So I actually did manage to stave off gaming for about 2 months around 1 year ago but then fell back into it for the past ~10 months. Looking to hit 90 days, and I'll journal my thoughts and chat with you on your own journals as well.

Thanks for reading, see you tomorrow 👍

My name is Martin (Ikarases on the net) and I am 21. My backstory is that approximately from the age of 12, I spend most of my free time either playing games or browsing the Internet. I've even tried full-time streaming professionally recently, however I realized my gaming taste just doesn't drag enough attention, even though I still sometimes stream nowadays a few hours a day. I'd attribute my desire to stream to a lack of social connection IRL, at least back then when I started out streaming roughly three years ago.

Not until several months ago, I started uninstalling some games just to fall into the clutches of another one. In the years before, I felt burnt-out on games, but the recurrent theme always was "What the hell am I gonna do anyway?" I also started alternating playing myself with watching Twitch and even streaming myself occasionally, which helped with diversification, but didn't really solve the core issue. What I did with Twitch recently as well was to setup LeechBlock on morning hours to spare myself some time on other things like school, reading and other priorities I have in life. However both uninstalling games and LeechBlock are only in effect as long as you want them to be in effect. Reason I am writing this is that I feel gaming/watching streams suppresses my passions and impedes work on other projects and that they are my number 1 go-to activity when idle.

Main recent impulse I am here is my very first (and former?) girlfriend told me she needs to take a break from our relationship about a month ago (not on the "I hate you for LIFE." side of things though). After even struggling to acknowledge her current standpoint for a few weeks, I shifted my focus inwards; I started watching TED talks, got a new bike, deactivated my FB and started reading more. I think I'm a nice guy, but that only goes so far if about 12/16 hours of my waking time is spent behind a computer screen. I even started writing a diary on my own, mapping my thoughts and feelings every now and then, as I feel there's some "unfinished business" between the two of us and I plan to show her my diary and the posts on this forum too. Spending time with her was better than spending time gaming or watching streams!

I'm past the point where I'd HAVE TO spend my whole day behind computer, however I do it regardless for lack of motivation to do other things. I know my other hobbies are geography, English teaching, modern history, I even considered making models of WWII tanks among other things. I know I have several papers due to hand at the university, where I study geography, but mostly I just procrastinate that until there's just a few days left.

Creating a commitment on the Internet to cut down my Internet time seems paradoxical, but I'll give it a go regardless. I'll say this is my 1/90, because even though I watched a bit of streams today, I didn't game myself. I think it's about time to change my habit and take my life back.

Thanks for reading this and all the support is very appreciated! I consider this to be my day 1 entry.

MY GOALS:

1. No gaming/Twitch for 90 days

2. Beginning 1st June, consciously spend less time on PC to avoid falling into other digital traps (YT, series-binging etc.) These are likely the easiest ones to fall into for me because of the proximity.

In order to keep things in line I've  decided to post from time to time my thoughts and struggles regarding quitting gaming.

A quick introduction to my addiction is here

First day of not playing: 17/09/2021

Yesterday night I have deleted all the games I had on Origin and Steam account. My main addiction is playing Battlefield 3 multiplayer.

Also I have requested in EA to delete permanently my account on Origin.

I am meditating since 2 month - I will be going to continue this activity.

I am focus now on passing a certificate which allows me to be perhaps promoted sooner, or to find a better job in future.

This is my first post, and I'm here because I'm tired of spending hours rotting in my bed because of doomscrolling. I used social media, especially YouTube and Discord as a replacement for gaming, but I also used them because I struggle with socializing in real life. Those apps allowed me to "connect" with people and have "friends" without much effort. 

In reality though these connections are shallow. They can never be as fulfilling as real life friendships. Additionally, a lot of those friendships, or friends of my friends on Discord, would show toxic behavior. And they would get upset over the minor inconvenience. When I was addicted, I thought that behavior was normal. I now realize it isn't. 
 

I want to break free from the grasp Discord and YouTube have had on me. I want to be more confident in my abilities, be more social, and overall just try random things. I want to have diverse experiences I can talk about when I'm older, and staying online will not allow that. That is why I'm shutting down social media for 90 days 
 

Today I woke up at around 9:40 AM. I went out with my family to have breakfast, buy groceries, and have lunch. I arrived at home an hour ago, and I stored all the groceries, and now I am writing this. Later I will store some recently ironed clothes in their respective drawers, and then go for a walk. Later, I will have dinner with friends.

Day 1 without gaming, since my last setback.

Here's what happened in a month:

• I completed two games ( A Physical Escape Game + A Game at the Arcade ) 
• Spring Cleaning for the Lunar New Year
• More time in my workplace ( Lesser working from home) 

The above satisfies me because:

• I aim to complete five games before considering purchasing any more
• I fulfilled a family commitment 
• I became more active and social 

Elsewhere: 

• I completed Gaming the System Podcast #11 today.
• Exposing myself to a painful past (Playing Dota 2 after six years)
• Threw out expired G Fuel 

I've been trying to quit gaming for more than half of my life. I've had access to games and my first PC very early in life, had my first PC by the age of 10. I've also realised quite early that games are not good for me, since I've always had problems with playing them in moderation, so probably my first attempt to stop playing games completely was when I was 13 or 14. I've probably made hundreds of small attempts.

Over last few years I've probably had a dozen of times where I'd be clean of gaming for 1-2 months, relapse, binge for 1-2 weeks. Other option was to just play "in moderation" which in this case means 6 to 10 hour a day on average, not doing much over the essential stuff.

Just writing all this stuff down was a very interesting experience, I've started to really think about it, I really believe this time I can make it and I'm grateful that I've started this journal.

I’ve had no online distractions. I did dream about action films which I had watched in the past.

i will refrain from discussing things that don’t concern me at work. I will exercise in the evening.

Wish you all faith in yourselves.

I've been feeling pretty down about how I perform at work, and how I've been feeling detached and out of the moment. Have been looking for advice and resources. Reading through this forum and the r/StopGaming sub has helped me a lot, I can relate to how it feels not being able to stop despite knowing the negative consequences that abusing my internet time is causing me.

Short background about me, I have ADHD, which has caused me to have low self-esteem, and makes me second guess starting tasks (procrastinate). While I have developed a lot of strategies to help that, it's still not at where I'd like to be, and I'm inconsistent. When I get at my worst, I turn to things that are easy and give me quick pleasures. A few years ago it was mobile games, which I did manage to cut out thankfully. But in retrospect I think I transferred a lot of bad habits to internet use; wasting large amounts of time watching youtube, scrolling through Discord convos, feeds on Reddit and Twitter (X), reading Wikipedia and the news, engaging in online conversations, and so on.

I want that to stop. It's just so easy to avoid the hard and challenging task I have at work, and instead waste several hours away distracted. I'm sick of losing precious work hours, I'm sick of staring at my phone and feeling this craving to get Reddit karma or check my notifications on wiki articles I'm watching. So sick of feeling hopeless because I can't start a work task that was assigned to me and waiting a week to get my shit together. So sick of feeling like I'm slow.

Note - this journal of mine went through some transformations. I've redefined my goals in posts that follow. In summary, I want to detox myself from compulsive social media behaviors, compulsive research behaviors, and specific types of games (mobile, social media games, and online competitive with randoms). In general, I am going to also stop using passive screen time during inappropriate times. You can read about that with what I identified are my bottom lines and middle lines, from in my October 1st 2024 post.

The format I am using is as follows, and it's what has helped me keep myself accountable. I'll post it here too, mainly to help me write my entries faster:

<day mm.dd>

• No social media - x days
• No compulsive research - x days
• No passive screen time before bed, first thing in the morning, and during work - x days
• No mobile games - x days

<summary_of_prior_day_up_to_current_day>

Things that I will do everyday to stay healthy

• Sleep around 8h - <yes_or_if_not_plan_to_do_it_later_or_why_not>
• Stretch - </>
• Go for walks / Exercise - </>
• Drink Water - </>
• Wash face + body - </>
• Nutrition:
  • breakfast - </>
  • lunch - </>
  • dinner - </>
• Talk to my partner - </>
• Talk with my kids + play with them - </>
• Read a book - </>
• Meditate + deep breaths - </>
• Practice French - </>
• Journal (gratitude and reflection) - </>

<7_Habits>

I am reading Stephen R. Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and doing exercises with the companion workbook. This is the best book I've ever read on self-improvement. Even once I am done reading it, I will keep practicing and posting about my 7 Habits practice here.

----

I know that this isn't exactly a typical game quitting post; I recognize that, and I'm being honest about it. I do still play console games casually; I've identified through my sobriety worksheet (the October 1st post linked above) that I can safely and healthily engage with those games as a hobby. To stay accountable, I'm sharing screen time summaries with screenshots at the beginning of each month in this journal.

For those curious, I do greatly recommend that you take a look at the Sobriety Worksheet and do those exercises yourself. You can find the link to the Sobriety Worksheet on the About Me section of my profile. What is safe for me may not be necessarily safe for you, because we are all unique individuals; so that's why I really recommend you sit down and work through those questions yourself, as your lines are going to differ from mine.

Finally, I don't know of any other communities that I can share this journal with. I did find Internet and Technology Addicts Anonymous, they are a great community for online support meetings. But that said, they don't have a tool for journaling of any sort and keeping each other accountable. So given that, I will continue to detail my journey here.

----

Original post continues below.

Quote

My goal is to abstain from using passive screen time to not conflict with my workdays, Sunday evenings to Friday afternoons, so that I can be more present and aware, and reach my full productive potential.

What that includes:
* no social media at all during weekdays; including this forum. I will check only on weekends (Friday evenings to Sunday afternoons).
* no entertainment videos, except while working out on a treadmill
* no video games, except casual ones like Mario Party with family (kids, wife) & irl friends after work, and stop before 10pm (Fridays and Saturdays; before 11pm ideally)
* limit TV and movies to watching with kids and wife, and stop before 10pm (Fridays and Saturdays; before 11pm ideally)

And yeah, I know it's ironic that I'm posting this on a web forum. To be frank, this forum was also a source of abuse for me back when I tried to detox. Not the forums fault necessarily, I need to do better. But I also need to post this somewhere, so I can hold myself accountable. That said, I'm not going to be posting every day here again. But I will make sure I come back on weekends to post an update and engage for a bit.

...

I am filling my time with a journey of self improvement, with things that include meditation, reading and journaling. I'm planning on talking about this with an ADHD coach that I've been seeing every Friday too. I think a good way to keep me accountable is to also post here on this forum; I know that it's not exactly a game quitting case I'm on here, more a digital one overall. So hope that is ok. I'm also going to be conscious of not overdoing it during weekends either, so I have an app in StayFree and extension in StayFocusd installed to help with managing that on my computer and desktop browsers respectively.

Posting this on a Monday, so I guess my journey officially starts now. I'm logging out and will check back in closer to the weekend.

My main goal with this journal will not only be to reflect on my past and present struggles, but also to inspire people to find a life that is worth living without video games. I have a strong will to explore and I want to use this driving force to share my experiences through photos and journals. I think it's important that we teach ourselves to write about the good stuff to inspire hope, and to remind ourselves that we are always moving forward. So in the end this journal is not only for me, but also for anyone that comes by and takes a moment to read and reflect.

I hope I'll see you here in the future! 💛

Technically this is not Day 1, as I actually blocked YouTube completely about 14 days ago. But it is my first journal entry and the start of my determination to be active about filling the void. So I will mark today as the beginning.

I have been a member of Game Quitters for a while, but have been silent for quite some time. I was originally here because I thought I was becoming addicted to video games. However, that turned out not to be the case. The real culprit is YouTube and any other form of passive entertainment like it. Games, while a form of entertainment, require active attention. This can becoming tiring and I will stop. The true danger is something like YouTube where I can sit on the couch and watch hours and hours of content. No action is required of me. Don’t get me wrong. I actually work out and lift weights, so it isn’t that I’m afraid of movement. But at the end of a workday, after exercise and dinner, the easiest thing for me to do is plop onto the couch and spend the rest of the evening, often into the morning, watching content. 
 

I would regularly fall asleep in the basement, leaving my wife alone in bed. I never really watched anything educational. It was all purely entertainment to distract me from tomorrow. Inside, I think I felt that if I never had to sleep, tomorrow wouldn’t come. These periods were longest when I was stressed.

I’ve been watching YouTube at night for many years, probably close to 8. I didn’t spend every night like that, but it started becoming a real problem during a stressful job about 5 years ago. I was a functional addict. I could stay up late and still go to work. But it’s not my best self. I lost the patience for all kinds of hobbies, though somehow made room for a few big ones like working on my car. 
 

I tried “quitting” YouTube many times, but I always had a time limit of 30 minutes I could watch a day, and then when the block was up, I’d go right back. Or, during a long block, I’d substitute it with Netflix, etc. 

This time is different. I have instilled the hardest blocks possible. There is an indefinite block on each of my devices. Only my wife has the passwords to unlock them. My PC uses Cold Turkey, which has been amazing - and she has that passcode too. I cannot watch YouTube, even if I could think of no other thing. 
 

What I’m noticing so far: 

I’m not doing too bad so far. The 14 days have been good and I’ve been intentional about how I spend the time. I’ve been reading again and reigniting order hobbies.

However, I ran into the danger of Netflix, which a couple of the past nights I watched for longer than I’d like to have (but not as much as YouTube). I am going to need to add it to the Cold Turkey.

Today I weight lifted, walked the dog, and listened to our growing record collection. It was a good day. 
 

I don’t know the format yet for this journal. I just know I’m here. Im going to try to do it every day.

This last few months I have been working around 60-80 hours a week in my dream industry. My position is still very entry, but I am given a lot of responsibilities and there is tons of room to grow. However, when I get home, I started to realize that my life is so empty. I just sort of turn on my MMORPG, and stare at a screen.

I am by no means a far gone addict. I have a job, I work out, and I think on the surface you wouldn't think that I have a gaming problem. I think in the past, gaming was much more of an issue. I was unemployed, gaming maybe 60 hours a week on the same MMORPG, eating unhealthy and it was just bad overall. Despite the fact that I am now a contributing member of society, I absolutely feel like I am not living up to my potential. I used to have more friends, I used to date more, and just overall this isn't the life that I want.

If I'm only alive for 80 years, I'd like the next few decades to be memorable. The truth is that very few moments in gaming are deeply memorable to me. I can remember trying to get the scarab gun in Halo 2 as a kid, or playing some friend slop games. But the ratio of hours spent to actual memories is so lopsided. The vast majority of time, I don't remember anything and nothing was gained. You can argue that real life is like that too, but I disagree. I think fondly about my real life memories, the photos I took with my friends, the places I went to, the feelings I had.

So anyway, I have decided to take a 90 day detox. I am already 12 days in and this is the first day I've felt cravings. It's honestly just nostalgia, I don't actually think playing the games would make me happy.

Honestly shout out Cam too for this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hlroDQ_Qvo

I feel like I am on the edge of achieving something great. At a fork in my life where my dream job is at the tip of fingers. I have good friends and my family is well. I'd be a foul to be distracted right now. I'm not even unhappy in my real life, I am actually much less happy while gaming than even my worst day at work.

Anyway, my first wish is to change the feeling (or if correct (here online, specifically), the fact) that things are generally not improving in my day to day experience of life. The second is simply that I would prefer perhaps gentle teasing from everybody with regard to my RPG habits - instead of, say, all-out assault. This is because I truly don't grasp how bad or good my habits are. Maybe to re-state, I already have 2 disorders to deal with - not including gaming - and no matter how I spend my time, I end up blind to some or many things. It could help on this forum if the 'keener eyes' remembered that about me.

That said, I would love to be able to get lost in healthy discussion here if it didn't mean argumentativeness would appear in face to face or intimate texting settings involving me. Part of the reason I decided to type again is because ruminative anger was getting stuck in place and I wanted to prove to myself that I probably wouldn't actually say or do anything angry if I ordered my thoughts at home on the keyboard some more. I also mostly felt trapped following discussions whilst scrolling my phone - how could my smart little tablet carry over to me so much distress? So yes, I believed in one moment at least that things were slipping.

On any given day, one could even ask what I 'did' at play on my computer, and I would outline it - likely shame-facedly as well - because I know what is consequential for most, but for me, it's hard to predict. *I lasted 2 weeks with a medication adjustment recently and resumed that one subtracted pill so that I could at least feel order. That is one thing we could share still. Post away, post away, + PMs welcome. ❤️ 

~ Matt

Day 1/14
Today has gone pretty well. It was a bit tough forcing myself to wake up "early", but I need to fix my sleep schedule for various reasons, and I have no good case for postponing it. I still haven't figured out how to consistently get up early when I have no mandatory activities scheduled. Maybe I'll find an accountability buddy and make a pact. Like, I need to send a message or image before a certain time in the morning, and if I don't there'll be some consequence, like I need to transfer a pretty sum of money or something. If there's no consequence I can't be consistent, at least not initially.

I did various smaller but urgent tasks today. Also cleared my inbox (mostly). Did Advent of Code. Went for groceries. Worked out. Ate lasagna. Tomorrow I'll spend some time working on my thesis.

Welcome to the Daily Journals section. Journaling is one of the most powerful tools for your recovery, it will help you process your emotions and clarify your thinking. It will help you reflect on what's most important to you.

"All I can say is that making this daily journal has had a huge impact. It's become an accountability habit.” - ors_tyrael

"The journal process is definitely powerful.” - Caged Bliss

"I'm also very thankful that I found this community. Since I started with that journal I'm feeling more responsible for my life." - Tom

Here are a few guidelines:

1. Make it a daily habit. You don't have to write a lot, but posting daily will become a foundational habit for you to build your life upon. Daily journaling helps to build positive momentum in your life.
2. Consistency is more important than quantity. You don't have to write a novel every time, a paragraph is more than enough!
3. You get what you give. Getting involved in the community by reading others journals and sharing any thoughts or feedback will encourage others to read and interact with yours. I recommend to pick three journals and reply to those. Game Quitters is a community. Participate and get involved. It's not just about you. 

"By far the best thing I've done is getting active in this forum." - Tom

"I want to thank All of you guys before getting back to my school life. Game Quitters has been an indescribable help for me the past year. Having a forum where I can come together with likeminded and oriented people helps me to keep a direction in my life that I want. Thank You!" - Spinips

"I've always thought I was alone in this, and now I know I'm not. And that motivates me to finally move on from gaming and succeed in life instead." - Mark

"Thanks, GameQuitters, for being a safe, transformational space."

"I didn't realize how much I needed the community.  If you weren't here, I'd be back to my old tricks.  Literally the act of writing and sharing here prevents me from gaming.  It's like the last line of defense."

Below you will find a few templates from members who have come before you. As you can see, many members like to keep a gratitude list (highly recommended) and a tab of their daily habits. Feel free to adapt any of these templates to your own liking.

via @SpiNips:

Hello!

 

Today I'm grateful for:

•  
•  
•  
•  
•  

via @AlexTheGrape:

Day #

 

Gratitude journal

 

 

 

One amazing thing that happened/I did today

 

Workout/run

 

Meditation

 

Visualisation

 

Daily affirmation

 

Reading + taking notes

 

Getting to bed before 9pm

 

Weekly Goal(s)

 

Monthly Goal

 

3 Month Goal

 

What went well today:

 

What I could have done to make my day better:

 

What I will do differently tomorrow:

 

via @Dannigan:

DAY # - 

Time I woke up: 

Time I went to sleep yesterday:  

 

Physical task: 

Mental task: 

Projects: 

 

Miscellaneous accomplishments: 

~ 

~ 

~ 

~ 

~ 

 

Summary of Day #:

 

 

What I am grateful for today:

~ 

~ 

~ 

~ 

Over and out! 

Happy Journaling! I will be following along.

Gratitude:

I am grateful for my mom, who continues to be supportive and patient.

I am grateful for computers, that let me spill my brain vomit into some sort of cohesive thing that helps me express and formulate my thoughts.

I am grateful for delicious food.

I’ve started catching up on chores and will continue later today. Even short gaming sessions used to break that flow and create a lingering fog afterward. It already feels lighter mentally to move again, even in small steps.

I also restarted my decluttering project. I want the home lighter and calmer by 2026. My son will handle his room, and I’ll focus on the garage. It’s messy but finishing it will bring a sense of space I’ve missed for years.

I’m reading daily and want to increase it. Reading feels far more rewarding than gaming ever did, same immersion but no emptiness after.

No cravings at the moment. I’m curating YouTube to avoid potential triggers by resetting history and using “don’t recommend” and “not interested.” The feed looks cleaner already.

My son’s still caught in gaming too much. Grades, social energy, even his mood are affected. I have to set an example but he also needs active help. If anyone has experience or tips on how to guide a teenager through this, I’d appreciate it.

I relapsed on 6th of September and played Last Epoch 1-2 hours throughout a few days (played for 8-10 hours ish by my calculations , a few hours went by while I just stayed iddle and read the in-game tutorials)

I had a big fight with my girlfriend after she caught me playing and she got upset that I could not respect my promise (we kept having discussions and I kept trying to play games so I hid the fact that I played while I made her swear and promise that she will always stop me, I still think I shouldn't have made her promise me that she will try to stop me if I play :))) )

Almost two weeks of not playing games

I'm looking into having new hobbies ( trying to start to learn Python Programming and to make animations on Blender so that I can replace gaming with making graphics)

Booked an entire holidaay/vaccation for me and my girlfiend in a mountain & historical region so that we can both enjoy some free time, relaxation, beautiful nature & architecture and to recharge our bateries

I haven't found a good, easy to follow and well written guide for Blender so I haven't started yet

But I have installed Blender and I'm looking for tutorials to get me started.

Just for the fact that I booked an entire holiday with my girlfriend, it gave me a boost that helped me to work so well today that I closed all of my tickets at my work place in just 2 hours today.

My break will finish in 10 minutes so i'll go and have a cigarette quickly and get back in the office and resume my work.

I have to go for 3 days in the office, which is not that great as I waste a lot of time with the public transportation, but, but

Maybe this is the best thing happening to me now, maybe this will make it easier for me to overcome this feeling of "loss" just because I gave up on gamming

Maybe, seeing others more knowledgable than me will give me a feeling of "I don't want to fall behind" and therefore I'll study more

Good luck to everyone out there 💪

What I wonder is, are video games the same way? Are video games much like deep fried food and alcohol. Actually bad for people in ANY amount? Recent research indicates alcohol and deep fried food are bad for your health in any amount.

Video games definitely have an overall harmful effect on me. Social media is something that also distracts, makes me lazy. But also makes me work harder sometimes so it’s maybe a neutral effect I am not sure.

Maybe a slight negative is social media tbh.

Detox is going well. I’m posting here, I’m putting games away with the intention that it be for good this time. Everything’s getting better. Things are hard and I feel that my mind must keep learning for optimal health. Just like my body needs consistent exercise and good nutrition.

The negative effects on self esteem from social media feel kinda not worth it lol. Maybe we stay off that. Lots of good things to watch and read for me thankfully.

Now things are calm enough in my life I can finally take naps. Calm down. I’d love to hit mma tonight but I’ve been tired. The right balance for me is, get 2-4 classes a week in. Keep trying for four per week. Eventually you’ll probably want to get from 4 to 6. Right now it’s 2-4. Yeah. Conserve some energy for it

Ommmm

The workouts are going good considering I’ve been draining myself for games recently. In a day or two I think I’ll start feeling more gas in the tank to go for it again.

I had a mistake at work. I didn’t follow up via text for an appointment. Maybe I can type something generic like, “Hello Name, I have us down for 11am today. Is that accurate on your schedule?”

Yes let’s just say that. It’s perfect.

My swearings slowing down a lot now I’m not gaming. Fuck I’m so tired I need to rest

Grateful for:

deep breaths

Sunlight

Trees

Just staying off it. Staying off it. I chatted with Erik the other day. He said he’s been spotty at MMA just weed and gaming taking him back out. I might refer him to this site if he keeps giving into his demons.

Told him I just journal anime manga and read now. As well as of course mma and fitness which happily take up lots of time.

Anyways if I’m being honest I don’t love being on this site posting. It just don’t feel good to me for some reason. On the plus side tho I love how it makes it easy for me to stop gaming. So, I guess I’ll just post as much as I have to to stay off that shit.

Otherwise I’m fucked. Gaming = fucked for me. There’s no fixing it. There’s no fixing the part of my brain that gets addicted to gaming soon as I start. So, whatever.

May it get easier for me to post here

Right so as always if you’re gonna reply here. Please be positive, kind and supportive. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Save your tough love for the mirror. “Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.” -Marcus Aurelius

Ommmmmmmm

I’ve learned to do what I do and apologize less for it. That’s because people have been kind enough to not mind how I am. Or who I am. How I do things how I post and behave and communicate. I sought out those people those safe space. May this be one of those safe spaces.

If anyone comes against my creation of this as a safe space well. I’m in charge here so whatever, I’ll handle it.

Sighs. Deep breaths alright you got this man. Build yourself up. You’re gonna get up do your morning routine. Delete all your gaming stuff. Hide away the controllers and such in the cabinet above the fridge since it’s so hard to reach. Then just do your training shower nap eat high fiber diet. Ommmm foam roll meditate. Drink lots of water,

Avoid bodybuilding supplements for now. They’re messing with your hydration it seems. Ommm don’t be afraid to say no to people to anyone no matter who they are. Even if you have to whisper it at first. “No thank you.” Is always a valid response and you can always change your mind if you’d like.

Game quitting is easy so long as you keep posting here when you get urges and you stay focused on replacement behaviors/harm reduction. I see nothing wrong with green lighting watching anime until 9pm hard cut off time. If it goes past that you need to stop and maybe cut back on it. I’m not here to adhere to someone else’s idea of what’s ideal for me and my addictions management. I’m here to get to the next level of discipline. Of samurai quality living. Disciplined training, hard work, firm management of pleasure seeking. Of addiction prevention.

I want to be the real life Goku. 15+ hours training per week. CrossFit, mma, hyper trophy. I’m at 11 hours right now and it’s tough, I need to cough up the games if I am to take the next step to 12 hours. One hour a week. Just one more. By the end of the year I can be in the 15-20 hours a week range. With enough training that I would be competent to compete in mma or bjj or Muay Thai.

I just hope no one looks at me sideways if I show up to work busted up or see my girlfriend. It’s kind of like, my fear. That I’ll get banged up and lose my looks to the point that I’m kinda shunned by society. For cauliflower ear and scar tissue in the face. If you look at Steven Thompson or Michael venom page they have very normal looking faces. So I’m hoping with good ear care and defense in striking I’ll be safe to fight on for a long time. Probably got another 13 years in me that’s substantial and I want to make every year count.

DAY 6 

Time I woke up: 11.00

Time I went to sleep yesterday: 1.00

Really messed up my sleep, gotta limit youtube usage.
 

Physical task: I walked maybe 8k steps lol

Mental task: went to the library to study

Projects: -

Miscellaneous accomplishments: 

~ dishes

~ joining the forums etc.

Summary of Day 6:

Joined the forums etc., did some schoolwork (not enough tho), left the house, ate well and reasonably healhty.

What I am grateful for today:

~ got some schoolwork done

~ joined the forums

~ made a decent dinner

~ this community and the course. First I was quite against spending money since there's so many free resources and places like r/stopgaming but I already feel like it was worth it for these reasons: 1. r/stopgaming is quite black and white. There are many extremists that demonize games and some that urge everyone to try moderation. Sure, many understand that people are different but imo the community can be quite toxic and some posts just trigger me. I don't want to be an active member of that community. 2. it's reddit lol, I'd rather not use reddit at all.
 

PS: I was quite apprehensive to create a public journal at first but writing here was surprisingly fun. I have journaled before but it's been a while and just spitballing something here feels quite satisfying. There is definitely a sense of commitment. Now, I don't really care if anyone reads this or not, just typing some of my thoughts down is enough. I'm not 100% sure if I'm sticking with this journal since I really like to write with pen & paper but I'm going to try this out anyways. Maybe I'll even drop some comments on others' journals, who knows?