Can you defeat it? Yes you can!

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SLOWLYBUTSURELY

Member
BlueHeronFan said:
The quiet days are some of my favorite, honestly. Sometimes boredom can be triggering (porn offers an easy way out into something more "exciting"), but learning to live at a slower pace and to embrace the quiet moments can be a big step in recovery.

Keep it up!
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Yes. I'm learning to live at a slower pace these days. I've been reading a book to overcome social anxiety and one of the key lessons so far is that the chemical adrenaline in my body speeds me up and leads to a rush of negative emotions. So by slowing myself down and learning to live at a slower pace, I am controlling the level of adrenaline in my body and thereby the negative emotions.

Your comments are very motivating BlueHeronFan. Keep it coming :D

 
S

SLOWLYBUTSURELY

Member
Day 10:

I'm so happy I made it through the weekend without any relapse. Phew!

One thing I've noticed is that the strongest urges I feel are almost preceded by a feeling of negativity. Mostly due to lack of progress on my projects or a feeling of impending catastrophe when I show my work to my boss. It feels like porn offers a comforting break from these anxious thoughts.

Lately, I've started trying to stay anxiety free throughout the day. This is a lot of work. It requires me to constantly check on myself and repeat positive thoughts to stop me drifting away into anxiety. I still haven't had a completely anxiety free day yet but I'm working on it. I'm hoping that when I managed to reduce my anxiety to a low level, the frequency of my urges will reduce and finally disappear.

Come on Monday!
 
B

BlueHeronFan

Respected Member
SLOWLYBUTSURELY said:
Day 10:

I'm so happy I made it through the weekend without any relapse. Phew!

One thing I've noticed is that the strongest urges I feel are almost preceded by a feeling of negativity. Mostly due to lack of progress on my projects or a feeling of impending catastrophe when I show my work to my boss. It feels like porn offers a comforting break from these anxious thoughts.

Lately, I've started trying to stay anxiety free throughout the day. This is a lot of work. It requires me to constantly check on myself and repeat positive thoughts to stop me drifting away into anxiety. I still haven't had a completely anxiety free day yet but I'm working on it. I'm hoping that when I managed to reduce my anxiety to a low level, the frequency of my urges will reduce and finally disappear.

Come on Monday!
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Huge congrats on 10 days! That's awesome! And through a weekend, too. Weekends can be especially hard, so that's great.

It's also huge that you're noticing that negative feelings come before urges. That's exactly right. Addiction is a coping mechanism, a way to escape from negative feelings and pain. You'll get much further if you can focus on taking care of those things that cause negative feelings (if you deal with the anxiety first, you won't have as much of a reason to turn to porn for relief).

Use this knowledge and go take good care of yourself! Keep it up!

 
S

SLOWLYBUTSURELY

Member
Day 11:

Hectic day. I was surprisingly productive too without getting too stressed out. I finally heard back from the journal I'd submitted my paper to. I was dreading a rejection but they just want some revisions. A huge source of anxiety is now out of the way. Time to focus on staying stress-free and productive for the rest of the week.

Come on Day 12.
 
B

BlueHeronFan

Respected Member
Don't let it go to waste: retrace your steps, figure out what triggered it, make a plan for the next time.

Learning from relapses is a big part of the process. You're only failing if you give up.

Go get 'em tomorrow!
 
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