Depressed during NoFap

same with me ...............feeling depressed since day 4

 

I'm no psychologist but I've taken quite a few college psych classes and it sounds like there's an enviromental factor or something else at play if it's been continuing this long, I would think that maybe pmo was an "escape" for you. The few times I've gone weeks or more without it I never had a depressed feeling. BUT everyone is different. I'd say if it continues instead of falling back into addiction, find the root cause of it. If it is caused by nofap, then you have to retrain yourself to be happy without it. This is just my humble and potentially wrong opinion.

 

I have been in same boat. What gets me out of it was getting new hobbies like growing tomatos, exercising, having busier social life and smoking weed of course I don't think going back to pmo is a solution. But, everbody got their own thing of course. I hope you will find your way out too. Take it easy, good luck...

 

I wonder if feelings of depression are another way of your addicted brain trying to trick you. I mentioned this in another thread somewhere but most people (as I understand it) use porn to self medicate feelings of beoredom, depression, insecurity etc. Since pmo gives you a dopamine hit, you have essentially been rewarding your brain for those feelings. Feel sad or lonely or stressed etc, use porn, feel great. Eventually your brain will start creating these feelings in order to get its reward. I would hope that the more you reboot, the healthy pathways will be restored and you should have less of these feelings. Of course doing something you enjoy will make you feel good as well. I'm not sure if this is happening with you but could be something to think about.

 

If your craving pmo, you might be just craving the dopamine high. Working out and running also releases dopamine, You do a hard workout or run and you'll get the same if not better dopamine high, and you'll be benefitting yourself.

 

Adding to what others said, returning to PMO is not the solution. Being depressed sucks (very badly) of course, but poisoning yourself with pornography will make things worse on the long term. I can see why you might consider returning to PMO as an escape route (from the bad feelings) but please take a look at the bigger picture: life will always have problems to solve or challenges to overcome, but someone who watches porn and jerks to it, is not at his/her best.

I am not saying keeping a streak causes depression as it is not the only cause, but returning to PMO will only make things worse.

 

I think @DireMerl hits the nail on the head.

I used to use PMO to remove anxiety. That worked quite well. So its a trap again.
If you are depressed, it might be that you are still mourning the porn. Let it go..