i have heard that there are alot of benefits of nofap monk mode which exceed even that of just quitting porn and masturbation. benefits like increased muscle stregnth, increased focus, emotional stability etc. and also some of the greatest geniuses like Newton, da vinci and Tesla were celibate. i have personally noticed alot of benefits during my 36 day monk mode streak but i also think that a good diet and mental peace are just as important as semen retention. what do you guys think ?
Yep, I do both, as well as I can, for clarity alertness and general sensitivity to life. Or to put it another way: to be rid of the low-grade depression, boredom, feeling of futility that sticks to me when I fap. There is a certain euphoria that sets in (aka super-powers) when you begin to emerge from this addiction that does not last.
thanks for the reply. what do you do when the urge is very strong ? i almost always relapse when the urge is very strong.
An urge is your body anticipating that you are going to fap. Your body actually does not generate the urge, but your mind has already decided to give in and your body is getting excited (like a dog anticipating going for a walk). Then whatever part of your brain is trying to resist reacts to the bodies anticipation by giving in... There are a whole list of things I had to put in place to get through them. First I am in 'stupid mode' when during an urge. I cannot even articulate why I should not give in. When you are of sound mind you need to make a clear and concise list of all the reasons you will not give in to the urge. They need to be clear and concise enough that you can understand them when you are in stupid mode. You need to write them down, rehearse them, put them on sticky notes on your computer monitor. You also need to rehearse dismantling the counter-argument that you will make in 'stupid mode'. 1) Urges rarely last more than 20 minutes, absolute max is 40. A dog does the same. If it thinks you are going to take it out and nothing happens it goes back to sleep. 2) That physical discomfort you feel that needs to be fixed.... yeah how bad really is it? Yeah not even the level of a tiny scratch. About the discomfort of resting your fingernail on your skin. It also goes away, may take a few hours. But it is not something that requires a release. 3) Have escape behaviours. Like go for a 20 minute walk 4) Practice calming your mind when you think you are about to die in the cold shower. It's much the same process etc.
Those are great points @JackStrident. It is important to realize that an urge is not going to kill you. Sometimes we feel that we have no option but to give in. But we do have an option. We can choose not to. Once you have made that choice a number of times and have discovered that really the urge just melted away you become more confident and the chances of being able to make that choice again increases. I also think it is important to recognise and "admit" to the urge rather than fight it. The more we engage in a mental struggle with the urge the greater the chance that it can over come it. Breathe, recognise the urge, divert your mind.
Maybe one way of thinking about urges is to just realise they reflect brain biochemistry fluctuations. As a NoFap Monk initiate my main focus is on self discipline. If we think of sexual urges as the most powerful challenges to our self discipline within, then to defeat those urges is also a powerful victory. I give an example: yesterday I was able to win by not fapping for 2 weeks. Apart from this I didn't achieve much else other than having a 2 hour hike. But yesterday was an incredible victory for me.
