My 1 week update: Read for inspiration :)

Ah damn, i dont know how to put this but im all in all content, rising, uplifted but still my progress is slow, slow to the point that i feel like giving up but also to the analogy that there's so much more out there for me if i pursue nofap. I started the challenge on 15th april this year and it took me a lot of discipline, courage and self understanding to make it through this 1 week after a ton of relapses. I finally tried again a week ago(last Sunday) and i made through an entire week, feeling my high's and my lows. How do i feel? Well its mixed, i guess most people start off with a surge of confidence and energy but my beginning was a flatline, which might've come from my fever or my tasking job but nevertheless i do feel my focus rising a bit. Nofap is important for me because i remember the time when i binged on porn and masturbation and how it ruined my life through which my desire and motivation started fading away at first. When that happened i dint feel like studying, socializing, exercising, playing a sport or basically not wanting to do anything. I felt the anxiety coursing through my head when i'd shy away from people cause of paranoia, this happened to me when i was 14. Just a year before i was a happy kid, who just wanted to be like everyone else, but after i started binging on this addiction my life turned upside down. Low grades eventually got me sent out of school cause i failed a whole year and they dint want me to repeat another year so i had to leave my good school and transfer to a shitty B- grade school in the middle of nowhere. Losing touch with my old friends only to make friends with a bunch of low lives who had no absolutely no ambition in life and worst of all just living my life in denial and pretending everything was ok. I use to masturbate on an average of 2-3 times a day when i was 14 so my energy and motivation would spiral down out of control. This continued for about 8 years im 22 now and i feel in this one week i can safely say that i will get the power to finally get hold of my life and live it the way i choose. I remember 2 weeks when i was so fed up with my life that i hit a club with a friend and yet i couldn't channel my energy to talk to anyone cause i was so zoned out only to find out the girl who i had been eyeing on that night to talk to casually slipped away into the arms of another guy and i'll never forget the look that she gave me out of pity. Depressed and disgusted at myself i came home only to sit and cry myself to sleep at 3 in the morning, not particularly something one would do after a club night. So i picked up on this and tried to surf the way again only to finish this and reclaim everything that should rightfully be mine. Now there have been a lot of instances that put me off in terms of rejection but what happened that night was something that stung me for a while. Im not doing this to get better at bedding women or so that i can last long in bed but im doing this so that i can finally go after what i want, pursue it a 100% and get my results that i deserve. So how can i contribute to this forum? I can share my knowledge of the few things i did that gave me this 1 week boost, even though 1 week might not be much for some people, im sure there are a few others like myself who have struggled to past 3 days. If i get through another week i will gladly post my update here and tell you the things i've done to get me this far.
Without further adieu:

1) The beginning- When starting nofap ask yourself why you're doing it in the first place and if the generic reasons come up that it makes you look more attractive or you can approach women better or something even a little more personal like im doing this for my job or any personal reason you're coming up with you are likely to relapse sooner or later, cause that streak will die down. After you get a little but of external validation you will feel rewarded due to which you're feel like going easy on yourself which will in turn cause a relapse and this relapse will cause you guilt which i can tell you is the worst form of pain ever. The guilt of knowing that you have failed the external counterparts will make you feel very low after the initial relapse. The flip side is always do it for YOURSELF, know that this is gonna benefit you the most. When you have that in mind even if you do relapse you will know that you slipped and you need time to get back on track.

2) Understand your emotions- Now this is the most important stage. While doing nofap especially when you hit 3-4 day streak of not relapsing you are going to feel a variety of emotions. Its common, the testosterone levels in you can make you feel all wired up so you might feel really positive which can make you careless and cause you to slip once again. Im gonna lay down the states you will feel here: bored, depressed and extremely horny. You might experience all these emotions one at a time or through the entire day. But what i really means is that the dopamine abused brain is trying to crave the addiction to get rid of your problems by forcing you to watch porn. This is how i have handled these states.
Boredom can be cured by simply picking up a book or watching something inspirational or talking to someone and the best way to cure it is stimulating yourself intellectually. Once the brain has something to feed on apart from porn you will no longer feel bored and start to experiment your new found curiosity in ways other than a unique sex position, like whats happening around the world, or the economy or music or religion or even your own hobbies but this will usually prevent a relapse.

Depression is one of the strongest causes of relapse as the dopamine withdrawal just forces you to go back to your screen and binge on porn. When in this state understand the cause of the emotion and go back to why you're feeling that way. The more you think the more answers are gonna come up. If you're upset cause of rejection then use this time to work on your social skills instead of working up your addiction. Build your confidence, practice assertiveness and more important give that curious mind of yours a reason why you're alive on this fucking planet and what you're set out here to do. We all go through problems and i can tell you that my depression last year almost wiped out my career cause of my brain fog. So understand it, dont fight it, your depression is telling you something and you should sit in a corner and think what mkes you upset and solve that problem. If you cant solve it start taking action and work towards it, your sub conscious will then know that you have hope in fixing this situation hence it will stop sending you negative emotions.

The sexual urge- Yes this should've been on the top but this is the least of my worries. Let me explain, when doing nofap you obviously stop masturbating, when you do that you have this cauldron of energy pent up in you like a damn volcano ready to erupt and the first sight of women will make you want to release that energy. But what happens when this pent up sex energy is transmuted to other areas of your life? Or what happens when this energy is used to do something that is stimulating both physically and mentally? You get an insane boost and ginormous results. All that energy when put in a workout makes you want to lift more or run more cause all that testosterone needs an outlet and what better way to do it than through a workout right! Sure if some of you cant go to a gym cause of money and time then just go for a run and see how strong, calm and focused you feel. That feeling according to me is euphoria. When you're so concentrated on something and you kinda get the result that you want only to keep you working on that for longer, until you finally get that thing, now that to me is what makes people quit an addiction. I realized by channeling all this excess energy into my workouts i felt my stamina and strength increased through which i could stay active the next day and finish my work on time. So whatever happens DO NOT replase when getting into this state. Oh and i also realized talking to people in this state will also help you dispel the excess energy and keep you on track.

So the key is, in these three states always stimulate yourself, yes you will have your downs or times where you might slack off from your path but do not use that as an excuse to replase.

3) Keep yourself motivated- Yes you should, like you dint know that already. I figured watching tony robins videos about your purpose in life and the 4 stages of certainty has helped me cross this barrier.
Remember guys, you are not alone. Porn addiction is as serious as any addiction and do not feel ashamed to admit that you're going through nofap to cleane yourself. Do it mainly for you so that you can start living life on your own terms. I wish i could've found this site back in 2011 when it was launched so that i could've enjoyed my teenage but i dint. Im lucky to have found it and so should you be. I will give another update next week, every sunday to state my progress so far.
Thank you