I think to myself "NO, I don't do that anymore this doesn't define me." and try to distance myself from the source. Your thought pattern reinforces your decision to stop searching for it.
That has to be your personal decision. For me I decided to stop all PMO so I can reboot more efficiently. If you do choose to continue M then I think you will have a harder time quitting P since they are so closely associated.
I actually knew that but just wanting to hear someone else confirm it. The worry is a lot of guys on this think masturbation is as bad as porn. But for some reason also stopping M seems to speed up the recovery for some reason. Do you know why this is?
My understanding of it is that since M releases a considerable amount of dopamine in itself it's amplified when you add P and the brain associates the two together. If you eliminate just one it's good, but there are still some existing neurological pathways in place connecting the two. I think that cutting off both helps reset those pathways faster and more effectively. I'm not a scientist but that's my take on it from what I've read. You could look up some of the scientific studies to learn more.
Thanks very much man. Yeah I do think that even masturbation without porn does seem to be slowing the recovery down. But surely if someone is so horny that they can't take it anymore they are much better masturbating without porn.
My suggestion is to start some hobbies man and when the urge hits literally get up and walk away from the internet and remind yourself of how you'll feel after if you decide to throw things out the window. It's really important to think about how you'll feel afterwards if you watch porn and m. Remind yourself about why you're doing this!
Have you considered “covenant eyes” software? It sends all your browsing history to someone, like an accountability partner.
I’ve never heard of covenant eyes, but thats a great idea. I was just thinking about something similar myself
Yeah, pretty much. Whenever I relapse, I go through a process that takes me to a point of feeling gross and disgusted with myself and all that shit, and then I lose the desire to look at it or PMO. Just got to remind myself of that gross feeling to keep myself from relapsing in the first place. haha.
Install an app on your phone which is blocking pornographical content. If the urge hits you then do a cold shower or meditate