So cutting out porn, and cutting down on gaming and internet use has left me with heaps of free time that I don't know what to do with. I'm quite prone to relapsing out of boredom, so I'm looking to find some new habits/activities/hobbies to do. What activities/habits did you guys pick up and are there any which you recommend? Thanks, Ginza
Learn something new.Hold a guitar n come out to enjoy the weather rather being a couch potato.Do gardening or Yoga.No matter what you do but do it with full of zeal and feel like getting accomplished.You won't find a moment to spare if you would try all the other things those you always wanted to do but never been able to do.And never deviate from the path you are meant to be followed. God bless.
The only new hobby that I've picked up after starting NoFap is "Meditation" . Here's my list : * Softball (Or Baseball) & Basketball ( I will soon go back to boxing too) * Producing Music * Gym * Reading * Meditation
Focuse on bettering yourself, get more knowledge, improve your social life and your life in general. Basicly start doing more productive things with your time.
@Purps is 100% correct. One of the main reasons people relapse after comitting to go porn free is that they fill their time with "activities", instead of filling their time with an intentional focus on "becoming a better, more mature, and charactered person." There are underlying reasons why we all chose to start looking at porn, and though the reasons vary for each of us, they all have one thing in common. We chose the porn because of a defect in our character, and because we have not been in the (HABIT) of spending regular time maturing our character. If you choose to fill your time with hobbies as a primary approach to porn abstinence, you will relapse. I have never talked to anyone who has remained free with this approach. On the other hand, if you want to go porn free long term, with permanence, then you need to develop yourself into the type of person that chooses not to look at porn. Personally, I spend every single day investing in developing my character. I typically spend around 90 minutes every morning as the first things I do after I wake up. You do not have to spend that much time, as that is up to you. Here is the plan that I use Errrrryday: http://www.miraclemorning.com/
exercise, go for a walk, go on a bus ride, go to the mall, library, explore areas of your town or city, get involved with activities or events. At home, read, listen to a new album, meditate for long period of time, add a new cooking recipe to your arsenal. Really it's up to you and your preferences but do something because procrastination will set in and before you know it, you're back in the cycle of PMO
Hey guys, thanks for the responses! I'm trying to go out more and hang out with friends more often now, I've already made plans with people for the next 2 weeks I'm looking into picking up cooking and programming as some activities for things which I want to learn as well, so hopefully they turn out ok. I'll have to put my cooking skills to test in a few weeks time, so I'll be needing to improve them now.
I think it is really important if you want to be free of any addiction permanently to break the brain washing that we have all be subject to. The pornography industry has spent millions on marketing and advertising campaigns to trick us into believing that pornography is a normal thing to look at and is positive sexually. I look up many ted talks based on scientific research to learn the reality of what pornography does to the brain and society I have posted some in this thread: helpful videos to fight porn addiction as well as reading books that explore the science behind porn addiction such as The porn myth and Your brain on Porn. This goes into what @Resolved Oregonian is talking about maturing our character. We have to educate ourselves about the reality of pornography and the detrimental effect it has on our brains, bodies, sexuality and society.
This is huge, and there are two elements to it. You will need to find something to occupy your mind. Keep in mind that a lot of porn consumption is about obliterating your consciousness. You will need to find some kind of discipline by which you can keep your mind from 'self-destructing'. And it is not your mind that takes pleasure in porn [it is fighting against it], but your passions. So the other element to this is to find some activity in which your passion can take pleasure in. It can be any one of a myriad of things, such as reading, biking, walking in parks, drawing, writing etc. The point of this is more than intellectual stimulation... it should be aesthetic. Also, practice impulse control; you want to go on-line, wait, watch a movie or read a book for an hour, only then allow yourself to go on-line. This builds resiliency.
Only if there was a way to borrow free time from others I would want to add some more time to my day.
I have quite the list: Guitar - getting to pro/jazz improv level Music production FX trading - practicing on a trading simulator Tantra exercises I have so much I can be doing but I still spend a lot of time thinking about sex and wanting to fap. It's still clouding my time and productivity so much that I'm just sitting with it and allowing myself to feel the urges and whatever's underneath. I've read that addiction is a way of coping with anxiety that we all experience and a deep feeling of unfulfilment that goes with not being free to just be and follow our passions. Instead we have to study and get jobs and go and sit in offices looking at spreadsheets, juggling balls and putting our time and energy into getting by and being 'successful'. I seem to be spending a lot of time just feeling this and allowing urges to come and go while just sitting with them. I'm looking forward to being able to redirect my energy into building a life where I can trade the markets, make music and help others live their musical purpose as well.
