The Lord of the Rings Challenge

Hello! I’m just starting this epic challenge, but my streak is 35, so I have this helpful and kindful pony with me
Good luck companions

 

Day 8 - Uruk Hai.

 

day 14

hello Fellowship! I think this is my last day of being an Uruk-hai!

I spent yesterday evening with some friends. There were three couples and me, so I was seventh wheeling lol. It was very enjoyable. We played a Cards Against Humanity-like game, and even though lots of jokes about sexual topics were shared, I'm thankful to say that I didn't get swayed during any of that.

keep pushing on friends. thankful for all your encouragement!

 

10 days complete

Uruk-Hai

 

Check in day 209

 

Day 12 complete.

 

Starting Over - Day 0
Not giving up!

 

Day 262

 

Checking in 35 days

 

Condolences, @RiseToGreatness.

 

Dawn of the 37th day.

 

Checking in on day 110. This coming week, I'll be securing a trusty steed on my quest. The following week I'll hit four months PMO free, and then the week after I will be a King! This fellowship has been very helpful to me, primarily by keeping me aware of myself daily and by constantly reminding me of the reasons behind my goals. Some of the keys to maintaining my streak include:

• Managing my environment: My home and office are both safe places for me now, places where I know how to respond to any tempations, urges, or stray thoughts with a decisive pivot to positive thoughts or activities that weaken the unwanted influence. It has become habit to quickly to short circuit neurochemical cycles, avoid or rebuff old trigger ruts, and mentally deny images and ideas that objectify human bodies.
• Noticing the noticing: Any time I am out of my safe spaces--such as when running errands, working out, or being at a show or event--there are almost always women I find physically attractive around me. When I notice my attraction, I pivot to noticing what I noticed. I try to be brutally honest with myself, and examine both the possible causes and potential effects of my attraction. For example, yesterday I was at the hardware store when this happened, and the mental thought train took this course: "Hmmmm. I just noticed that exotic-looking woman in the orange summer dress. I found her face beautiful and her body attractive, especially the movement of her buttocks in that tight, short dress. I started ogling her; why did I objectify her body? Is this my hormones kicking in after no PMO for so long? What is my lizard brain hoping for by sending these lustful signals out right now? Why do I have this fascination with a stranger's form? If I acted on every libinous impulse and pull of physical attraction, I'd be a menace to society and a danger to my own health. Is it any less damaging or creepy to stare at a nice behind than it would be to imagine grasping those buttocks with those shapely legs wrapped around me? Nope, I feel creepy just thinking this through. I'm not sex-crazed and I don't want to objectify this human being like that. I'm never going to act on these impulses, and although these attractions happen and can be strong, they don't mean I NEED sex or PMO, and they don't signify that something is "missing" from my life. They are just part of having the physiology and mental conditioning that I have, and I can keep influencing those things to have less power over my thoughts, feelings, and desires." After really noticing what is going on when I notice women, I can decline the lustful mindset and move past it without shame or guilt or dwelling on it.
• Cutting feedback loops short: Most of my past failures regarding masturbation in particular were because I got caught up in vicious cycles or negative feedback loops. For example, the habit of watching shows late at night made me hungry; I ate junk food at night and felt gross; while feeling like a blob I would see alluring images (even if not erotic or pornographic in the slightest; in my already compromised state of low willpower, those images aroused me; I casually encouraged the arousal with mild self stimulation; the stimulation triggered a feeling of want, a craving for more, so I watched a show I suspected and hoped would have nudity or sex in it; the coarser images reinforced the arousal and I went past the point of no return, commiting to masturbation by finding tissues or lubrication; I fapped until I felt the release from stress and pressure I had been seeking; after, I felt numb and ate more food and had trouble calming down for sleep, so I stayed up later and ruined my energy the next day; all that next day, the thing on my mind was that I could repeat again if I stayed up later than everyone else that night. These cycles feed on themselves, and that's the kind of pattern or habit or trap that made masturbation a regular outlet for my stress. If I set my boundary at "go to bed the same time as my wife" or "start my bedtime routine by 10pm," I can cut the entire loop off before I can start to work.

Carry on my fellow ringbearers!

 

Day 4, Divine Mercy

 

Checking in day 162.

 

day checking in:
All good

 

This helped me also one day. Good move. You have a victory now. Remember this day when difficult times arise again.

 

Very good reflexion thanks for sharing

 

Day 2

A lovely calm family day.

Stay strong!!