1.5 years of No PMO.Things I have learned

Hello guys it's been almost 1.5 years since I have last masturbated or watched porn.
So in this article I intend to share with you the benfits I feel,the things I have learned and the tips I have used through out this journey.

First of all I would like to make one thing clear. It might dishearten many, But you dont start getting superpowers and you dont start to succeed in every thing you put your hand into.

Having said this let's discuss what I feel I have gotten from not masturbating or watching porn.

1. The best thing I think I have gotten from quitting masturbating to porn is the freedom from self loathe. I have stopped hating myself and I know that I am not a loser.
2. By not hating my self. My confidence has increased and I now think I am deserving of the good things I get.When I was PMOing I would see a beautiful girl and would somewhat feel smaller and I would think to myself 'I dont think I am worthy of her' but now when I see an attractive girl I dont question my worth and am confident that she would atleast like me if I talked to her.
3. The next thing I have gotten from NoFap is that I have started to appreciate more 'beauty' in a girl and not just her figure like a perv. I am more attracted towards 'cute' and 'beautiful' girls than 'hot' or 'sexy' girls.I think thats because in some way quitting porn has made me more respectful towards the opposite gender because porn usually depicts girls as objects for sex only.Which is pathetic now that I think of it. However, lets make one thing clear that I am attracted toward hot girls, thats just human nature, but I appreciate cute girls more.( I dont know why the font is in italic from here on :3)
4. Next, I started having more energy and was willing to play more sporty games. I remember I used to call off my young brother every time he asked me to play cricket because I just didn't feel like it but now I am actually looking forward to playing cricket and enjoying it. With this energy I also started working out at the gym.
5. I think that I am more attractive towards other now too but I think thats because of working out too.
6. Moreover, now I think that I have nothing to hide from people and feel transparent when talking to people allowing more confidence when people ask questions like 'what have you been doing in the washroom for so long' or 'why is your phone screenlocked' because on these questions my mind doesnt go to porn but to my privacy.

Now lets consider things which have helped me stay away from porn.
When I was new to nofap this ebook called 'SPAM REMOVED (spam code #001) - REPORT TO MODERATION:The SPAM REMOVED (spam code #001) - REPORT TO MODERATION Way' helped alot.It isn't really an ebook just a long document uploaded in the internet. Just google the title and hopefully you will be led to the book.

Next,what helped me alot in not Pmoing is not thinking about sex or porn.I would advise all of you too to stop visualizing and fantasizing about sex the moment you catch yourself doing it.This is the best tip I can give you.Believe me, It helps alot. Earlier I would just be able to make 7 to 15 days free from porn but when I started catching myself visualizing about sex and stopping right there,there was a long streak of 80 days,then another long streak and then this streak I am right now on(almost 1.5 years).Ofcourse this require you to be more mindful of yourself,thats why meditation is recommended by so many people. But personally, I havent been able to carry out meditating for much long instead I just try to be mindful after I think of sex or porn and immediately,emphasis on the word immediately, stop thinking about it. I think that thoughts are the biggest triggers of PMO and are so subtle that nobody notices it untill that thought has grown into a full fleshed urge, which is immensely more harder to resist than a weak,developing thought. I hope I am making sense here.It seems pretty obvious that one needs to stop thinking about porn to actually quit porn, but many of us dont do it either bcz we like the dopamine hit we get from it or because we just arent mindful enough to catch ourselves thinking about it(the latter seems absurd but it is way more truthful than you think).

Next nice advice I can give you is to prepare yourself about urges beforehand so that if you arent able to stop your thought you have a plan to stop your urges.If you dont have a plan, then you are mainly depending upon willpower to stop youself but willpower is finite so you are bound to succumb to urges at one point e.g after a very long day of using ur willpower to do work e.t.c. So instead have a plan and carry it out mindlessly without using much willpower. Write a note somewhere 'In case of urges I plan to.....' then make a list of things you can do easily and which distract you from urges(please do it,seriously try it out).It has also hepled me alot in the days when my testosterone level was soaring and couldn't stop thinking of sex.

I also recommend not quantifying your days of No PMO(many may disagree, and if you think it helps then do it). When I started this streak I didnt count the days instead I just marked the date(5th August 2018) because I think that when you hop on to a 7,30 or 90 day challenge then you are essentially saying to yourself "Just resist these assigned number of days then you can have your much needed treat of porn". It encourages a feeling that you are stopping yourself from a reward but in reality,you are actually freeing yourself from a pathetic addiction.So why sign up to 90 days? Why not sign up for you entire life? This will surely cause a major shift in mindset.Because if you sign up for life you are actually saying farewell to porn forever and believe me this requires courage because many of us secretly hope to watch porn someday. However if you think that counting your days and completing challenges give you a feeling of small wins then please do it. I encourage anthing that works.

Last thing I would say to you guys is learn to forgive yourself when you relapse. Allow yourself to fail but be sure to carry on again.When I used to relapse my first 2 to 3 days were shity and full of doubts but thenslowly hope builds up. So yeah allow yourself to relapse. Dont beat youself up on it.
I am sorry for the horribly long thread but I hope it helps.

 

Guys there are more benefits of quitting porn than those mentioned above now that I am thinking of it :3 So dont be disheartened and carry on because believe me quitting masturbating to porn is one of the best decisions you will ever make! Remember qutting porn for life is an achievable goal.

 

Guys 1 last request. Actually DO these things. Many of us read very useful tips and ignore them. So yeah please do these 3 practical tips.
1.Read 'SPAM REMOVED (spam code #001) - REPORT TO MODERATION-The SPAM REMOVED (spam code #001) - REPORT TO MODERATION way'
2.make that list mentioned above(although you are not bound to follow it on every damn urge, If you think you can handle this urge by doing something out of the list then do it)
3.Be mindful of your thought and stop yourself from thinking about sex even if you feel u can handle the thought.
Time to make take some steps!

 

Well there was a period when it was easier to stay away from porn and had almost no urges. I guess that was my flatline period. After that, I started feeling sexually active again and had to resist urges now and then.

 

Exactly, It's the kick you get from staying away from porn which allows you to improve.

 

Good luck!

 

I believe in you.