Pochatok

Yesterday was insanely busy, I barely thought about games. There were a couple times when I could have gone to r/games or watched some gameplay, but instead I found a nice TV Show to start(The Boys). Other than that, the performance went super well- I think I could have done better but the conductor of the ensemble was very happy with it. Worked about 10 hours yesterday total, most I've ever done in a day this semester lol. Showerthought: I have 11 tiny moles on left hand and zero on the other. Thanos would be upset. Things I still need to get done: Talk to grannies! Clean the room Get most of the exam done Do the paperwork Other stuff to get done: Send out a lot of emails Hide the secret gift I am working, dumbo Start planning out a daily schedule for winter break, it's coming soon! Brainstorm ideas for holiday family presents Don't just draw, learn to draw better. Start posting on my art insta again!

I recommend getting outside as much as possible and focusing on the world around you. Take some pictures, look at all the different leaves on the ground, the various shapes of clouds etc.. Remind yourself how much more beautiful and diverse the world outside the video game is. I also recommend getting rid of any social media that you have- for youtube, clear watching/search history and turn those off. Twitter I'd just delete, it is honestly an invaluable time sink. On other platforms, get rid of any gaming-related content if you can. Your body and brain have wired themselves into video games, which is why you have these habits and thoughts all the time. Don't worry, the re-wiring process is already starting, just give yourself a few weeks, and you'll be feeling better than ever! Stay strong, you got this! Po

Heck yes @WhoCares, this is like the most inspirational thread I've read today so far. I know it seems like you are not in control at times, but overcoming serious addictions simply takes awhileeee- the progress isn't very visible sometimes. Never give up on yourself, you're a beautiful human and have got so much more amazing life ahead of you 😆 Cheers, Po

I know it might be kind of scary to stop talking to friends over seemingly minor arguments like that, but it sounds to me like they have little respect for your feelings and you as a person overall. Making new friends isn't easy, especially now, but when it comes to relationships, I believe that a good war is better than a bad peace. You'll make a lot more friends in the future, and lose quite a few too. Relationships change all the time, so don't be afraid of ending bad friendships. Now, please take this with a grain of salt, as I do not know either you or your friends all that well, and am basing my opinion on assumptions. Cheers! Po

Alright, day two! I started the day with embroidery, which is frustrating, but I am getting better 🙂 Showerthought of yesterday: It's really not gaming that is the core of my problems. Rather, it is the outcome or the product of all my other issues, like fear of social interactions, melancholic attitude towards life, and occasional mood swings. Deleted both my twitter accounts yesterday, cuz honestly I barely interact with people, and those people game hard. The first thing I woke up thinking about was my dreams rather than twitter feed, and that felt great! When falling asleep, I still can't stop thinking about "playing sometime in the future", and every time I feel excited about anything video games appear in my mind for a moment. Gotta look for more ways to make my life exciting I guess 😮 What I missed yesterday: Didn't talk to grannies Barely cleaned my room Didn't get far with the exam Didn't do some paperwork for school Today's to-do: Start posting art on my Instagram again! Clean up the room, eugh Finish the 3rd part of exam(didn't get that done yesterday) Start Part 4 of exam- I need it done by Sunday noon(deadline is Monday noon, and I want to have extra time to look over and 2x-check) Embroider more while at work Stay hydrated Keep a balanced posture while typing Nail that Jazz Performance! Be on time Let's get started YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

@LampshadeI have a huuuugeee list of titles of books that I just randomly find on the internet, from 80s Sci-Fi to argumentative research works on the topic of Abortion. Not sure what exactly I want to read over the winter break, but I haven't really educated myself about the history of Civil Rights, and, more recently, BLM movements. Currently I'm reading an art textbook(so much math what the helll).

Hey @Shine Magical. I know you're feeling down today; that's okay, we're all human, all imperfect. I hope you will feel better tomorrow! I saw you post that painting and mention Instagram. I am also an artiste(haven't posted in forever but I will, promise!!), and was wondering if you could DM so I can follow you 🙂 If you feel insecure or anything, I can send you my Insta instead. Happy belated birthday, congrats on making it so far! I turned 20 two weeks ago and it honestly feels like the end of times. Hope you feel better soon, Pochatok

Welcome Tr1v, keep us updated :> You go this!

Hey James, thank you so much for stopping by! Haha thanks I think I'll crush it, but performance anxiety is high -_- Cheers, Po

Haha thank you for catching me on that, my phone was turned off so I left it blank. I am on Android, so I use Stay Focused for apps, reddit, twitter and a few more websites(free version is enough, but paid one is worth it) and BlockerX specifically for porn. Good luck 😄

Must agree with BornAgain, porn is actually harmful, but masturbation itself does not have any negative connotations, unless it is excessive and/or brings negative emotions, or dehumanizes your subject of sexual attraction. Moderation is key with healthy/semi-healthy activities, but porn is simply damaging.

Thank you so much, congrats on making it to day 5 already! I think not only it is hard, but sometimes we think we admit our weaknesses, when really they are just the outcome of our true weakness. Like, I used to think I am afraid of public speaking, when it really was being afraid of talking to people in general lol Good luck to you as well, we got this!

Hey Le North Dreamer, thanks for sharing! Yeah, I am learning Blender and 2D Digital art, as well as Composition, so I really need that RAM and GPU lol. Also, just today I uninstalled all my games and am in the process of giving away my steam account. My next step is to get rid of anything gaming-related showing up in my daily life- twiter/reddit/instagram/discord/youtube feed and all that. Thank you and good luck as well! Po

Hey dasvira, I am super familiar with the issue of internet surfing! Not sure if you are looking for more advice, but may I offer you an egg in this trying time? Here's my eggs: Put blocking apps on your phone too, on any devices actually. Two is better than one, I use Delete your accounts AND clear history AND if you go surfing again, do so in incognito mode so that every time you want to check r/nofap, you need to look it up through google, which gives you extra time to reconsider and stop. Have alarms at random times throughout the day with some annoying/motivational sounds- in case you are doing something that doesn't make you happy at that moment, the alarm could help you refocus and get on the right track. Finally, I reccomend picking up a self-help book(Courage to Be Disliked, Psychocybernetics). Your video game addiction and other "unproductive" activities exist[ed] for a reason. Helping you understand what caused you to play so much in the first place(there is more than one answer) is like understanding what causes a disease. It will, ideally, help you find a more permanent cure rather than a treatment for symptoms. Cheers, Poch

Hey Alejandro, thank you for encouragement, means a lot! Tomorrow I am performing with my Jazz Ensemble, I have a solo trombone part. Pretty nervous since I always was pretty average, but this year I am at the top, which came down unexpected. I was thinking I wouldn't even make into the ensemble. What about you, do you do any music?

Hi BryanJaz, just read your entries and it's so awesome to see how much progress you have made! I hope your job findings will yield success sometime soon 🙂 Since it sounds like you meditate often, and are trying to listen more to your physical responses to various stimuli, I recommend checking out Alexander Technique- while it's scientifically unsupported, it has helped me and a few of my friends a great deal to become more aware of how we use ourselves physically at different times. Cheers, Pochatok

Hiiiiiiiiiiii! How have you been today? I am a 20yo college student, who made the slight mistake of bringing my (old) gaming PC to campus this fall. Overall, I would say my video game addiction is minor, but like any bad habit, it feeds on and empowers other bad habits in my life. Just a few days ago I discovered r/NoFap, and since then I have been feeling incredibly motivated to get rid of as many poor habits as I can. Gaming has been a haunting issue since I was 12, and has gotten considerably worse when I got my Gaming PC(using it right now ugh) in 2016. Last year, I left my PC at home and my gaming addiction dissipated. I wish that stayed true till now, but oops. Well, here I am now, and just writing this makes me feel like I can do it 🙂 Cheers! P.S. Super nice to be here, I remember checking gamequitters 2 years ago when it was just starting up heh, but didn't do enough to fully quit back then.

Hiiii, same thing- found NoFap 3 days ago and joining this just made sense. Let's do it! What do you plan on doing instead of games? Cheers y'all

Hi! I am a 20yo(he/him) college student studying English, Art and Music. When I was introduced to my 1st video game- Tanki Online(haha yes very lame)- I was so overwhelmed with it I would play up to 6 hours per day. As of yesterday, I never play more than an hour a day. But, even that amount I find harmful- I could have cleaned up my room, taken a longer shower, do some exercise, talk to my friends... So, I decided to quit, once again. Previously, I've quitted countless times. I would get incredibly mad at myself, delete all of my games and social media accounts only to crawl back into gaming within a week Each relapse would be slightly better than the last- the amount of time I spent playing decreased over the years- but addiction would still win over me. I stumbled upon this site just a few hours ago, but reading all the stories here is so inspirational! I really hope that this time there will be no relapse- I plan on playing games from now on only if that is a way to connect with people whom I can not see physically. Time to break the loop of relapsing yeeeeeee! Here's my priority list for today(I'm keeping it general on purpose): Finish up the 1st three parts of my last Final Submit paperwork for my campus job Practice for the performance tomorrow Make a list of things to do for Winter Break Clean up my room Do other various paperwork for volunteering, other jobs, financial aid, and classes. Talk to my grandparents 🙂 Draw on my own. Pick a new book to read. Hehe I'm so excited to press the "post" button, I have so much faith in this! See you later, and thank you so much for the read! Cheers, Pochatok

Hi Chris! While I can't relate all that much to your story- I am 20, a college student studying English and Art- I do have some things on making gaming a healthy habit rather than a rabbit hole. Similarly to you, I also tend to play more when I am not busy, when the work is done and I can allow myself to relax. However, this causes me to largely ignore the world around, to disconnect from the people around me. It is not simply time lost, but the guilt I would feel as soon as I would stop playing, because I knew that 1) I could have been doing something else, and 2) My GF is very annoyed now. What I tried initially was to make a list of things I think are fun to do instead of gaming- listen to music, read a video game devblog, clean up, or draw. Next, I began setting alarms and reminders before that would prevent me from playing until lunch- I'd set alarms that would go off every 10-20 minutes, and put my phone far away so I'd have to pause the game in order to get rid of the noise. I also put sticky notes all over the computer screen, with the list of things I could be doing instead and inspirational quotes. Next, I began reading self-help books like Psychocybernetics and Courage to be happy/to be disliked. Those books helped me understand why I choose to play games rather than anything else, and helped me find the willpower to reduce the addiction to a slightly obsessive habit. One last thing I would recommend is learning about how to improve your metacognition- "awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes.". Currently, I play about 30mins per day on average, and never play more than an hour in a row, even if the entire day is free. What honestly helped me the most was to take breaks, to allow my brain to reconnect and to pause and think about how I am feeling and what I really want. Hope this helps you get on the right path, whatever it may be for you!