Holy crap. I just noticed the birthday cake. It’s been one year since I created this account. Wow! Hey everyone. It’s been a long journey.
So, I am going to break it into 4 parts: My journey, how nofap has helped me, my tips on beating this addiction and a final note. Sorry for the wall of text.
My Journey: I started PMO because of depression. My reasoning was “Oh, just do it once to know what if feels like. Just once and after that the itch will be gone”. Well it wasn’t and I was hooked. Afterwards, I noticed that there was this fog over my mind, that I was not thinking clearly, and that my emotions were a roller coaster causing me to snap at all the people I care about. I looked up how to beat this addiction and found this sub-reddit and the TedX talk. So far, I’ve been on nofap for about 2 years. In these two years that I struggled with nofap, have really shed light on this new drug that has taken over our lives. At first, I could not even get past 3 days! I would pray that I could beat this addiction, but it was stronger than I had ever realized. Slowly, I got to 1 week before relapsing. And that’s when I found meditation (more on this later) which helped me reach 30 days. 1 1/2 years passed and I was ready to quit because I was so frustrated with my failures. But each time I would tell me myself that quitting was the ultimate failure and that only I would lose by quitting.
So, what pushed me to 60 days and then eventually 90? Through meditation I started noticing a trend where after 1 week of nofap, I would fall into depressive/emotional state where living was a burden. I believe we call this the “flatlining”.
So that was the last straw. PMO was causing this spiraling depression because it wanted me to be its slave forever (I guess it was a withdrawal symptom). I kept telling myself in those depressed moments that it was PMO talking and to push through. I did and could not have done it without the support of God, you guys, and myself. Though this journey for a better self is long from over.
How NoFap has helped me: The main reason I started NoFap was to mend my relationship with God and stop objectifying women. I can happily say that I feel that same spirituality and connection as a I did before PMO and that I can look at women as human beings and not objects.
Also, this overwhelming despair I used to feel is not as strong. Though, it came back around week 8 of NoFap stronger then ever, but I was able to put it off as a withdrawal symptom and overcome it.
A few more things. I am able to make eye contact and my social anxiety is nearly absent. However, I am still working on my anger and emotional issues because it is far more deep rooted. I believe nofap was just a way for me to get away from it but I am now manning up and facing it like I was supposed to all along. Anyways, I want to say that girls are noticing me more, but I think I am just noticing them looking at me more now that I am more aware and the brain fog is nearly gone. Either way its pretty awesome.
Tips: Pro tip #1:You can’t just take out PMO. You have to substitute it because it will just leave a gaping hole where you use to spend all your time.Here are a few suggestions.
Meditate. I can’t recommend this enough. I know meditation has given me better control of my thoughts which has given me better control of my actions.Though I have to warn you that some meditation techniques have led me to strange nightmares. So, I suggest sticking to simple breathing techniques.
Workout/exercise releases endorphin into your system. Our bodies weren’t made to sit down all the time. Plus it is a great way to focus on your anger and release all your frustrations. It helped me to join my local muay thai gym because I couldn’t do it on my own and I learned a new skill along the way.
Write a journal to keep record of what is bothering you and how you feel on certain subjects. Only when I am writing do I realize what has been bothering me all day.
Never quit. Especially after those relapses. Know that as long as you keep fighting, you are winning. And that you have it in you to beat anything.
Final Note: Its been such a long time that sometimes I don’t remember what nofap did for me. But that is when I go back to my journal and realize that I just have gotten used to all the benefits of nofap. I have to keep reminding myself so I don’t stray again.
Thanks for reading guys. It means a lot. I still have a long way to go and will be lurking for the extra boost haha.
I thank God for everything he has given me in good times and bad.
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