7 months of monk mode – Lessons learned

This "shit" takes time. Read, watch, listen, learn and take action… know your enemy. Seriously, NoFap is not only about abstinence, it's foremost about complete mind and body transformation. Remember, body is a temple of your mind and soul. Buddha once said: "To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear." And Napoleon vice versa: "The best cure for the body is a quiet mind."

Sleeping, eating well and exercising every day are the ways to address the body part of equation.

Being open minded and willing to constantly learn no matter the age is the best warranty your mind has to become and stay sharp and calm.

Meditating/praying, practicing kindness to people, while staying humble and grateful for all the things present in our lives, is the way to fill the void in our souls. Take nothing for granted. Be grateful even for the seemingly bad things you've experienced. Stop running away from painful emotions. Pain is the best teacher, don't try to skip it's class, listen and learn. When pain is strong enough, it will force you to step out of your comfort zone and change. Learn to truly like yourself. The only person you're stuck with for life is the person you're seeing in the mirror, so you better start taking good care of him.

You need to figure out what forces you to PMO uncontrollably and address the problem. There's nothing wrong in seeking professional help, if you can't figure out what the underlying issue is on your own.

Some thoughts to everyone at the start of the NoFap journey. "A rising tide lifts all boats", a very important amphorism. If you improve one part, other parts will follow. So what's the easiest part of equation to address in the first months of recovery, when you'll unavoidably go through very difficult period of your life? I'd advise you to start with the body part. Only sleeping, eating well and exercising daily (start small and build up slowly) seems like an easy thing to do, but trust me, it isn't, especially if you have unhealthy life habits to begin with. Once you've adopted healthy body part routine, you can gradually add small bits of mind/soul/underlying issue piece of the puzzle. The important thing is not to try implementing too much at once. Overwhelming yourself with too many tasks will only lead to cycle of fails, disappointment and lost self-esteem. The trick is to progress slowly, but consistently. Consistency is the key that unlocks door to progress. Don't be harsh on yourself. We're only humans, all perfectly imperfect. Be patient, progress will come as long as you keep trying.

With all that being said, I'm still very much a work in progress, so take my words with a grain of sail. Still, I hope this post helps someone who is deciding whether to start NoFap journey or not. I won't lie to you, road to recovery is bloody hard, but totally worth the effort.

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