A big thank you to everyone positively involved in the NoFap community. I'm really thankful that a community like this exists. My addictions have been preventing me from achieving my long-term goals coming up on 9 years now. My hope in joining this community is to find others to share experiences with and to overcome our addictions together. My NoFap journal can be found here. All the best! Pure_Dhamma
Welcome to NoFap where you are amongst friends who are here to encourage you and sometimes challenge you but not judge you. The enemy is here to steal, kill and destroy. What are your current strategies for combating the enemy called PMO?
Thanks for the encouragement, D.J.. I've employed a few strategies already: Yesterday was my first day without internet at home, so not only will I not have access to pornography but I'll also be saving $68CDN per month. The extra money can be put towards savings, hobbies, and traveling. Not having the internet at home will also bank me extra TIME. Time for hobbies, traveling, spending more time with my girlfriend, more time for myself, etc. I've put up a calendar on my fridge where I log my meditation hours each day, for morning, afternoon, evening, total. I also put a checkmark or an x if I've successfully abstained from PMO. My girlfriend knows my long-term goals and my problems around porn and masturbation. She's on board and acts as my real-life accountability partner. Baby-steps. I've tried "all-or-nothing" many times before and it just hasn't worked for me. I'm going to start with smaller goals, shorter time frames, and just keep chipping away. I want to put in some effort here in the NoFap forums by being active and posting up a journal. I don't take my cellphone to work anymore and I rarely use it outside of my apartment. I hate carrying that thing around and feel much less burdened without it. Some strategies I'd like to try out moving forward: Cold showers Make sure the apartment is clean and tidy Get rid of or donate excess stuff Go to bed earlier and wake-up earlier Dress nicer Meditate more I'll try to start a journal either tomorrow or sometime next week. I'd do it this weekend but I'm internet-free at home! Thanks again for your encouragement, Pure_Dhamma
Welcome Pure_Dhamma. It's great that you have already pulled together a strategy. In fact, you've hit on a few of things that we often neglect in discussing recovery, like how we dress, the tidiness of our surroundings, and the tendency to hold onto excess stuff. Our surroundings matter. Definitely clean and de-clutter. (I find that the less clutter there is around me, the better I feel in general and the clearer my thinking.) If dressing nicer helps you hold your head up higher, that's a win too. Good luck going forward.
Check out In Case You Didn't Know for additional strategies and tips which may help you along your journey. Creating a journal will allow us to follow you along your journey. To do so, go to the Reboot Logs, find your age group and begin a thread, which is your journal. Copy/ paste a link here so that we can encourage you along your journey.
Thanks for taking to time to read and reply, Mattt001! I think some of my recovery will have to involve a boost in self-confidence and developing a healthy sense of pride and shame around certain actions. Thanks again and all the best in your journey, too. Pure_Dhamma
