What you give is what you get (I went 580 days. Relapsed. Finally back on track.

Emptyroom

Active Member
Goal 1. 50% completed today. Meditated once for 15 minutes. That is pretty good though!
Goal 2. Managed to go up at 7 AM and stay up! Finally! I splashed water in my face as soon as I got up! I think that helped! That and going to bed early. I hope that It works again tomorrow!
Goal 3. I think I worked on the assignment for at least 30 minutes. But that is a good start!
Goal 4. Goal 100% completed! I made the dish again! Now I have portions for the entire week!

I am going to bed early again. It is already 21:55 But I will give myself some more time before sleep. I will shut the lights at 22.15 today so I can take a cup of something hot before sleep.

This was a good Monday!
I studied and I think I learned some things. I also spent some time going to a small concert with two of my friends. I didn't enjoy the music much even though it was good. I didn't MO. I looked at some women though. I can't do that. I am not stressed about my studies right now. I would like to appreciate that more. I have a small feeling of Disappointment about today but I shouldn't feel that because I did so much good work. I tried my best to make it a productive day and I should feel great about it!

I wish you all well!
Josef
 
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Emptyroom

Active Member
Day 111.

Goal 1 (meditation): It went great today! I meditated for about 15 minutes twice!
Goal 2 (getting up at 7 AM): Went perfectly went up at 7 and I didn't go back to bed, I was a little more tired in the morning. I studied in the morning which felt good.
Goal 3 (one hour of working on an assignment) Daily goal completed! I worked on my assignment for 1 hour!

This is the first day where I manage to complete all my daily goals! Success!

I went to my judo-practice today. The last one before Christmas. Judo gives me something but I am getting a little tired of it. Everyone is getting better and I am not really improving as much. This is because I'm only there one day of the week while most people are there three times a week. I am doing other stuff during those days and I am not really interested in climbing the ladder and competing. I'm thinking about getting a gym-card instead. In either case I have to pay a fee.

I looked at some women but I managed to be aware and look away quickly! It was an improvement from yesterday!
It felt a lot more giving to meditate today. I feel thankful for that!
Another great day of great work!

If Canguro reads this, I hope that you are doing better!
Take care everyone!

/Josef
 
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Emptyroom

Active Member
It is late at night. I just spend an hour watching borderline almost P material on YT. audio stuff, but some of it was visual and I MO:d. I don't feel bad about it but I feel that it was a mistake. This can not be repeated. This is a reminder to never become too complacent and relaxed. Everything was going so well but the only thing that really matters in the end is what you do when the urge/though comes. This time I made the wrong choice and because of it I might not be able to wake up at 7 AM tomorrow. I don't feel like my good day was ruined. That would be counterproductive. It didn't destroy the good things that I did yesterday. It was a bad thing among many good things. I just have to forget it and move on. I might block Youtube on my computer. I have to watch out for the chaser-effect and be extra careful tomorrow and the day after that.
/Josef
 

Emptyroom

Active Member
Day 112.

Goal 1: Completed! Meditated twice. About 15 minutes each time.
Goal 2: Completed! I managed to get up at 7 AM! I was quite tired but I managed to stay away from my bed! I splashed my face with water and then I took a shower.
Goal 3: Completed! I did a lot more than an hour of work on my assignment!
I also went and bought more stamps and Christmas-cards which was a goal that I didn't write down. I got a compliment from the girl in the bookstore about my scarf. Maybe I should have asked her out. Then again maybe not.
I was thinking about buying a pizza but I resisted that urge with the help of a friend! I am a bit low on cash at the moment.
I was planning to read two articles that I need to read today but I didn't have time but I will have time to read those tomorrow.
Hopefully I learned enough not to repeat what happened last night.

Thanks for reading!
/Josef
 

Emptyroom

Active Member
Well I repeated what I did last night. What can I do now? Well I have to think of it as a small phase of this journey. I tried to resist but It didn't work. I didn't put up enough of a fight. More importantly, I didn't plan enough ahead. I said that I would block Youtube but I didn't do it. Youtube has been in my life for so long now so watching Youtube when I am home has become like second nature to me but when I think about it, I can live without it and I will do that. It really is a time-waster anyway. Maybe that is what I enjoy about it but I am beginning to value my time more and more and today I am just wasting my time on that site. When I am ready I will use that site productively. Today I will block Youtube and my new goal is not to watch videos on any site for the rest of this week (short goal). I will prepare myself more to resist doing what I did again tomorrow night and blocking Youtube will help me here. I don't feel bad about having made this mistake twice in a row. It feels like a stimulating challenge to fix the situation. I will have a sort of thought-plan if thoughts about doing this again comes to me. I will try to do maths in my head if I notice a bad thought. If this doesn't work I will try singing a song for myself. I will expect trouble tomorrow night.
I finished all my goals during the day and that is wonderful. I must remain positive and that is not hard to do at the moment.
It is 1 AM. I really hope that I can get up at 7 AM tomorrow. I will do my very best.
May you have peace!
/Josef
 
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Phineas 808

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Hi, Josef. I can relate to Youtube being a potential distraction..., and yet a form of (needed) entertainment. I would suggest as an alternative to blocking, to try and set a timer. And, if you're faithful to the timer, that could also build confidence in your ability to stick to your goals and plans.

Be well.
 

Emptyroom

Active Member
Day 113 (16/12)

Goal 1: Completed! I did the minimum amount of meditation required today: 5 minutes two times (10 minutes). That's good!
Goal 2: Completed. I managed to get up at 7 AM even though I was up quite late the day yesterday. It helped to splash cold water in my face and then I took a shower that I started cold.
Goal 3: I did not complete this goal today. I read articles from 8.00 to 9:30. Then I had a seminar until 12.00 and then I read and made lunch and read some more until about 16.00. I was going to do more work but I felt tired and I decided to take a nap for about 30 minutes but I ended up sleeping for two and a half hours! I was supposed to meet friends at the time I woke up so I hurried away to meet them. I got home about 11:30 PM so I didn't work on my assignment today. I was not in working condition when I woke up from my sleep. It is okay though because most of my fellow students haven't even started with their assignments yet. I'm quite early working on it and I can give myself some slack.
I'm thinking about letting myself wake up later than 7 tomorrow just so I don't feel tired all day. That would mean that I wouldn't fully make the goal of waking up at 7 every day this week but maybe getting a good nights sleep tonight is more important. I'm not sure what is best here but I think my decision will be to still get up at 7 AM tomorrow.
Goal 4: I have not watched Youtube. It is blocked. I feel good about this so far. I have been listening to more radio today instead. That is something I usually don't do.

Hi, Josef. I can relate to Youtube being a potential distraction..., and yet a form of (needed) entertainment. I would suggest as an alternative to blocking, to try and set a timer. And, if you're faithful to the timer, that could also build confidence in your ability to stick to your goals and plans.

Be well.
Thanks for lifting an alternative but in my case I don't think that I have a strong need for Youtube. I don't have a strong need for entertainment. It is just a habit. I'm not even that interested in the three Youtube-channels that I watch but I have continued to watch them out of habit. I still have Facebook and radio among other things as a distraction if I need one. I felt good when I blocked YT and I think I need to keep it blocked for at least a week because of what happened yesterday and the day before that. It was on YT I found stuff that I should keep away from that I MO:d to. The more barriers I have for that the better. I have books to distract myself with as well but I will review this goal next week and see If I want to change anything.


Stay safe!

/Josef
 
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Phineas 808

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Thanks for lifting an alternative but in my case I don't think that I have a strong need for Youtube. I don't have a strong need for entertainment. It is just a habit. I'm not even that interested in the three Youtube-channels that I watch but I have continued to watch them out of habit. I still have Facebook and radio among other things as a distraction if I need one. I felt good when I blocked YT and I think I need to keep it blocked for at least a week because of what happened yesterday and the day before that. It was on YT I found stuff that I should keep away from that I MO:d to. The more barriers I have for that the better. I have books to distract myself with as well but I will review this goal next week and see If I want to change anything.

Then you made an excellent choice. Sometimes the more 'radical' a change, the fresher an approach will be.

One change I made a while back which still serves me, is to not bring my phone with me into the restroom throughout the day- except when I first get up, and right when I'm getting ready for bed. This has enabled me to get more reading done, lol...! I snapped one day when I realized that I didn't read as much as I used to, because of social media!

Good job on making and keeping goals, Josef! You're an inspiration!
 

Emptyroom

Active Member
Day 114 (17/12)

Goal 1: I did not meditate today. I forgot about it!
Goal 2: I woke up at 7 AM but because I was very tired I decided to sleep more so I slept until about 10 AM. I think that I made the right choice.
Goal 3: Completed! I worked on my assignment for one hour.

I also didn't watch YT or felt the need to do that.

It is very late so I will go to bed now but tomorrow I will evaluate how the week has gone and what was good and not so good about it! I feel that the week overall was very successful!

Thanks for reading!
/Josef
 

Emptyroom

Active Member
Day 115 (Saturday 18/12)

How successful was I in implementing my goals this week (mon-fri, 13-17/12)
I have managed a lot better than last week! It is not 100% but it is very good and its a great start.
Monday:
Goals:MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday
Meditate twice (5-10 min) 70% Completed1/2 (only meditated onceCompletedCompletedCompletedNot completed (forgot about it)
Wake up at 7 AM and stay up.
80% Completed
CompletedCompletedCompletedCompletedNot completed (woke up at 7AM but went back to bed again.
Work on assignment for 1 hour.
90% Completed
1/2 (worked for 30 min)CompletedCompletednot completedCompleted
Make indian dish
100% Completed
100% Completed!----
- - -- New goal: Don't watch videos on Youtube:
Completed (Thursday)
Completed (Friday)

These results are really great when I compare them with how it was last week.

What good came from my goals:

Goal 1: It actually felt good to meditate and have that time for myself. The benefits of meditation comes in the long term but It was a good experience short term as well this time. It is hard to say what the effects where but I believe that I would have been more stressed if I hadn't done it. It is the beginning of something that can grow in my life and It feels good to be on a new positive journey.

Goal 2: I felt that I used my days much more efficiently than I would have if I hadn't woken up at 7 AM. I didn't have to wake up with stress just before class begins. It didn't feel like I wasted the days sleeping. It felt good to be in control over when I wake up in the morning. I felt that I developed my willpower.

Goal 3: It felt really good to start my work on the assignment. I didn't worry about it when I wasn't working on it. It felt manageable. And it felt nice to work on it in chunks and not sit for a full day with it.

Goal 4: It feels good to make food for the entire week. It meant that I didn't have to think about making something to eat or what groceries to buy for the entire week. It also makes me feel like an adult when I make something proper to eat and when I make weakly dinner-plans. It also saved me money because the dish was cheap to make and because I didn't have to go to the store where I probably would buy more expensive groceries and snacks that I don't need.

Goal 5: First the goal was: don't watch any videos on any site, but I changed it to not to watch videos on Youtube. One or two videos on Facebook is not the problem for me. Also, I would like to see some interesting longer programs and news on the internet.
It felt very liberating not to let myself watch YT. I feel that I have put YT-time before a lot of things that I want to do more of in my life. For example listen to radio-programs and read articles.

Today I am having a lazy morning but it is Saturday. I have to begin my day now. I will make new goals later.

Take care!

/Emptyroom
 

Emptyroom

Active Member
Hi. I have not work towards any goals during the weekend. I feel like I want to have that time to do whatever I want (well, not everything) without having to do something. That is what I felt that I needed this weekend anyway. I still did some schoolwork today and yesterday.
I woke up today and remembered some dreams and this is the first time since I started this new journey that I remember having a P-dream. Not a dream about watching P but of P-memories. I guess that is a good sign as long as it doesn't trigger me.

I saw an interesting black and white movie yesterday that I would not have seen if I hadn't committed to not watch YT. Today I took a walk outside because I didn't know what to do. I think it is great for me to discover what I can do besides mindless entertainment when I don't know what to do. It feels like old times, before the internet even though I still use the internet. YT was such a big part of my life for a long time and I didn't really notice how much It took over. Maybe I shouldn't speak too soon. It felt good today anyway.

My goals for next week are:
1. To meditate twice (at least 5 minutes each time)
2. To get up at 7 AM every day (mon-fri)
3. To work on my assignment for at least one hour every day (not on Christmas eve)
4. To borrow "a Christmas story by Charles Dickens from the library and read it (I haven't before).
5. Spend at least 15 minutes writing creatively every day.
6. Don't watch YT for the entire week.

It's lot of goals but I think I can manage them.
 

Emptyroom

Active Member
Day 117.

Monday: I made all my goals today!
1. meditated twice
2. Got up at 7 Am
3. Worked on my assignment for one hour.
4. I borrowed "A Christmas story" from the library and started reading it.
5. Wrote a story for 15 minutes
6. Didn't watch YT.

I also studied.

A good very good start of the week.

Have a nice week!
 

Emptyroom

Active Member
I haven't gone to bed in time. It is over midnight. I have felt a bit like If I had been triggered. I wonder what it is that makes me feel like that. Like falling down. Like going back. It is maintainable now but it is still there and it is a bit worrying. Something must be making me uncomfortable somehow. It could be the fact that everything has been going so smoothly and a part of me doesn't want positive change. That I am afraid of the unknown person that I will be in the future without P and procrastination. That could be it. Or maybe I subconsciously doesn't believe that I can succeed so I self-sabotage for myself so I somehow doesn't have to be disappointed by actually trying hard and failing because then I can say: I failed on purpose. That doesn't really make sense but in a way it does.

Maybe it is just late and I am a bit low today because I compared myself with others today (better readers) and because I worried about the future of my profession and the state of the world. I bought some snacks just to sooth myself as well. Didn't really work and P wouldn't work either. It is a slippery slope and any step towards P would be a giant mistake but I am not there yet. I won't be. Whatever the case is, It will without a doubt pass.

I might feel like I'm not excited enough about my goals this week. Maybe I should add something to it or think more about what I stand to gain.

One thing to remember is that the more you resist cravings the more your brain trains itself to resist cravings. It's like lifting weights. The more you lift the more you gain (not sure if that really is true, I don't really work out but its a nice simile I think).

Well anyway, take care!

/Emptyroom
 
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canguro

Active Member
Haha, I don't know if training your brain works like that! If you resist, but you have urges all the time and really want to watch porn but resist on pure willpower, I think the brain will not necesserily learn to resist more, but that porn is something pretty precious and important if you think about it so much! I think how you deal with urges is very important!
 

Emptyroom

Active Member
Haha, I don't know if training your brain works like that! If you resist, but you have urges all the time and really want to watch porn but resist on pure willpower, I think the brain will not necesserily learn to resist more, but that porn is something pretty precious and important if you think about it so much! I think how you deal with urges is very important!
Maybe I should rephrase what I said then. What I meant was that It is good to get used to being uncomfortable for short periods of time and resist the urge to escape bad feelings and that you get better at this with time. The focus is not on P but on embracing uncomfort in the moment. Urges come in small bursts and they usually end within 45 minutes if you just sit with it or do something else. I am not saying that is all you do. It only takes you to a certain point by itself. you need to plan for urges and stop them before they happen but If they do come you have to resist/do something else while it is still manageable. If the urges continue to come, it's almost like a timer I would say before you relapse. You have to find out what the actual problem is and what you can do about it. Are you lonely? angry? hungry? Tired? unfocused? Don't you have any goals for the foreseeable future? Do you want to escape something? Then when you know the problem you have to do something about it and choose a strategy to fix it or sooth it without destructive behaviours. The focus should not be on P and as you said pure willpower (willpower alone) doesn't work.
 

Phineas 808

Moderator
Staff member
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What I meant was that It is good to get used to being uncomfortable for short periods of time and resist the urge to escape bad feelings and that you get better at this with time.

This definitely makes sense, Josef! Urges may come, but resisting or fighting them in a way feeds them, because you're nonetheless reacting to them. What should we do? Simply breathe through the urges nonjudgmentally until they pass on their own.

Several things can 'trigger' us, and it may not be important to sift through everything to find out what..., unless it's obvious. All we need do is not act on, nor react to, the urges.

I think your goals are awesome, but I wonder if the urges are coming from them somehow? Like, you did good, you worked on healthy habits, and so now the beast-brain wants a reward? Kind of like certain commercials where you're buying some unhealthy snack, but they'll donate x-amount of money to some worthy cause... it makes you feel 'better' about rewarding yourself.

Do your goals, not because they 'keep you out of trouble' (if that's the thinking), but because that's your new life. Everything else that reminds you of your former habits is just 'neurological junk', and can be ignored.

Go for the simplicity, enjoy life, and love yourself, brother!
 

Emptyroom

Active Member
This definitely makes sense, Josef! Urges may come, but resisting or fighting them in a way feeds them, because you're nonetheless reacting to them. What should we do? Simply breathe through the urges non-judgmentally until they pass on their own.

Several things can 'trigger' us, and it may not be important to sift through everything to find out what..., unless it's obvious. All we need do is not act on, nor react to, the urges.

I think your goals are awesome, but I wonder if the urges are coming from them somehow? Like, you did good, you worked on healthy habits, and so now the beast-brain wants a reward? Kind of like certain commercials where you're buying some unhealthy snack, but they'll donate x-amount of money to some worthy cause... it makes you feel 'better' about rewarding yourself.

Do your goals, not because they 'keep you out of trouble' (if that's the thinking), but because that's your new life. Everything else that reminds you of your former habits is just 'neurological junk', and can be ignored.

Go for the simplicity, enjoy life, and love yourself, brother!
Thank you Phineas. I think you might be right that my goals have something to do with temporarily losing my flow or mood. It might be an exaggeration from my part calling it cravings, it is still a small thing but it could become a bigger thing if i'm not careful.

I do not agree that it isn't important to find out where the uncomfortable/sad feeling that could lead to P comes from. On the contrary, I think that it is very important to think about what the trigger was unless it is obvious. If you find the emotional need then you can fill that need in a positive way or see the truth of the situation and maybe laugh about it and diminish it. I think it is always better to have an understanding of what is going on in your mind. That makes things much easier to handle. It is better to put water on the base of the fire than to just sit with the flames. Although I agree that it is important to just "sit with it" but one shouldn't make it harder than it has to be.

I think you really hit the hammer on the head about my "beast-brain" wanting a reward. I think a part of me doesn't understand long-term goals.
Thank you as always for writing!
/Josef
 

Emptyroom

Active Member
Day 118. Tuesday 21/12

Made all my goals today except goal 4. Still I have done a good job!
1. Meditated twice for 15 minutes each time.
2. Got up at 7 AM. I felt almost energised when I woke up which is rare for me. It is strange because I went to bed late the night before.
3. Worked on my assignment for one hour. Things are moving slowly but things are moving.
4. I didn't spent any time reading "A Christmas story". I don't know if I really want to read it. I know how it goes and I guess it is a bit childish. I,m thinking of changing this goal to "reading any book for fun for one hour". Yeah! That sounds very good! I will make this my new goal starting tomorrow!
5. I wrote creatively for 15 minutes. It was enjoyable.
6. I didn't watch YT.

I spend about two hours studying! I felt like it game me something!
 
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