a week on social media. I quit social media back in June before NoFap and it felt amazing. I stay in touch with friends via phone.
  
• With my added free time, I read over a dozen books, mainly on self improvement. I gained so much knowledge and felt motivated to do things. (Books: Slight Edge, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck, The Richest Man In Babylon)
• I completed my first online course (Learning How to Learn on Coursera). This helped me to be productive in my life.
  
• I am scheduling my day to day tasks before and after work to keep me distracted from relapsing.
• Flatlines are terrible but I had to deal with them to recover.
  
• Eating healthy meals every day brightened my mood.
• Taking cold showers in the morning and at night kept my body cool. Do this for 5 minutes and you will feel great.
  
• Working out in the morning before going to work felt great. I ran about 2-3 miles every other day and do a 15 minute body weight workout.
  
• When quitting one thing, don't quit another thing (it was PMO then quitting caffeine cold turkey which caused the relapse).
• Drink lots of water (I try to drink a gallon a day).
• Cut down on caffeine but not completely so that I am not on the edge.
• Socialize every week or other week so that I am not at home which could lead to PMO. I felt more confident around people and even after relapsing.
  
• It is okay to make mistakes because you learn more when you do.

I hope that anyone reading my post will feel motivated to start or continue on with NoFap. If you relapsed, don't be hard on yourself but try to understand why it happened so that you don't do it again. Keep track of your accomplishments (not just the numbers of days of NoFap). You need to be doing productive activities to be successful at NoFap, whether it is working out, reading, taking courses to help your career, socializing). This will keep your mind focused and at ease.