BooksandTrees

Good luck on exams and just give it your best shot. If you've been good the whole semester you should be good for now. One step at a time.

Very happy! I still am in shock that I got this fortunate to meet someone like her.

Everyone has those moments. Try to think of why you played the game. What is causing you to be bored? What are you lacking? Once you answer those questions think about what you could do to maybe find better ways of what you want? Why do you play games? What are you lacking in life?

Do you track your calories at all or do anything for your dietary maintenance? I use the Myfitnesspal app and it helped me lose 30 lbs last year. It taught me about moderation so I could still eat stuff if I ate better for the other meals. Careful playing trading card games. They can be a source of "I miss getting this feeling from this old habit and this new one kind of gives it to me" sometimes that leads you back to old habits. I remember I played pokemon go and it made me want to collect things again and I played RuneScape after that because I loved collecting resources. Sometimes one leads back to another, so be vigilant of how you feel.

Is there a way to use a fan or air conditioner to improve your conditions? Do you have any indoor activities you can do or a place you can go that has air conditioning like a library? Quitting social media was the biggest thing I did before quitting gaming and it put the wheels in motion for me improving my life. Porn is the hardest thing to quit in my opinion. It's a bigger high than video games and it's a natural thing we want (sex, not porn) so it's hard to quit. Keep at it and just know any progress is good progress. Keep up the good work with volleyball!

I feel like I'm doing better mentally tonight than I have in weeks. I've gone about 4 days without any addictive activities and I've rested really well. I've kind of eaten like shit today but I feel better mentally and I'm more present to talk on the website than months past. I plan on finishing the week strong at work tomorrow, talking to friends after, then going on a nice little vacation with my girlfriend and her family. I want to get to know them better and I'm eager to spend time with her and be in our own place. It's a healthy escapism if you think about it. I also plan on writing a little bit up there and drawing. I'm recovering from burnout a bit and I'm happy to say I'll be doing more of my hobbies soon. I'm rock climbing again and will be playing the drums again soon. Therapy and my medication has really made such a huge impact in my life in helping me regulate my emotions and control myself better.

I agree. I purchased a tablet and will be writing and drawing in my spare time when I feel like it. I'm also more motivated to paint now after painting last weekend. I had a great session with my therapist and got over the bad feelings I had on Monday. I think I'm gonna come out of it on top. I got frustrated on the website here because I wasn't sure if I was wasting my time or not. I was also embarrassed by the tone of my posts before being on medication a few years ago. But I look at it as growth and I'm proud of the growth I've made. I've also probably annoyed the moderators with talking about deleting my diary etc. But I think it serves as a big progress journey for myself and I also think people come to the website and read my diary as a source of help in some ways. Maybe I'm being more self important than reality, but I do have a lot of page visits so I'm assuming I'm helping someone feel better. I don't want to let them down either. I also think life today is too difficult for most to start addressing their problems. The world is in a tough spot and people are struggling so much. I noticed around Fall and Winter of 2020 people posted on here way less. Like they needed more of a break from life and sometimes video games are that perfect escapism for people. I just think maybe in a few months we'll see more people and others will start looking to get out of their old habits.

Today I'm going to workout, eat dinner, watch my show, and read a little. I'm also considering buying a tablet or something to do art with.

I'm recommitting to this journey. I didn't relapse, but I've been binge watching TV, being very lethargic, and just not living the way I want. It's bothering me. It's made me crave games again. I'm nipping it in the bud.

I just feel like a lot of the more frequent writers are disappearing and the influx of new members is slowing. I also feel like I don't matter as much in the community. Like we're all just writing and move on. It feels like a chore. I've written about this in the past but it feels more so now. I guess I just feel lost in this pandemic still.

Am I the only one who feels this website is a bit dead compared to the past?

I painted today for a few hours with my girlfriend and really enjoyed it. I'm so happy she's artistic like I am. It helps soothe my anxiety and give me confidence to do my activities. No apps this weekend either. I'm feeling a lot better with her support and my medication. I'm hoping to keep creating art, writing, and doing other creative hobbies this year. I feel better about them already.

Today I'm 134 weeks free from gaming. I'm a little annoyed because I've been using phone apps recently as a distraction at work when I'm bored. I think everyone gets bored at work because it's just in our nature to want to change things up all of the time. But I stopped using the apps because I was doing it after work too. It's annoying because I want something to do at all times, but it's annoying because I want to do something creative like my writing. So I think it's about being mature and realizing what I want more. Writing and art.

I had one of the best dreams I've ever had a few hours after the bad dream. I would pay an incredible amount of money to experience it lol.

I've had a bad dream every day for the past few days about my mom. It's difficult to decipher. I talk to her once a week and the conversations are fine. She hasn't made me angry in months. But for some reason we're always arguing and it feels like I have this deep seeded hatred for her. I don't hate her though. I love her and have improved my relationship with her over the past 6 months. It's odd. I'm always on the defense in my dreams. Tonight I woke up because I was dreaming that I was over her house after not being allowed to see her for months. I EA's sleeping in the dream and she opened my door and I tried waking up in the dream to make sure she didn't attack me, but I was so vigilant that I woke up in real life covered in sweat and heart pounding. Very strange.

Congratulations and great job quitting social media also. I think it's a major factor in improving our lives. Good luck on the rest of your journey.

They won after I stopped watching. Such garbage. I'm happy but annoyed? Idk how to feel.

I fucking give up watching sports. I get so angry that I put so much time into something outside of my control. I don't get it. My stupid team always plays well and then chokes in the playoffs. It's just a built in depression annually waiting to slow my brain and taper my happiness into a bowl of shit. When am I going to learn? I know you can't win every year, but we make no effort and I just put this false sense of hope and happiness into it. What a joke.

I wish you the best of luck with your book and life. I think this website is very similar to your metaphor in Thailand. I know many people who've left the forum and I've written about it numerous times myself. Who knows what the right answer is. Thanks for your advice, time, and friendship during your time on here. I'll probably still be on here but we'll see. Let me know how the book comes. One day I'll link my cartoon in here for you to see in about a year.

I found that quitting social media before quitting gaming helped me isolate and be more in tune with what I wanted in my life. It allowed me to safely quit gaming in a smaller and quieter environment.

Great job going for that walk. Having the ability to halt your thoughts on gaming and logically apply cost effects and consequences to them is really important. Keep up the good work and maintaining yourself.

Welcome to the forums. Glad you're sticking with it. Keep it up!

I think you gotta pace yourself with studying since it's easy to burnout. Maybe the Tuesday date is more appropriate so you can relax a little and allow your mind to process everything.

Today I hit 133 weeks free from gaming and 135 weeks free from social media. This week was pretty good overall. I did more chores around the house, ate better, lost 2 lbs, started reading a bit at night again, and wrote the outline for another episode of my cartoon. Work was also productive and I completed all of my tasks. I also talked to people in my family, saw my girlfriend, and had a good therapy session. I think this weekend I'll try reading and writing a bit. I also want to relax because I'm getting my second vaccine shot and hoping I feel fine after. Glad to hear from people and I hope everyone is doing well.

I hear you. Lots of people have been needing to take breaks. It sucks but it happens. Keep going.