Top 8 tips on how to quit ■■■■ for good.
Learn the top 8 tips on how to quit ■■■■ so that you will start living a life without the shackles of pornography!
Let’s cut to the chase.
1. Fix your sleep
You might wonder, “what does this even got to do with quitting ■■■■?”
Sleep is something no one is talking about when it comes quitting ■■■■ addiction. The discourse mainly shines a spotlight on topics like dopamine receptors, being accountable, using ■■■■ blockers, and having a support system.
But the truth is that sleep is a huge component of the ■■■■ addiction recovery.
Sleep prepares us for the day ahead. If you are unprepared you will face the consequences in the form of decreased productivity, lack of focus and increased irritability amongst many others.
But it does not stop there. When you are unprepared for the day, your ability to resist temptation drastically decreases and you inevitably succumb to the pull of ■■■■ during the course of the day.
Quitting ■■■■ addiction requires substituting ■■■■ with good habits and meaningful activities. When you feel fatigued, you would want to invest the minimum effort to produce maximum pleasure. Regrettably, watching ■■■■ fits the bill. The thought of engaging in meaningful activities just pales in comparison to ■■■■ because it requires an effort that is disproportionate to its utility.
Before looking at the other tips below, pause and think. Does the quality of your sleep need improving? Sleep is super critical to your success in quitting ■■■■ and beyond. It is more than worth while looking into it.
2. Rearranging your environment
Our actions are habituated by the environment around us. You may sometimes catch yourself unconsciously reach for your phone when you step into the lift with no intention of using it.
While you can’t change the lift (assuming it is a public lift), you can certainly change the things around your house.
Look around your house and think of the places such as the couch or the computer area where you frequently browse pornography. Could you change the position of the couch or the furniture around your computer set up? Could you switch out the computer chair for a different chair?
Is there one thing you could rearrange that would make it less conducive for you to browse the web for ■■■■?
The idea is not so much that rearranging your environment will be a foolproof way to prevent you from consuming ■■■■. Rather, doing so reduces the triggers that lead to that behaviour and make the deed a less convenient one.
3. Focus on systems
Many who tried to quit ■■■■ usually get a wave of inspiration and immediately set a 90-day reboot goal. Yet, they focus too much on the aspirational aspect of goal setting but neglect the most critical aspect – how to get there.
That’s how most people fail. Sure, they do pick up pieces of the puzzle from YouTube videos, forums or just about any vaguely relevant article they can get their hands on.
But gathering the pieces of the puzzle is just a feel-good thing. It makes one feel like there is progress because they are doing something about it. At most, they come up with a haphazard process based on the pieces of the puzzle they got from different sources.
Those who actually succeed in quitting ■■■■ or any other endeavor in life, rely on systems. Systems work and can be relied on when the motivation and inspiration momentarily fade away. It is not a feel-good thing that comes from information gathering. It is actually getting to work.
We created an app called Reboot which is available on iOS and Android which provides you with a system for you to succeed. Sometimes, all we need is a structure to succeed. Start your ■■■■ reboot with the Reboot app.
4. Understand how your brain works
Shame and guilt are common reasons why many are starting to quit ■■■■ in the first place. This starting point can often be discouraging when it takes away the curiosity to investigate the science behind how they got hooked.
If shame and guilt are reasons why you are quitting ■■■■, look to science and try to understand how your brain works. While you are ultimately responsible for the actions you take, knowing the science helps you lessen the burden on your shoulders. It allows you to take action not out of fear but for the betterment of your own wellbeing.
We would recommend that you check out Your Brain On ■■■■. They have links to resources and scientific studies that can help you understand how our brains work and why ■■■■ is so addictive.
5. Journal throughout your journey
Journaling is something many hate doing. Either they find it useless or it just reminds them of school work.
Yet, it is one of the most underrated activities to help you quit ■■■■.
How can anyone understand their mistakes if they don’t make a note of it? Surely you don’t have the perfect memory of all your previous relapses and the events and led to that.
As the saying goes, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
If you are really serious about quitting your addiction to ■■■■, start a journal, and take note of the triggers and temptations that arise throughout the day. Analyze and understand your own behavioral patterns.
This might be a chore especially if you hate journaling. But no one said quitting ■■■■ is going to be easy.
If it helps, know that there are other benefits to journaling beyond just quitting ■■■■. People who spend time understanding and writing about themselves become happier, less anxious, and depressed, and physically healthier.
Whether it is pen to paper or finger to screen, start one.
6. Exercise and sweat it out
Many found that while on their ■■■■ reboot, they enjoy new found energy. While getting back your natural energy is a good thing, sometimes, it can lead to relapses if not managed properly.
So get out an exercise to dissipate your energy. Having a workout routine also helps by distracting you from temptations, adding structure to your day, and treating depression and anxiety. Exercise is a no-brainer when it comes to quitting ■■■■.
Another good news is that exercise is one of the key activities that promote neurogenesis (growth of new brain neurons). So make use of exercise to help your brain grow better and rewire itself during the process of recovery.
If hitting the gym is too boring for you, choose a sport that you enjoy. By doing so, you form positive connection with others while enjoy the numerous benefits of exercise.
So go ahead and make movement part of your daily routine.
7. Watch what you eat
Be mindful of the food you put into your mouth, especially while you are rebooting. When you are rebooting, you might indulge more in junk food than ever before to distract yourself from the temptations that arise. You might think that it is the lesser of the two evils because your priority is to quit ■■■■. That is far from the truth.
As reported in Neuroscience News, the excessive consumption of calorie-dense foods can lead to changes in the structure and function of the prefrontal cortex, including altering dopamine signaling and inhibition. This is definitely the last thing you want when you are trying to rewire your brain.
What is worse is that, just like ■■■■, consumption of junk food has its own addictive nature. Mentioned in the same article by Neuroscience News is the idea that the dopamine spike from consuming junk food makes us want to carry out that behavior again. Especially for the younger ones, the impairment of that can lead to impulsivity growing up.
The next time you consider indulge junk food as a coping mechanism during your reboot, think again.
8. Meditation
Have you tried meditation and gave up because it is not for you?
There are many things in life that are hard at first but just a little bit of perseverance will reap you the rewards. Meditation is one of them.
This Eastern concept is gaining popularity in the past decade and it comes in many forms and flavors. It might be hard for you to decide which one to try but explore for yourself and see which one works.
One thing in common amongst most if not all of the meditative practices is that you are trained to watch your thoughts, at least initially. If you actually pause right now and try not to think, invariably, some thought will surface to your consciousness.
Throughout the day, thoughts like these influence our emotions and actions. Being able to recognize them and for a brief moment decide your reaction to them can be vital when the impulse to consume pornography hits you.
The ability to recognise our thoughts is something to be trained and does not come naturally to most people.
If meditation is hard for you, don’t give up. Keep at it! Incrementally increase the duration of your meditation sessions to make the task less daunting. Enjoy the bliss of a quiet mind while you are at it.
Keep up the strong fight
Quitting ■■■■ is not an easy thing to do, especially if you have been habituated since a young age to depend on it.
is it FTND?