Tips for fapstronaut who find themselves looking at porn
A few minutes ago, I found myself on a porn website.
I instinctively opened a private browsing window and typed the letters of the same porn videos hoster on which I spent countless hours before NoFap. I opened all interesting videos in new tabs, like I used to do. I felt like a volcano about to explode. I placed my pointer on the play button.
Then I regained my senses. Lucidity came back to me and I quickly stopped.
Here are the steps that you should follow if you find yourself in this situation.
- Realize that you are looking at porn. That may sound weird, but when it is instinctive, sometimes you realize it when it’s too late, just like people who bite their nails don’t notice it anymore.
- Immediately quit the browser. If you think you will be able to watch “just a few seconds”, you are mistaken.
- Stand up and get away from the computer. Being idle in front of your screen will not help you change your mind. Exercize, walk around, call a friend, grab a book. Don’t take a shower, it might lead to MOing.
- Think about what crossed your mind. When you feel the urge is gone, take a few minutes to think about why you opened porn, and what lead to it. If you can identify triggers, set up a way to avoid them later on.
- Punish yourself. This might not be necessary, but it helps for me. When you get in a moment of weakness, force yourself to do something moderately useful you don’t like (clean your room, do push-ups until you cannot lift yourself anymore, no dessert, no reddit tonight). Through simple behaviorism mechanisms, you will associate porn with boring tasks and it will decrease your desire to look at it. Don’t choose important things to do as punishment, because you shouldn’t associate “browsing porn” with “achieving essential work”.
And remember, when you’re about to relapse and can’t take it anymore, you can always come on NoFap. Fellow fapstronauts are willing to help.
Edit: Basic grammar. I’m not a native English-speaker.
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