Hey guys, So I've currently hit some bad times and am going through trying hard to keep away from PMO. Problem is I've hit that PMO dopamine rush so many times over the past 6 months that its hard to even go a week without it. I've got a lot of stuff to do in regards to school and work; but the stress of it even in small amounts gets to me and I end up relapsing after 3-4 days. I used to be able to go up to 2-3 months without relapsing before. Maybe its my new environment in grad school with not so many people around. Its getting hard to make friends and socialize with the increased workload. I go to the gym, and I try to swim and go for a jog once in a while. I catch up with friends maybe twice a month. Any ideas what I could do to prevent myself relapsing in such a short time? Its really affecting my work and I cant seem to concentrate. I'm sure if I can at least get 3 weeks of nofap in me I can manage after that.
It's more a mental hurdle you need to turn rather than what you're physically doing. I honestly believe hobbies to replace PMO are highly overrated. Self-improvement is massively important, of course, and I implore you to explore productive hobbies; but at the end of the day you need to want to quit bad enough to endure the short-term pain of PMO cravings. Right now you'd rather PMO than improve your life. That's what any relapse means, and until you care enough, things won't improve.
Yeah I see what you mean. Problem is its causing a sort of catch 22. I got to a point where I didn't care anymore, and I just resorted to PMO full time to escape everything around me. After many years of control. And it just numbs you completely. I don't feel any pleasure or satisfaction from even the most enjoyable things in my life like I did before. It's going to be hard, but I have to put myself in the mindset that PMO is bad. I just forgot how much damage it can cause and let loose with it this past year. Thanks a lot Chef Boy
Some hobbies are a good thing but not to the point where its a distraction or you are so busy you just don't have time to PMO anymore. Ride out the rough times. Come on here and talk about it. Share it with people.
Find your purpose, find what you really want to do in life and replace it with that. You will get lost so much that PMO will not even matter.
