The Lord of the Rings Challenge

Should the Thread Title be extended?

  • No, leave like that: "The Lord of the Rings Challenge"

    Votes: 18 54.5%
  • Yes. "The Lord of the Rings Challenge: The Fellowship of Nofap"

    Votes: 15 45.5%
  • Yes. "The Lord of the Rings Challenge: Rising Fellowship of Eärendil"

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Yes. "The Lord of the Rings Challenge: The Journey to Mount Doom"

    Votes: 5 15.2%
  • Yes. "The Lord of the Rings Challenge: The Quest of the Ring-bearer"

    Votes: 6 18.2%

  • Total voters
    33
  • Poll closed .
13 days
Can't complain. I mean, I am probably heavily triggered but I don't know how to remove the trigger. I usually just endure it for several days or weeks and eventually relapse when the urges get too strong.
I hear you man. You can’t let what’s happened in the past decide what happens now, you almost sound defeated already like a relapse is inevitable. Try to step outside your thoughts, and realise that the trigger is just a thought, but it is not ‘you’ and ‘you’ are in control. I too am triggered and fighting 20-30 triggers every day from people I see, adverts/TV - so I am having this internal conversation with myself constantly. Try to stay positive brother
 
End of day 3

I am back. I care for myself again more than this challenge seems a burden. I don't want to associate my sexual desire with the screen and I also feel that porn has a huge influence on my relationship with my wife. I did not feel the later before my latest fall and never felt it in the entire period of our relationship. I hope this will be enough of motivation to not leave this group until I've long defeated this addiction.

Porn will be robbing you of full relationships with everyone in your life as it will be pulling at your attention, dominating your desires, and affecting how you can focus and enjoy what’s real. You are right it will be affecting your relationship with your wife and how you view all women. I personally am fighting my subconscious view that all women are a potential conquest, and an object of lust. This is warped thinking I try to beat, caused by over exposure to porn, built up over decades. I am going to practice practice practice thinking differently, and change my perceptions….and so will you
 
Day 17

I almost slipped on one of my P email messages. Managed to look away on my peripheral. Wow I hate that sometimes. It happened more than once in this journey. I made it and there were other things as well I will say later if I remember. I want to say to others thing about certain people for advice but I will save it for later once my streak is up to a certain degree.

@Baki Hanma As he said earlier about a question to ARCEUS, I would say I am a night person. Meaning at night time when no one is around, for some reason I feel more focused. But for some others, it is dangerous area because there is plenty of time to PMO. For me, it depends but not really because I am thinking of other things. I feel I can study/work at night time better especially at home. It's quiet and I can do what I need to do as far as reading and other things goes.

So I guess there are few Elfs rank over here. No ones keeps up with the ranks I here I guess. Like it matters because I am keeping myself accountable while others are here as well. One Elf rank has recently fallen @ARCEUS sorry for the recent relapse bro.
I am still plugging away and doing whatever I can every day. Gym soon or later. Reading of course around certain sections here in the forums and such.

Day 433 starting a food business
Congrats on starting your food business!

Day 4 complete!

I hope I didn't scare anyone by making such a gloomy post and then disappearing for a few days. I've been on an evangelization trip and I didn't have the time or a convenient way to check the forums. Those three days were a great way to kickstart my new streak, though, and I've continued that today even though there were several temptations to peek. I'm back home visiting my family for a few days, and I have had many falls under this roof. Time to begin the work of balancing that out with some good days!

St. Monica, pray for us!
Nope it didn't scare me. Just pity from my end. Good to hear you took time off to take that advantage. Stay strong because I'm also struggling a bit here as well.

On the journey with the Fellowship to Mount Doom.

Keep on going Fellowship!
32198671.gif
 
Last edited:
Brother, I have little question for you. Are you a morning person or Night person? . Morning person can do their work easily with more focus in early in the morning . But Night person can only perform well at night. I am Night person. Another thing is please watch below video. It is very helpful to you.
I am a morning person but I study from 10am to 3am. But there's reason why I study this much.
If there is 100 ton pressure in my head due to my pending tasks right now, its 99.9ton created by me by making decision to leave local coaching class for acquiring needed content quality for JEE. Plan is successful but pending syllabus due to that coaching is very much, and many more
 
Day 17

I almost slipped on one of my P email messages. Managed to look away on my peripheral. Wow I hate that sometimes. It happened more than once in this journey. I made it and there were other things as well I will. I want to say others thing about certain people for advice but I will save it for later once my streak is up to a certain degree.

@Baki Hanma As he said earlier about a question to ARCEUS, I would say I am a night person. Meaning at night time when no one is around, for some reason I feel more focused. But for some others, it is dangerous area because there is plenty of time to PMO. For me, it depends but not really because I am thinking of other things. I feel I can study/work at night time especially at home. It's quiet and I can do what I need to do as far as reading and other things goes.

So I guess there are few Elfs rank over here. No ones keeps up with the ranks I here I guess. Like it matters because I am keeping myself accountable while others are here as well. One Elf rank has recently fallen @ARCEUS sorry for the recent relapse bro.
I am still plugging away and doing whatever I can every day. Gym soon or later. Reading of course around certain sections here in the forums and such.


Congrats on starting your food business!


Nope it didn't scare me. Just pity from my end. Good to hear you took time off to take that advantage. Stay strong because I'm also struggling a bit here as well.

On the journey with the Fellowship to Mount Doom.

Keep on going Fellowship!
32198671.gif
Oh thanks for reminding me, I changed my signature now :)
 
Day 4: A brave friend, Tom Bombadil, takes notice of your quest. He teaches you a rhyme to summon him if you fall into danger within his borders.

Less busy today. Work, school, and I'm having a party tonight. Normally I'd drink 2-3 times a week (binge) and since alcohol had such negative effects on me (anxiety, bad sleep, less productive, etc.), I began to drink much less. Now I drink maybe once in two weeks. For me drinking has become a social occasion, and drinking less has made me feel much better.
 
Checking in Fellowship Friends!

93 Days Free of PMO.

I'm feeling calm still, which is really a nice change of pace. I'm tackling more stressful situations at work and managing quite well. I'm still skeptical though, as I know that PAWs type withdrawal can appear suddenly and last a few days, but for now I'm enjoying myself. I'm improving my overall organization.

Regarding urges, well, the last 2 days in the morning I had some "real life" flashbacks with an inkling of "erotic" tendency but nothing that I would cave into.

A few chores for today, rest , meditation and work.

Stay Strong!

@CALM IN SUFFERING Welcome back brother!
 
Last edited:
I am a morning person but I study from 10am to 3am. But there's reason why I study this much.
If there is 100 ton pressure in my head due to my pending tasks right now, its 99.9ton created by me by making decision to leave local coaching class for acquiring needed content quality for JEE. Plan is successful but pending syllabus due to that coaching is very much, and many more
Oh...I'm sorry, I don't know you are preparing for JEE exam. I haven't faced JEE exam But I Know It is the hardest exam than others. If you know brother or sister or anyone who got some high marks in JEE , you can get some advices from them. Because their advices are better than ours. :emoji_heart:
 
Porn will be robbing you of full relationships with everyone in your life as it will be pulling at your attention, dominating your desires, and affecting how you can focus and enjoy what’s real. You are right it will be affecting your relationship with your wife and how you view all women. I personally am fighting my subconscious view that all women are a potential conquest, and an object of lust. This is warped thinking I try to beat, caused by over exposure to porn, built up over decades. I am going to practice practice practice thinking differently, and change my perceptions….and so will you
It's not only porn that does that. I think it's also part of our nature.
 
It's not only porn that does that. I think it's also part of our nature.
Yes our nature is to be attracted to the opposite sex (if you are heterosexual) - it’s an evolutionary response. The same way we get hungry, respond to threats. There’s a hardwired system inside us to survive and reproduce.

the problem is that porn totally overwhelms and screws with those natural instincts. Our brains have not evolved to view so many different partners and such explicit images so quickly and easily. So it hijacks our responses.

same is with fatty, salty sugary foods…. We’re not evolved to eat that, so when we get those fries out McDonalds our brains go ‘dig in man, this is the bounty of a lifetime!!!’ Even though we can get it really easy.
 
Yes our nature is to be attracted to the opposite sex (if you are heterosexual) - it’s an evolutionary response. The same way we get hungry, respond to threats. There’s a hardwired system inside us to survive and reproduce.

the problem is that porn totally overwhelms and screws with those natural instincts. Our brains have not evolved to view so many different partners and such explicit images so quickly and easily. So it hijacks our responses.

same is with fatty, salty sugary foods…. We’re not evolved to eat that, so when we get those fries out McDonalds our brains go ‘dig in man, this is the bounty of a lifetime!!!’ Even though we can get it really easy.
And don’t take my word it, it’s in the ‘your brain on porn’ book and videos/lectures. Interesting stuff
 
Day 10 as a hobbit
and 6/60 of dopamine fasting

I think it was a good idea to just start my dopamine fasting and continuing to do it for the planned time frame of 60 days, even if I don't meet all the criteria on every day. Also it's a little miracle that I'm performing so well since the first day. But had I reset because some minor mistakes it would have totally destroyed the progess and flow of this, I'm sure.
Why miracle? Because most of the things that are part of my dopamine fasting I did before already. Actually I use a spreadsheet for these do's and dont's since long, but I couldn't get very far with most of it before I started this 60 day dopamine fasting. For example exercise: I had totally stopped doing it, but now I'm streaking with it and I prioritize it highly.
Actually today is the first day I failed to continue the streak but the reason is that I nearly had no time for it. Actually now I would have time, I could do it instead of writing here. But well, I decided to take my time for the forum.

It's difficult for me to refrain from the forum. Although I would like to go some days without it. It helps me with my recovery and all, but I think overusing it doesn't make me recover faster or safer but just takes away my time and focus. And I have similar problems with other things. I want to manage my time much differently than now.

The issue that made me log in a second time today is with cravings and the fear of pending relapse. I already made a post about that in my Journal and after writing it I had many good ideas. I think I'm close to overcome the said issue but I also feel still the danger. Right now I don't even feel the urges but I have the impression that it still is with me or that I simply discovered a weakness, an openess that might be exploited by pmo forces soon.
However, I also had this important insight, that overanalyzing it won't help me and that it's my duty to "go the steps" even if I'm not 100% commited all the time. What could really help me out here is postponing the "deed". Not pretending to be super commited and all that but saying to myself that I could give in to this or that craving LATER, in this way postponing it, until becoming strong enough or until the urge simply vanishes (this is a common technique).

Of course this is kind of double-think. I mean, my true wish IS not to relapse BUT to quit and I know already about the impossibility of consuming "just a little" and a little more self-talk should be enough to make it logically impossible for me, to want relapse any longer.
Yes, I know, that I need to win the next battle to win the whole war. (One battle alone isn't so big, but the problem is the mindset that let let you loose the battle at hand. One day you need to truely adapt a now-or-never all-or-nothing mindset or you'll simply loose so many battle that you never can win the war).
So actually logic and talking to myself should get me to the point where I have to say with certainty (not just pretending) that relapse is simply out of the question.

However, a craving is a craving. I prefer to be completely honest and admit: I'm tempted. I'm tempted to leave the path, just ignore reason and spend some useless hours chasing the dragon.

I don't even know if I'm talking about a past craving (kinda keeping it alive) or if this fucker really still haunts me .. now and still tomorrow. For sure I'm rather craving porn games these days than clips. And it's also clear that there will be days ahead where the condition won't be ideal, where relapse might come after some bad decisions in a dangerous setting.
But even if it's not the craving that made me ponder so much - the next tricky craving will come soon enough.
So I'm thinking: is this a general issue that I'm facing right now? Is this my challenge now, my stepping stone to the next level of my reboot?!?

Yes! This is the underlying truth. I'm suddenly in this limbo: I had urges and fantasied way too much, I felt somewhat the echo of it, I feel tempted to have a pmo session again, I want to solve this problem and continue my reboot, I'm trying to talk my way out of it, but I'm also wondering if I'm overstating things, if I construe a problem for myself and I actually don't want to deal with this shit, it stresses me out and I don't want to focus so much on my recovery - I have better things to do!

It's clear: it will appear as if acting out won't be so much worse than all the other things I waste my time with. But it WILL TURN OUT that I act out much longer, much heavier than anticipated and that I cross the line of pleasure, so that even during the pmo session, I'll get lost in some kind of numbed pain which will turn to true pain afterwards. I'll be quite surprised, quite disappointed BUT THE WORST OF ALL will be, that I won't have learned the lesson, didn't win the challenge.
I can't afford that. I don't say it will be my very last chance and that I've run out of chances and that there's not another approach that I can go. BUT this may be my ultimate chance. It may be decisive. In retrospective this could be either the initial of a series of fuck-ups or the the mentioned stepping stone in my recovery. This could mean either another lost decade or a breakthrough with stacking positive effects that lead to things that are so unforseeable, so unexpected now ... just utopia.
It could decide if I find the woman of my future life ...
 
Back
Top