@Sacred We give thanks to Him now for the life we are currently living and the better life yet to come.
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Thank GOD for another day!
Iāve completed the Power over Pornography course now. Amazing book, simply amazing. I havenāt seen the concepts mentioned therein anywhere else; concepts which have given me so much strength. All urges evaporate within 15 seconds now. As long as I keep up with my daily practice and strategy, such weak urges donāt have the power to pull me backwards.
The urges are barely suggestions now: Erm, excuse me, Mr Forerunner, sir, um, I just wanted to remind you that itās been over 2 months since you checked out X or did Y, um, would you like me to schedule an appointment for you? Ah, thank you for the reminder. Nah, no thank you for now, maybe check with me tomorrow. Currently Iām living a fulfilled and happy life, I donāt really need or want that appointment right now. The brain keeps coming back with these suggestions and I tell it Iām not interested right now. Brilliant trick of cognitive behavioral therapy from the book, the brain doesnāt feel like Iām missing out because the option is always there to go back, weāre just making a different, better choice for the time being.
I recognize a transformation since the last time I read this book; how committed Iāve become to regular practice and sticking to the strategy. Less than 5 minutes a day for a life of freedom is hardly a price to pay. Overconfidence is not an option I want to choose.
Iāve pledged to continue the practices Iāve learned from the book:
- Practicing dealing with urges twice a day
- Reciting 5 affirmations once a day
- Imagining myself overcoming 5 relapse scenarios once a week
- Re-reading one chapter of the book once a month
- Being active in a supportive community going through the same struggle - you guys
- Staying productive and focusing on self-improvement and exciting goals in life
GOD willing, I will continue on this path.
Always thank GOD for everything.
Day 67.
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Thank GOD for another day!
Yesterday I secured an interview for this job Iāve been chasing after. GOD willing, the interview goes well on Thursday and I can take on this new job. Better pay, low-stress, more opportunities for personal and entrepreneurial progression.
Itās time to renew my focus on other areas. Self-improvement.
Going to sleep in good time. Waking up early. Drinking enough water. Eating healthily. Exercising regularly. Reading the Scriptures and for self-improvement. Completing tasks daily towards my goals. Being enthusiastic and present with family and friends.
Itās 5:05AM and Iām already up, Iāve prayed, Iāve had my cold shower, Iāve completed my daily exercises, Iāve recited my affirmations and Iāve watched some motivational videos. Iām ready for the blessings of this new day and to approach its challenges.
Always thank GOD for everything.
Day 68.
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Thanks for the motivationā¦ Dont ever relapse ā¦ it would break many heartsā¦
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@Sahas Thank you brother, Iām giving it my best every day. I have no intention of relapsing ever again. May the God give us all strength to succeed.
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Thank GOD for another day!
Things didnāt go to plan today. I woke up late, didnāt complete my exercises or most of my tasks for the day. My close friend needed my help and I spent most of the day with him.
I am thankful that I still got more done today than back in the days with PMO. I can learn from today and come back stronger and more focused tomorrow, GOD willing.
Note to self: Get the most important tasks done as soon as possible in the day. Focus on the tasks you want to ensure get completed by any means.
Always thank GOD for everything.
Day 69.
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Thank GOD for another day!
Good day today - my job interview went well! Praying for good things to happen with this job; Iāve worked a lot trying to get it. Got some more tasks done than yesterday, woke up before 5am. Iāve been struggling with keeping up with exercises, I really want to be more consistent with them. It always feels so much better afterwards.
I had a fun little get-together at my close friendās house. Though in my opinion Iām quite a terrible dancer, I had so much energy and confidence and I brought life to our little party. I could also feel some serious female attraction, and I feel the fact I wasnāt interested really added more to the effect.
20 days to go - the benefits are REAL!
Always thank GOD for everything.
Day 70.
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Reading your diaryā¦ comforts meā¦ as it gives me hope. Dont stopā¦ keep going.
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Interesting. So instead of delaying āproductive thingsā, we are delaying the āinstant gratificationsā, which is hard to do in this day and age. But hey, they say habit starts forming after around 40 days.
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@Sahas Thank you brother. It gives me strength knowing I have friends reading this. It keeps me focused and accountable.
One day soon, your diary will give others great hope, strength and comfort. You have truly been through the fire and you are making your way out. After pain will come joy. After hardship will come ease.
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@TheWillToLive Everything in this modern world is geared towards instant gratification. Next-day delivery. Click and collect groceries. Instant messaging. Ready-made meals. In following this journey, we gain new strength to tackle problems in other areas of our lives and strive for excellence.
It seems that the true joys in life come from things that take longer to receive or achieve. Sure, we could gain some pleasure from binge-watching a show on Netflix, but we gain accomplishment and a sense of progress on top when we choose to finish reading a book thatās been on our to-do list for ages.
Weāre following the path of most resistance brother. Those habits take us time to build, but theyāll all be worth it in the end.
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Thank GOD for another day!
Iāve been reading this book called High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard. Iām only on chapter 2 and Iām already seeing how much more change is needed in my life to get to where I want to be. I took his free online test at https://brendon.mykajabi.com/hp6-assessment, and found out I have a very low score in productivity, and a low score in energy. Makes sense; Iāve been an addict for over a decade, Iāve lived off of ice-cream, chocolate, crisps/potato chips, cakes and other junk foods, and I havenāt done much that was meaningful or important in years. I want to improve my diet, exercise more frequently and accomplish more daily. The past is gone, but the future is available and at hand.
Iāve decided to get in some exercise regardless of my mood on the day. Just start off with 25 reps in the morning. Thatās small enough for me to commit to. By then, Iām likely to keep going, but if not, at least it wasnāt a do-nothing day.
Iām feeling very grateful for my APs and companions on this journey. Iām learning a great deal from them and gaining the strength to keep going.
Always thank GOD for everything.
Day 71.
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May I suggest, do you eat a lot of greens? I also used to have low energy. I found simply by changing my diet Iām full of energy.
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@Sacred Your comments are always welcome brother.
I must confess that I eat very little greens at the moment. I certainly want to up my intake if thatās part of the benefits.
Thank you for sharing my friend.
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Thank GOD for another day!
With each passing day, itās getting easier and easier to stay free and clean. Iām not even tempted to go back to PMO anymore. The urges have changed now; instead of trying to lead me straight back to a P site, theyāre directing my attention to much milder forms of arousal like an article about a celebrity on a news website, or watching a new music video. By overcoming the temptation to view these, I gain more and more strength. I recognise the importance of keeping up the habits that got me here. I can see how those with higher streaks become overconfident and fall back into the addiction; that compulsion to view pornography is almost completely gone now, so itās easy to think youāre cured. But habits never go away. When someone learns to write, even if they havenāt written a sentence in 20 years, the skill wonāt leave them. We just replace the bad habits with better ones that are aligned with our best interests.
Always thank GOD for everything.
Day 75.
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Yes like you said, those with higher streaks can become over confident not knowing that it only takes one fall to restart the cycle. Thatās why I said in my last post āThe moment you stop fighting is the moment you lose the battle.ā Whenever an urge comes even if itās the smallest one it can grow and grow asking as you let it. Glad to see youāre going strong though brother. God bless.
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Absolutely true brother! We choose to stay vigilant. The guard doesnāt go down for anything.
GOD bless you brother. Iām very happy to see the progress youāre making. Youāve changed much more than your counter currently reflects. Stay strong bro.
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Thank GOD for another day!
Today, I finished reading Cupidās Poisoned Arrow by Marnia Robinson. It explains so much about the neurochemistry of sexual addiction and the harmful effects of orgasm on the body, and advocates for an updated understanding of human sexual relationships. Now, to read her husband Gary Wilsonās book - Your Brain on Porn!
Iāve been really struggling with building these new habits of discipline, but Iām slowly getting better and better. Being clean has given me much more strength to approach the challenges in my life. Moreover, Iām in a much better mood about it all.
Hereās a method for combating urges which I read in the book; I noticed some similarities with my own method:
First Aid
One measure that can help whenever compulsion strikes is to tell yourself that you wonāt act on your urge for at least five to ten minutes. Take some deep, slow breaths. Now, turn your rapt attention to a pre-selected activity. Choose something constructive, such as a breathing exercise, a stretching routine, gardening, pet training, practicing a skill, vigorous exercise, or recording thoughts in a journal. Canāt? Then simply visualize yourself engaging in such an activity, vividly picturing the details. Also imagine how it feels to exercise your will, and what it is like to have a whole team of people you admire congratulate you on your success. When you consciously redirect your attention, you make it easier to do so again in the future. You are rewiring your braināstrengthening the new pathway and weakening your former compulsion. Prepare your mind in advance so you are ready for recurring crises.
āMary Sharpe , Sharpe Thinking
Always thank GOD for everything.
Day 76.
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I may not be able to visit the forumā¦i am Sorry i relapsed.
When i come back ā¦ i want to see your streak ā¦ Complete your Reboot & Keep moving forward. Keep Winningā¦ keep inspiring.
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@Sahas This is painful news brother. Very sad indeed. You made it 51 days, higher than ever before.
All that progress is not lost for good. Come back with a new mindset and an improved strategy. I will be here waiting for you.
GOD willing, we will both rejoice this year after having rebooted. I will keep you in my prayers.
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