Shifting your mindset

I've recently relapsed after nearly 30 days. My highest reached was almost 3 months. I can say one of the biggest things that I've come to realize in overcoming this PMO cycle for myself is really shifting my mind to something better and interrupting the habit cycle. If I am to overcome this habit then I need to reintroduce new habits. I've recently read three books, which I would highly recommend. The first one is called "The Willpower Instinct" by Kelly McGonigal. She outlines how the human brain works in a very practical way. Our brains are designed to be efficient so it works to create habits and these habits are created through routines. She further explains that we also have cues, which lead to routine, much like Pavlov's dog.

I soon realized I was following a set of cues and routines, which somehow led me back to my addiction. I recently took a road trip to Washington DC to look for a job. For nearly 30 days I didn't have one desire to PMO. Not ONE. I soon came back home and quickly relapsed about a week after returning home. I then recognized I was falling into the cues and routine cycle again. My room is the place where I PMO most of the time. Further, I work from my house, which makes it WAY harder for me to quit and that's also why I'm currently trying to find a new job. But my room is a cue, sitting at my desk (in my room) is a routine, then all of a sudden I'm fapping again. What?? If I was an alcoholic then my room is the bar. My brain is triggered by the familiar environment and bam my mind is on auto pilot. So I'm learning quickly I really need to change my environment, along with my routine in order to be successful. Creating a healthy routine can shift my mindset to something better. It's like the famous saying, "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". If I want different results then I need to do different things.

The other two books I also highly recommend are called "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg and "The Upward Spiral by Alex Korb PhD. The Upward Spiral has been really helpful in outlining healthy ways to overcome depression and anxiety, which has kept me in my PMO cycle for so long as well. He gives some basic and simple solutions to overcoming downward spirals in our lives. Some include, exercising, balanced sleep schedule, healthy diet, gratitude and social interaction. They aren't ground breaking solutions but things that are healthy basic habits for our minds and bodies. So my hope is to intertwine more of these healthy routines so I can interrupt this negative routine and cycle I'm stuck in. Sitting in my room only leads to bad things for me. I don't want this crap in my life, so I'm determined to work harder to curb this bad habit once and for all. I don't want PMO to be an option! I don't even want to have to think twice about it. This is why I'm going to shift my mindset by having greater things to look forward to in my life.

Plus I WANT TO BE A REAL MAN. REAL MEN DON'T FAP. REAL MEN BUILD THEIR DREAMS! REAL MEN DON'T HAVE TIME TO PMO. REAL MEN TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THEIR LIVES! LET'S BE REAL MEN.