BooksandTrees

This is great to hear. Good luck with the new job. I hope it gives you an easier life and better opportunities. Ask that girl out. My biggest regret leaving my old job was not asking a girl out I liked and it stings me to this day. Keep rising.

Today I'm 105 weeks free from gaming. I feel like I'm in sort of a strange place where I have all of this free time now and no motivation. I want to do some hobbies and not treat them like a job or project, but I feel like that's on my mind. I want to make cartoons and write but I don't want to do it several hours a day. I just want to do it here and there, maybe read a book, watch tv, hike, cook, e.t.c I considered online dating again but I had a family member get COVID19 from meeting a woman who was infected. I'm not feeling that. I'll be safe for now. This makes sense too. It's easy to be in a lull after completing a major goal. I'm still tired. I'm hiking with my friend tomorrow and ordering food so I'm looking forward to that. I might order a drum practice pad.

Thanks. I really appreciate it. Hopefully I pass but I doubt it. I just enjoy helping others improve their lives and I'm glad I can have a positive impact. I'm glad we met also.

Welcome back. It's ok to fail. You can thrive. New streaks start whenever we want them to start. You're already on a new one. Maybe the skins on the characters played into an identity thing where you relate to those characters and still feel connected to being a member of that community? Who knows. Take this one step at a time and get some rest. You're tired and it's late.

What a piece of shit. In reality he probably has no way to voice his frustrations in life and you're a safe person to release on because he gets bullied by others all day.

I think we reach a point during recovery where we don't care anymore. You ask yourself what's there even to gain from this fight? You're comfortable and it doesn't matter. You might be stuck in a loop until you realize that you feel better without playing and want to move on.

I was going to watch porn tonight but I got so annoyed by the typical fake orgasm faces in the thumbnails and the dumb recycled plots. I closed the browser and just listened to music instead. I think I just want to keep relaxing.

I haven't really had much to write about recently. My therapy session ended early because nothing was on my mind. I feel a little empty after the exam. I don't wanna jump into hobbies right away and work is still tiring. I think I will utilize this weekend to properly relax.

Hope you're ok after the accident.

I don't think you should feel bad or be so self critical during this process. You're not wrong for being negative. Think about how you would use video games as a crutch to hide from pain and negativity. Without video games you're now acknowledging these emotions for the first time in years and it's a lot to deal with. You have to be comfortable and accept the fact that you're going to be sad, angry, happy, depressed, excited, proud, and a lot more within a matter of weeks after quitting and it lasts a while. I have written some horrible things in my diary, especially during the beginning of 2019 and end of 2018 where it looked like I was a brooding, hate-filled, incel. It happens to all of us. We have to channel our emotions and sift through them in order to get it out of our system. If we don't do it in a healthy way through exercise, journaling, communication, rest, eating healthy, and balance, then we'll do something we regret in life out of pent up, uncontrollable anger. So my advice is to be patient. This seems like the first time you've really had a chance to put your emotions into structured words and paragraphs. You're finally giving yourself thought. You might not like who you are or where you are from, but you can always change who you will be and where you'll go. I advise you to stick through this and be brave enough to struggle for a while. Success is determined by how high we bounce after hitting rock bottom. We hit bottom many times in life. Never let it get you down. You've got goodness and hope inside of you. You're likeable and smart. Keep up the progress.

Thank you for the kind words! I'm really glad I could have a positive impact in your life. I appreciate it.

Good job with your tasks today! Keep it up. Sometimes it takes like 3 weeks to have a schedule change affect us and sometimes it's immediate. Keep it up.

Hooray for anxiety and stress.

I don't understand how nobody else in my apartment complex heard them. Am I that light of a sleeper? They were slamming doors loudly. And their stomping while running was loud enough through the fan in my room. I just don't get how nobody fucking heard anything. The police rang 4 doorbells to notify the people who had their vehicles robbed and only 1 responded. Are people that careless? Fucking morons I tell you. The one lady left her keys and wallet in her car over night unlocked. What the fuck were you thinking?

What a rush! I was trying to sleep and I heard like 5 doors close at like 2:30 in the morning and people running full speed. So I got up and looked out the window and saw two people going through cars in my parking lot and sprinting full blast towards a white car. They took off and drove away. I called the police and helped identify them. The neighboring town pulled them over and they asked if I could come identify them. I gave a positive identification and it allowed them to search the car. They found all of the stolen goods in the car! I helped them catch criminals! I feel very positive about this. I hope I remain safe but I don't think anything will happen in retaliation. I don't think they saw me. We will see. I was just doing what any good citizen would do.

I think this is a much better start to your journal! And you're not a loser. I think something you'll have to work on is appreciating yourself and recognizing how important and valuable you are to the world but to yourself also. At the end of the day we only have ourselves. Treat yourself well and with respect. Take slow strides on this journey and be patient. Do one thing at a time. I couldn't quit porn and gaming at the same time and had to focus on gaming first. Some can do both though. Just experiment and be fair to yourself. You got this.

No problem. Focus on one thing at a time. I tried quitting like 5 things at once and it backfired. I quit social media and video games and now I have lowered the amount of porn I watch by over 80% and it gets better with time. Then I started eating better and lost 30 lbs over 3 months instead of trying to lose it in 1 month. Just enjoy the moment and slowly do one thing at a time. Over time you will appreciate it.

Thanks guys! I appreciate it and welcome to the community!

Hi, I played a song for you on my steel tongue drum today. It's not very good and follows no tune or notes. I just like the way it sounds because it's peaceful and happy. It reminds me of you because your life follows no specific path but you always find ways to be peaceful and happy. Sending love to you always. Matt 20201025_141228.mp4

Hi Everyone! I hit 2 years of gaming addiction freedom and wanted to share with everyone. I won't write the huge detailed post I wrote in the 500 day post I made this year because that took forever to write. I just wanted to say thank you for constantly supporting me and helping me with my problems and being here. Thank you!

Today I'm 104 weeks or also 2 years on my journey free from gaming. I can't believe it's been this long. I feel like a different person and don't really have the words to describe how much this means to me. I wrote a much more detailed post in my 500 days and 1 year away from gaming, but I am tired after that exam I took lol. I will say that I enjoy life more now and I feel so much healthier and better about everything in general. My health has improved both physically and mentally. I sleep more, I eat better, I communicate more, I live life more, I do new things and don't feel the pull to play games, I perform better at work, and I practice better hygiene, chores, and self care overall. Thanks to everyone who has commented over the past year to help. Some of the more helpful people from year 1 to 2 have been @Ikar @TheNewMe2.0 @Icandothis @Phoenixking @DaBest @seriousjay @Alexanderle @ceponatia @Amphibian220 and Vera who doesn't post here but I talk to her online still. Others have posted and talked to me, but these ones have talked the most. There are different people who helped me in the first year who no longer post here who I mentioned in my 1 year journal. If I left anyone who has ben impactful out I apologize. It's been a mentally draining month for me and I'm still recovering. Wishing everyone luck and health during these crazy times.

I journal before bed but if I'm distraught I journal immediately. I started with recording a podcast, then did yoga, then did floor hockey and volleyball. I stuck with hockey and volleyball and added rock climbing and 3d animation. That's up to you. I do 12 to 8. If I have a purpose to wake up for in the morning I enjoy waking up at 6 AM though. I don't think you should read self improvement books because most of it is recycled garbage from authors taking advantage of people. People read self help books to feel like they're improving their life but don't improve their life because reading requires energy and you have to actively put energy into quitting video games for the first few weeks. I recommend just journaling your thoughts, asking for help, seeking a therapist, and actively moving forward.

You need to analyze why you're craving them. Think about what mario kart and animal crossing provide. Mario Kart provides competition, brainless thinking that provides progress, colors, music, and success. Animal cross provides eternal life, a sense of community, peacefulness with no pain, and a sense of calmness. They're both shelter games. Are you going through trauma or stressful times? What emotions are causing you to crave that game? Once you figure this out, start researching other activities to deal with those emotions. Sports and work help me with competition. Meditation, music, tv, reading, dancing, walking, and art help me with calmness and mindless escape. Talking to friends and family helps me with community.

I think I can give some perspective on this since I've been here over 2 years. I've considered leaving the forums multiple times because I don't struggle with gaming addiction anymore. It is more of me just journaling and I often feel like I'm in the wrong place because of it. I also get upset when the connections I've made end up leaving. It's honestly like they've died because you form a bond with them and never see them again. It's hard to be emotionally attached to people online. It can also be frustrating when I try to give people advice and they don't listen or understand what I'm trying to say. I also get upset when I'm trying to get advice or help and get no responses. But to counter everything I've complained about above, I think I'm a role model here for some. I don't believe in role models because I think everyone in life can influence you, but I am not the same as everyone else. Sometimes you need a leader. That's why people look up to Cam. But I think people look up to me and read my journal for inspiration. I'm not trying to brag, I'm just using pure math here, but my diary has almost double the views and comments as the next closest and my introduction has almost triple the views and comments as the next closest person. This statistically means people are reading my diary because they've been able to relate to my struggles and want to see how I've succeeded. This has given me a feeling of responsibility. I feel like I need to be here now so I can help people quit and fix their lives. That's why I stay here. Sometimes I get frustrated when people don't listen to me but that's because we're all different. Quitting cold turkey worked for me and I was able to quit by my huge outlined post in the celebration forums, but that might not work for you or others. Others might need a slower approach or something and others might not be able to ever quit. I've grown more patience now because of it. I also like helping people and feeling connected to others. I also don't think enough senior members stay on this website and help people. I think now with about 10 of us who have been here over a year we can help newer members succeed, but a lot of senior members leave because they've moved on and want to put video games in the past. Once you cure an addiction you either stay around and help others get cured or you just need to separate yourself from the past entirely and move on to greener pastures and I think a lot of people just need to move on from the past and embrace their future. I just stick around because I trained myself to not be triggered by games anymore. I can sit in front of an xbox and not have any desire or craving to play it now. I've removed the emotion because of my hatred for the gaming community. Hope this helps.

I had the same issue. Have you tried using a hard foam block from yoga practice? I sit on the block and it makes my hips and lower back. I can sit there easily now without pain.