Frustrated W/ Life

Nofap can be very tough and scary because you can't know for certain where it will take you. But when you go through hell keep going. It could be your mind which isn't getting the pleasure it's used to get. But hey there can't be dark clouds forever right.

 

Remember it can take up to two years or even more to recover if you're a longtime addict so keep at it. You should get a health check if you haven't already, but all the problems can go away the next day. There's no guarantee when it will stop but know that you're on the right path and have done better than almost everyone on here. A very few people can do it like you have, so I commend you for that!

 

It could be the effects of lingering brain fog as the reason you feel this way. I went through this myself.

 

Here's a good timeline from someone experienced with Nofap:

Nofap timeline

 

Maybe you’re suffering from depression and you only notice the depression when doing a reboot bc you no longer have the dopamine from M to get high anymore. You would have to go to a doctor for diagnosis and treatment if you’re suffering from depression.

 

I've been doing nofap for 3 years now, and it's super hard man, my current streak has been the longest and it's taken me the furthest down the rabbit hole.

I think maybe because I started PMO at a really young age of 6, a lot of my development happened along side it, and the way I identify with myself and the world. The more I stray from PMO, the more I am straying from who I was for so many years. It's scary and unknown.

Meditation, breathing and visualization have gone a long way to help create space between the discomfort, pain and outright suffering of this path, and a lot of clarity has come.

I'm not over the moon on this path as of yet, but I am at peace. A lot of the torment and frustration is now gone, I feel like I am in a good position now to reflect on my goals, and change my motivations/drives/priorities.

For me, masturbation would activate a very strong urge for a mate, and a neediness for sex. I would give up my passions, like drawing, painting and making music to devote myself to my partner and their needs, inevitably the relationship would end and I'd be back at square one, realizing that what I really cared about had been neglected for another 4 years.

Without masturbation I can be very content, and have much healthier relationships, without all the neediness and all the things it leads to.

I am super grateful for this community because otherwise it seems like a very lonely path sometimes, when most of society is still blindly addicted and there is no clear alternative.

Cheers ^___^

 

That's awesome Freeddom_Taker! I'm glad to hear about the contentment and confidence. I'm just starting to develop that vision of a better me, getting tired of the status quo and ready to move on.

Really good point about people pleasing! I definitely became a people pleaser too. I am still to a certain extent, but I am aware of it now and I have less reason to be, I get a headache before long and just want to continue doing my own thing (less shits to give haha).

Cheers

 

Maybe this video can provide some answers. It's about opioid and alcohol abstention, but still addiction is an addiction:

 

But...are you having regular sex in the meantime as well?

 

Great post. Good wisdom. It’s worth the struggle to gain freedom

 

Do you mean, like a "flatline" ? I'd assume if it's lasting a long time, there are probably some issues beyond the "fap/NoFap continuum" --- i.e., beyond fapping and/or NoFap/not-fapping... (so whether you PMO or not is irrelevant at that point, there are most likely other things going on...)