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NEW VIDEO: The EASIEST Way to Stop Gaming

Torc, by Torc


Torc

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Currently reading How to Win Friends and Influence People and browsing Ultimate Guide to Social Skills to improve my conversational skills.

 

I haven't chosen what goals to have, though.  I want to know more about music (videogames are the only media I'm knowledgeable about!), I want to cook (only cooked very basic meals so far), haven't decided on a fitness one yet.  

I have made two Gamequitters countdowns.  Normal Mode gets reset when I play a videogame and Hard Mode gets reset when I do anything videogame related (watch gaming videos on YouTube, read any videogame news, etc).  

Normal Mode day 8.  Hard Mode day 2.

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Hey Torc, I like your idea of the two counters! I'm playing on hard :)

I've thought about putting together counters similar to NoFap "hard mode" etc. Do you guys like that idea or is it better to just focus on defining what the 90 day detox looks like and having some guidelines for what to do afterwards?

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Hey Torc, I like your idea of the two counters! I'm playing on hard :)

I've thought about putting together counters similar to NoFap "hard mode" etc. Do you guys like that idea or is it better to just focus on defining what the 90 day detox looks like and having some guidelines for what to do afterwards?

I think there are multiple schools of thought on this. I fall into the camp that says counters are...counter-productive. This is because it makes you focus on streaks rather than overall behavioral changes. If you go 30 days game-free and then game, you feel like you're starting all over from 0 and you feel like you've failed. But the reality is that you went a month without games and that's great. We shouldn't be so hard on ourselves for minor slip ups, and should instead look at our overall progress.

So my opinion is to focus on what the 90-day detox looks like. 90 days is great because it's a significant commitment, but not so overwhelming that people won't commit to it. And it's long enough to prompt serious change and reflection. Also, if you count the days with journals you still have an informal counter and you can measure your progress that way, and you can actually see the end of the counter. If you just have a generic counter, there is no defined end point, which can feel kind of ...I don't know, structureless? Unless you set goals along the way or something.

Anyway, my two cents. I'm not sure if there is a right or wrong answer here, but this is how I feel.

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I got back from the doctor on Tuesday.  I got diagnosed with gastritis last month and I haven't really improved the last few weeks.  I've got new medication called Lansoprazole, which is a proton pump inhibitor.  I've got a 28 days supply.  I'm on day 5 and I'm still getting pains, but I will wait at least until week 2 to see if I improve.

I haven't improved my communications skills that much, but I'll try some of the techniques from the Ultimate Guide to Social Skills at work tomorrow.

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28th November 15

I should be updating this journal more often.

I got this recipe book for my gastritis.  I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but have read the first few chapters.  The author knows what it's like to be diagnosed.

I've decided to take up drawing.  I've got out my tablet and drawing software.

I'm kind of clueless about music.  Mark Manson's book, Models, recommends the All Music website.  I've been so obsessed with videogames that there are a lot of bands that I haven't heard of.  I tend to only know music in the charts, which tends to be crappy.  I've got a new smartphone last Friday so I'll have something to listen to them on.

The weather and the early darkness make it difficult to find more activities to do¬¬

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I am 22 days on Normal, 16 1 on Hard.  I watched two gaming related YouTube videos.

I've put a calendar on the Excel file I have the countdowns on so it doesn't feel like a complete loss.  Since the 7th of NOvember, I only had two days of looking at game-related stuff.

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I am 22 days on Normal, 16 1 on Hard.  I watched two gaming related YouTube videos.

I've put a calendar on the Excel file I have the countdowns on so it doesn't feel like a complete loss.  Since the 7th of NOvember, I only had two days of looking at game-related stuff.

Great job Torc! Make sure you take a minute to celebrate these wins. Even though they seem small, celebrating builds a positive feedback loop and encourages you to continue them. :)

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5th November 2015

It's been four weeks since I last played a videogame!  28 days on Normal, 3 days on Hard.

I have been following the guidelines on the gastritis book and have been feeling a lot less pain.  The diet has had more impact on the pains than the medication.  I'll keep using the medication until it runs out, though.

I have been reading Danger and Play: Essays on Embracing Masculinity.  It's been a very good read.  

I've been listening to house music this morning, as recommended in the Danger and Play book as it says that it helps you get out of your head.  As a person who's always in his head, I thought it was a good idea to try.

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12 December 2015

It's been 5 weeks since I last played a game.

The pains of gastritis have significantly lowered the last few days.  TMI warning!  The medication might have given me constipation, though.  I've got a prescription for Fybogel, a drink that's very high in fibre and tastes very grainy.

I went shopping for  clothes for a Christmas party.  Turned out to be very expensive, but not buying games has saved me a lot of money.

Started reading The Slight Edge.  A lot of people on this forum were reading this so I though I'd give it a try.  I want to get a few helpful habits like reading books, improving my communications skills and drawing.  I'm interested in savings accounts now.

The bit where I put down what I'm grateful for:

  • Banana Nakd bars.
  • Pre-shaving oil.  Made shaving myself easier.
  • Kindle making it convenient for me to read books.
  • Bulleted lists.  Don't feel compelled to make 10 things I'm grateful for.
  • Warm salty bath water.  Healed my... TMI
  • Shiny new shoes

This is what my Gamesquitter calendar looks like.  Green 2's represent days where I didn't do anything gaming related, yellow 1's represent days where I looked at gaming news, reviews, videos, etc. red 0's represents days where I played videogames.  I've also added a scoreboard.

gqdecsat12.png gqdecsat12 score.png

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18 December 2015

It was my Birthday on Tuesday.  I’m 29 years old, just one year until I’m in the fourth decade of my life.  I got a safety razor, South Park DVDs and some puzzle toys.

The workplace had a Christmas party, which luckily happened on my Birthday J  Had the Cullen skink soup for starters, sea bass fillet for the main and poached fruit with coconut panna cotta for dessert.  Everybody had a good time.

I’ve been to the dentist for the first time in 21 years.  I had a wisdom tooth that I wanted to be checked.  She said it would be okay.  I had some fillings, though.

I’m grateful for:

  • ·         Cool co-workers
  • ·         Seafood
  • ·         Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird
  • ·         Sleep
  • ·         BlueTooth headphones
  •  
  • 20151216_192429.thumb.jpg.242c15f2eb29be

 

 

 

 

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I'm still not 100% fine, I'm afraid.

I found that chocolate and high fat food can be bad, but there's been times where I've had fried food and some chocolate and have been fine.  Some days are worse than others.  I've been thinking sometimes it might not be gastritis but something else.  Today, I have been fine.  I've noticed the pains come on soon after I feel stressed.

 

I found this which might be helpful.

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You should get tested for H. Pylori bacteria.  It's one of the most common causes of gastritis.  I didn't have that bacteria, but if you find out that you do, that could be an easy fix.  Also, I started taking a probiotic.  I'm not sure if it did anything for me, but I haven't had pains in a while.

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