I have recently started to reboot in "hard mode" and managed to get to 16 days so far and I can confirm that there are indeed unexpected results.
I have started masturbating very early at the age of 14(between 3-4 times a week).At fist I only used imagination and images of attractive women that wore stored in my head.Later as I got more access to technology and internet I used the google search function for images with keywords such as "hot girl" etc.
Some time later I started to watch music videos of popular songs and many of them had attractive women in it and used them as my "material".This material slowly turned into "female dancing videos" on various sites or videos of females showcasing their physical "assets".Then ,at the age of 17-18 somehow I became attracted(cannot remember which cause triggered this,if any at all) to women dominating other women(scissoring and smothering specifically) and I think that at this time my addiction became really bad.
I was never attracted to any video featuring intercourse between man and woman(the only thing that ever turned me on was the beauty of women and later the fetish).
Now at the age 21 I decided to make a change for the better and managed to hard mode my way to 16 days.I feel more physical energy in general and especially at the gym(4 days each week,and even after an intense day of lifting I still got some energy for 15 minutes intensity cardio).Another effect is that I am no longer craving like I used to for the fetish I had(losing more interest in it as each day passes).However since it is summer,and I spend most of my time working out ,preparing for exams(which I previously failed during summer),and playing video games I cannot comment on the social aspect(I am shy and my social interaction abilities are not that good either).
As for the journey to the 16th day is something that I never managed to accomplish before(I was never able to self control like this).The first 4 days were the hardest(I was constantly thinking about relapsing and imagery) and what helped me the most was reading journals of people describing their hard mode journey and the panic button.After that it got easier since I was no longer constantly thinking about masturbation.However there were triggers,but I kept telling to myself that I am stronger than my urges and so managed to push through.
Today I tried to put myself through a test and played a game in which you can control a female character(triple A game from big company,I am not saying the name because I am afraid it may be considered as publicity,the game is about a woman shooting zombies in 3rd person view).After a 90 minutes session I was on the edge of relapsing,but then I though to myself that having energy for the gym is more important than a few minutes pleasure(with accent on pleasure).What really surprised me is that when I was about to give up ,my mind was not set on getting my phone in order to have visual support.Instead my mind was set on the feeling of pleasure of the act.This was very similar to what I was experiencing when I was first starting this habit,imagination being my only support.This was the very reason I was so ready to relapse because unlike when I was first starting this(urges for visual material of women and the fetish I mentioned above),I was no longer feeling the need for visual material(could this mean that I made advancements in my rebooting proccess ?).
This is the reason I decided to post and looking for advice right now.Is it okay in my circumstances to masturbate to the feeling and for the feeling of the act(would I lose the benefit of physical energy or could the fetish surface again?)?Or should I just continue to push through until I no longer feel the need.I do not feel a constant need for it,but when I see a trigger I suddenly get an urge which goes away by doing activities.Also I am about to have my exams soon and was I wondering if nofap may have any negative impact on my performance.I am able to learn and memorize things just like before(no difference) which means in my opinion there should be no problem.
I know there are 2 parts of this process :reboot and rewire.I have heard many people tell something like rebooting is useless or does not have effect if the person is not rewiring(socialising,hobbies etc).Does gym help with rewiring and if it does is it enough ?Is connecting with new people vital?
It is my first time posting and the introduction thread seemed fitting.I am very sorry and apologyse if this is the wrong thread for such discussion.
I have started masturbating very early at the age of 14(between 3-4 times a week).At fist I only used imagination and images of attractive women that wore stored in my head.Later as I got more access to technology and internet I used the google search function for images with keywords such as "hot girl" etc.
Some time later I started to watch music videos of popular songs and many of them had attractive women in it and used them as my "material".This material slowly turned into "female dancing videos" on various sites or videos of females showcasing their physical "assets".Then ,at the age of 17-18 somehow I became attracted(cannot remember which cause triggered this,if any at all) to women dominating other women(scissoring and smothering specifically) and I think that at this time my addiction became really bad.
I was never attracted to any video featuring intercourse between man and woman(the only thing that ever turned me on was the beauty of women and later the fetish).
Now at the age 21 I decided to make a change for the better and managed to hard mode my way to 16 days.I feel more physical energy in general and especially at the gym(4 days each week,and even after an intense day of lifting I still got some energy for 15 minutes intensity cardio).Another effect is that I am no longer craving like I used to for the fetish I had(losing more interest in it as each day passes).However since it is summer,and I spend most of my time working out ,preparing for exams(which I previously failed during summer),and playing video games I cannot comment on the social aspect(I am shy and my social interaction abilities are not that good either).
As for the journey to the 16th day is something that I never managed to accomplish before(I was never able to self control like this).The first 4 days were the hardest(I was constantly thinking about relapsing and imagery) and what helped me the most was reading journals of people describing their hard mode journey and the panic button.After that it got easier since I was no longer constantly thinking about masturbation.However there were triggers,but I kept telling to myself that I am stronger than my urges and so managed to push through.
Today I tried to put myself through a test and played a game in which you can control a female character(triple A game from big company,I am not saying the name because I am afraid it may be considered as publicity,the game is about a woman shooting zombies in 3rd person view).After a 90 minutes session I was on the edge of relapsing,but then I though to myself that having energy for the gym is more important than a few minutes pleasure(with accent on pleasure).What really surprised me is that when I was about to give up ,my mind was not set on getting my phone in order to have visual support.Instead my mind was set on the feeling of pleasure of the act.This was very similar to what I was experiencing when I was first starting this habit,imagination being my only support.This was the very reason I was so ready to relapse because unlike when I was first starting this(urges for visual material of women and the fetish I mentioned above),I was no longer feeling the need for visual material(could this mean that I made advancements in my rebooting proccess ?).
This is the reason I decided to post and looking for advice right now.Is it okay in my circumstances to masturbate to the feeling and for the feeling of the act(would I lose the benefit of physical energy or could the fetish surface again?)?Or should I just continue to push through until I no longer feel the need.I do not feel a constant need for it,but when I see a trigger I suddenly get an urge which goes away by doing activities.Also I am about to have my exams soon and was I wondering if nofap may have any negative impact on my performance.I am able to learn and memorize things just like before(no difference) which means in my opinion there should be no problem.
I know there are 2 parts of this process :reboot and rewire.I have heard many people tell something like rebooting is useless or does not have effect if the person is not rewiring(socialising,hobbies etc).Does gym help with rewiring and if it does is it enough ?Is connecting with new people vital?
It is my first time posting and the introduction thread seemed fitting.I am very sorry and apologyse if this is the wrong thread for such discussion.
