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Days without games & porn: 13

I had declined to go into the city with my friends. After we'd come home Saturdaynight, they wanted to keep the party going. But I had podcast tapings on Sunday so I acted like a responsible man and figured my voice could use some rest. I woke up with a throat sounding like somebody was rubbing two-week-old bread against a rusty cheese grater. My voice hasn't been the same since the week before Christmas, when I crashed the last time. I think I'm still not giving my body enough R&R. I did learn today that it's not about my huge workload. There's àlways stuff to do around the house, concerning my career or body or diet or friends, ... It's about priorities. I should try and discern a bit more what's truly important to me and act on that. Obviously there's the freelancing, D&D makes me happy too, this forum is a priority for me and so are my friends and my GF. Everything else is trivial. Important stuff like groceries or doing the dishes, sure! You can't get around that. But social media, arguments, and so on... I think I'll take this lesson to heart and try to focus on what is important and makes me happy and is good for me and try to let go of stuff that doesn't really matter all too much. I haven't figured out which is which, though. I assume wisdom will come overtime. 

The podcast taping, apart from my raspy voice, went great! It was an amazing session that I'm very proud of! I can already notice the fans responding more and more. We're growing exponentially. It's amazing to be a part of!

I ended the day at the GF's. I was supposed to go home and cook, clean my place up a little bit and work on the writing assignment I'd gotten. We kept texting and texting and finally I caved into the urge to see her. We agreed we're loose cannons and that we should minimize our encounter to 1 hour. This soon became 1 meal. We made pizzas and drank cider while listening to great music and having dinner. We ended up on her sofa, cuddling and whispering sweet nothings. I didn't want to go home. I didn't want to be serious. I just wanted to curl up into that lovely human being's lap and pretend the winter's cold snap doesn't exist. We talked about how we felt. How we both viewed things and how we think relationships work, why and what we'd need. We talked about money and my career, about exes and how flirty I am and how I'm still close friends with some of my former friends with benefits. I felt so naked. I did my best to answer everything as truthful as possible.

She didn't want to have her heart broken and I didn't want to be responsible for that. She asked me if I was sure she wasn't just some 'filler episode' to fill up some hole in the tv-series of my life. I admitted to using flirting and relationships as a form of coping. That that was thé reason I wanted to remain single for a while and that I had already let go of that idea when I met the ex. I thought long and hard and eventually figured out that the reason why I wanted to be single was to protect myself. I wanted to work on myself and figure out my future, I didn't want another relationship where I'd lose myself in it. I wanted something real, I wanted to become more authentic and connect more with people. Real stuff, not through Tinder or social media. It was scary. I felt so vulnerable and uncomfortable and naked and fragile. But I told her how I saw things, as honest as possible. It was something I hadn't thought of. What if it all was an elaborate lie I had been telling myself? What if this one wasn't different at all from the others? What if this was just me continuing my old patter of using relationships to escape my problems? But I'm facing my problems now. I try to tackle stuff daily. I'm doing what I love now and I won't be held back. I am stronger now, more in touch with myself. And I didn't feel like I lacked connection with anybody. I didn't feel lonely. Sure, I missed romance, but not to the point where I'd actually go looking for a relationship to compensate that. I like the rush of falling in love as much as the next guy, but the way we talk, the way we both view the world? It's not something we're both telling ourselves to cope with other stuff. We agreed that it all felt too amazing, everything clicked too well to just be some random temporary thing we would use to patch old wounds up. It felt too powerful, our heartbeats too fast, our words too poignant. We both want to see where this leads. You can never be sure of the future, but you can at least figure out who you'd be compatible with. 

That's when our first "I love you" happened. It felt natural and safe. We spent the night at my place and I did feel a little bad for not writing and working on the assignment. But I also strongly feel that it was worth it. Love is important. In this instance, I felt it was okay to let the career come second for a night. I had spent al day being creative and funny on the podcast. We taped 4,5 hours of content. It's official. She's my girlfriend now. 

 

Highlight of the day: Hearing her say that she loves me.

Budget status: No money spent, had a homecooked meal with the GF.

My one goal for tomorrow: Kick ass after work and get to writing and creating and getting shit off my to do list!

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Days without games & porn: 14

Waw. I can't believe I'm pushing 14 days with no porn... I still get urges on the daily. Not nescessarily for porn in itself, but just erotica stuff. Certain pictures, music videos, stuff like that... I have been staying away from all of that for 2 weeks now. It feels healthy but I certainly acknowledge that it has a definite grasp on me.

Today was a productive day. I had a lot of energy when I came back from work. I made a little list of everything that needed doing. Once more it quickly became a long list. But I kept it. By the end of the evening I made sure if anything needed adding and I now have a mere 5 goals for this month and 2 bonus goals (as in, it's not bad if I don't make these but it would be nice). I learned that I needed to prioritize. My writing assignment is a big deal and I'll make quite a bit of money off of it. We're still negotiating but I told them I'd spend 30 days, give them 15 pages of proper stuff and would ask for 2250 in return. For a full month of work, that's only fair. It takes about 3 hours for 500 words if you do it well. It made me realize, if they would accept, that I'd spend a large portion of my time this month on this project. And that's when the social media, the notification, the chores and the dishes, ... it all fell away. It's not important right now. I shouldn't stress over this. Sure, it's nice to be in a living room that's clean instead of messy. But if there's nothing written, there's no money for rent. 

I feel so capable and productive today. Right now I'm tired as fuck. But I feel like I made good choices in terms of what's important to me and where should I spend time on. I think this year will remain focused around that fulcrum: getting enough gigs to build up the freelancing and finding the balance between what is important and what isn't.

 

Highlight of the day: The mixture of emotions I experienced while watching a documentary about Robin Williams, while working on the writing gig and texting my GF. Sadness, creativity and joy all in a few dazzling minutes.

Budget status: Slowly circling the drain. Almost out of money. I'd like to try and make the end of the month without dipping into my savings. I'm pretty sure there's some money coming in next week, depending on how fast the paperwork of the bonus I got will go. It's about 1000. Enough to make the end of the month. Gasoline and internet got paid, dinner with my friends this weekend was expensive. I should watch out what I spend when eating out, this is clearly a cost I need to cut down a little.

My one goal for tomorrow: Cook! Salmon and cream spinach. Bonus goal: Do something from the list after Krav Maga practice. 

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12 hours ago, Phoenixking said:

That's when our first "I love you" happened. It felt natural and safe.

How long have you known your girlfriend? It would be a shame to say and believe such words if there isn't real meaning to it, and meaning comes with time in love's case. Years. Being in love comes easy and fast, but it's dangerous to exchange potentially empty words. Be careful with your heart, and hers. Be cautious and realistic. 

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9 hours ago, Phoenixking said:

Days without games & porn: 14

Waw. I can't believe I'm pushing 14 days with no porn... I still get urges on the daily. Not nescessarily for porn in itself, but just erotica stuff. Certain pictures, music videos, stuff like that... I have been staying away from all of that for 2 weeks now. It feels healthy but I certainly acknowledge that it has a definite grasp on me.

Today was a productive day. I had a lot of energy when I came back from work. I made a little list of everything that needed doing. Once more it quickly became a long list. But I kept it. By the end of the evening I made sure if anything needed adding and I now have a mere 5 goals for this month and 2 bonus goals (as in, it's not bad if I don't make these but it would be nice). I learned that I needed to prioritize. My writing assignment is a big deal and I'll make quite a bit of money off of it. We're still negotiating but I told them I'd spend 30 days, give them 15 pages of proper stuff and would ask for 2250 in return. For a full month of work, that's only fair. It takes about 3 hours for 500 words if you do it well. It made me realize, if they would accept, that I'd spend a large portion of my time this month on this project. And that's when the social media, the notification, the chores and the dishes, ... it all fell away. It's not important right now. I shouldn't stress over this. Sure, it's nice to be in a living room that's clean instead of messy. But if there's nothing written, there's no money for rent. 

I feel so capable and productive today. Right now I'm tired as fuck. But I feel like I made good choices in terms of what's important to me and where should I spend time on. I think this year will remain focused around that fulcrum: getting enough gigs to build up the freelancing and finding the balance between what is important and what isn't.

 

Highlight of the day: The mixture of emotions I experienced while watching a documentary about Robin Williams, while working on the writing gig and texting Elien. Sadness, creativity and joy all in a few dazzling minutes.

Budget status: Slowly circling the drain. Almost out of money. I'd like to try and make the end of the month without dipping into my savings. I'm pretty sure there's some money coming in next week, depending on how fast the paperwork of the bonus I got will go. It's about 1000. Enough to make the end of the month. Gasoline and internet got paid, dinner with my friends this weekend was expensive. I should watch out what I spend when eating out, this is clearly a cost I need to cut down a little.

My one goal for tomorrow: Cook! Salmon and cream spinach. Bonus goal: Do something from the list after Krav Maga practice. 

Nice job for your streak!!!

I'm also tackling those two stepping stones at the same time!

Edited by dirkj3
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16 hours ago, fawn_xoxo said:

How long have you known your girlfriend? It would be a shame to say and believe such words if there isn't real meaning to it, and meaning comes with time in love's case. Years. Being in love comes easy and fast, but it's dangerous to exchange potentially empty words. Be careful with your heart, and hers. Be cautious and realistic. 

Oh, only a few weeks. It's all very new and fun and addictive. You know, the whole pink cloud part of a new relationship ? I appreciate your concern, but you needn't worry. I guess it's a language thing. Where I'm from, there's several tiers of 'I love you'. We use different verbs that basically mean the same thing, but in a more intense way. It's like the difference between "I like you" and "I love you", or "I love you" and "I truly deeply love you with all my heart." I guess our first tier would be just saying that I like her and the tier two words we exchanged would be more along the lines of "I've fallen for you very intensely".


I admit it's all going rather fast. I appreciate you giving me a reality check. I totally need those from time to time. But everything feels very safe. We do talk ALOT. We're very open in our communication. Honestly, I've never connected so well with somebody so fast. But it just feels right, I guess? When I take a step back at look at it now, it does seem to be going a little fast. After all, I am the type that dives into these things and it turns out she's similar in that aspect. So that's totally a factor. But I mean well with her and so does she. We know exactly what the other feels and thinks because we keep talking about that. It's kind of nice to be with somebody who's as emotionally verbal as me. And she finally feels understood in that way because her exes were rather blunt in comparison to me.

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Days without games & porn: 15

The quest giver returned! He asked for more pages and offered more money. This shit is crazy. This gig now pays my monthly wage I make at the office for 20 pages of writing. I am fully commited to this but I'm scared how much time I have. I keep putting things into my planner. I'll probably skip practice Thursday to have an evening to myself to write. 

When I came home I immediately took to cooking, salmon and spinach. I ate some too but kept the rest. Light dinner is better when you've got Krav Maga. Practice was fun. 

When I came back I set out to do a million things. I wanted to write and maybe do a few other things on my list. I finished all of the social media stuff (not the distracting kind, the kind where you actually agree on dates, get gigs, do some PR, finetune some appointments, ...), I put in a load of laundry and hung it out do dry, I made a boatload of mashed potatoes, I collected and sent all of my proper poems I'll use to perform with soon to my work-email so I can print them out and I play Hot Fuzz in the background as part of my research for the police thing I'm writing. 

I was supposed to do only one thing, but I kicked ass at several things. But now it's really late again and I'll not sleep for a bit. So while it's awesome I progressed and finally took care of some stuff. And while I did all of it without being distracted, I failed at calming down and being kind to myself: I won't sleep enough tonight (again), I didn't have a proper meal today and was feeling rather woozy and I have another herpes outbreak. Clear signs of me neglecting myself and pushing myself beyond reasonable limits.

So all in all very positive and productive. But just a tad too productive and lost a little focus on taking care of myself. That should be my goal for tomorrow.

Tomorrow I'm shopping for special 18th century clothing with my former FWB. We'd already bought tickets to this cool ball later this month and we need a special outfit. After that I'll have dinner and leave for improv. It's a New Year's reception with food, drinks and games. I look forward to it.

Highlight of the day: The feeling of accomplishment I had when I was ironing my clothes, while watching Hot Fuzz for research, as a pot of potatoes was cooking, laundry was drying and another load was in the washer. I felt so productive and capable of multitasking.

Budget status: This writing gig is paying me about 2750 bucks. I get half that because of taxes. Together with my regular paycheck, I'm safe until the end of March, I feel. Big win.

My one goal for tomorrow: Be kind to yourself and go home after you've had your fill at improv.

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Days without games & porn: 16

Work was boring as usual. But I am getting the feeling of progressing. My Krava Maga skills are improving, slowly but surely. And I printed out all of my poetry material at work today. I feel like the Krav Maga stuff came slowly. Very unlike games, which came with quick and clear progress. But it's not real and not lasting. Krav Maga however will not only save my butt one day, it makes me more fit and more confident. I feel like the progress it's given me is more permanent. It's a bigger deal.

When I came home, it was hard to switch off. I have dedicated a couple of hours tomorrow evening for writing and I need to chill out a little bit. So my goal was to not push myself and have fun at improv and have an early night. It's 11 pm right now so I'll be fine in terms of sleep today. I drank a bit so I'm a tad tired now. I seem to have problems turning off my switch. I keep wanting to work, keep wanting to work through my freelancer emails, keep wanting to write or clean or whatever. I keep wanting to push myself and be productive. I'm happy that I didn't do anything like that today, in practice. But in my mind I can feel the major temptation to do my dishes, clean my place, iron my clothes, ... 

My new girlfriend is going to be spending the night tomorrow. I've given myself about an hour to clean up the place and I'll probably spend the rest of the evening doing writing. We just miss each other so fucking much. It's been 4 days and both of us are going insane without the other. This is such an intense love. I did agree with her that I'll be writing and she's totally welcome here but that I'll be busy. I'm not scared that I'd budge. I'm too proud an artist to not write and cuddle instead. But I am really happy to have somebody in my apartment while I'm doing stuff, though. Reminds me of the days I used to live together with an ex of mine. I like living together with a romantic partner. 

Highlight of the day: Going to this for getting special outfits and clothing. I was fitted and measured and dressed in clothing from 1840. It was so cool! I'll have the outfit for a few days. I am looking forward to it.

Budget status: I paid for the costume & and for a freelancer workshop revolving around money management and mental health. I'm almost actually broke. I might have to dip into the savings. I still have to get my bonus, though. I just hope I get it on time. I'll make the end of the month if I get it. I feel like I should really stop spending any money soon but this well paid gig is giving me a feeling of security.

My one goal for tomorrow: Do not sacrifice my writing time for cudding.

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Days without games & porn: 17

Work was annoying. Not because it's boring, that's no longer a shocker. But because I'm used to being able to pull of some subterfuge. I was just busy with a lot of stuff all the time. I was able to stealthily print out some pages for my poetry gig at the end of the month, though. I did little things, but I couldnt shake the feeling that I was really being productive in the sense that I wanted to be. I did manage to work on my writing gig a bit. I put in a lot of effort to not be caught with any illicit activities. So it's a tad hard to actually get any writing done during office hours.

I had agreed to see the GF tonight. I cancelled Krav Maga because I just needed a few hours to work and write with focus and gusto. We missed each other so fucking much though. We agreed I'd write but with her in the room, just doing her own thing. Like a healthy couple should be, we don't want to be fused to the hip. So it felt like a nice idea. 

This resulted in a two hour cleaning spree. I was a tad pissed at myself that I couldn't just let my place be the way it was: a dirty writer's lair. But in hindsight, I do feel better now and it's a tad more efficient and feels better to write in a cleared out living room. I also didn't want her company to distract me but in the end she came rather late so we're all good. I got some good work done and I feel rather accomplished. I've got the bug now! I can't wait to continue my work! Next writing session will probably be Sunday evening. 

She's going to be here any second and I'm so relaxed. The place is clean, I showered, laundry is done, so are the dishes and my writing has progressed. I feel so accomplished! 

Highlight of the day: The feeling of relaxation and comfort after a day of work, cleaning and writing.

Budget status: I had to dip into the savings. I hope my bonus comes along soon. I had to pay for an improv weekend in May. I had already agreed before this whole budgeting spiel. I am proud of myself though! GF had asked me to go to dinner next week and I was able to refuse! Old, people pleasing me would have gone with her but I held to my promise to myself and reeled it in. But later I discovered that she was meaning to introduce me to her friends and close colleagues at that dinner and that after that, they were going to go to this New Year's reception event at their workplace. So I kinda wanna make a good impression, stuff like this is important to me. So I agreed. It's not like I'm totally broke, I just have to watch what I spend.

My one goal for tomorrow: Try and do something productive before I go out and celebrate the weekend and dive into multiple dates with GF (We're getting drinks on Friday with her friends, Saturday is a walk in the park with a dog from the pet adoption place, Saturday evening she's coming to my improv gig and we might go out after that, Sunday morning we have a free city festival planned. Note how more than half of this are free activities!)

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Days without games & porn: 18

GF was here last night. I felt off. I felt tired, not myself... Maybe it was all of the writing. It uses up my mojo, my creative juices. I felt that I wasn't mentally there for her. I wanted to give her the best of myself, but I couldn't and that made me super insecure. We giggle a little bit over the fact that I was eating ice cream. I had a craving and I deserved a reward for my productive writing session. But the insecurity struck and made it all bigger in my mind. Suddenly I was aware of effeminate I was. I'm no macho. But I do martial arts and have a proper male body and a beard and stuff. I'm not the epitome of masculinity but I'm no androgynous type either. Not that it should matter, what the definition of male and female is, is totally relative anyway and you should just be happy with who you are and give no fucks about expectations like being more masculine or not. But it still gnawed at me. Despite rationally know it's ludicrous. It made me hella insecure, and what do I do when I'm insecure? I crack wise about it, to show that I'm fine with it, that I can joke around with it and be okay. But I wasn't. The entire evening felt off. 

But we talked about it. As we do (Thank heavens). We seem to be able to and actually talk about everything. We agreed we were probably going a tad too fast. We agreed that the previous 'I love you' was a tad too much but that it's okay because it felt right to both of us at that moment. It was a hormone-fueled nirvana-esque blur. And we'd not seen each other a few days, texted incessantly, so it had all gotten built up too much. It's also because it's all very new to us. We don't know each other very well yet and we need to take that into account. Both of us are used to being the giving party in a relationship instead of the receiving party. Suddenly, there's this new dynamic. Both of us are givers. I've read in books and articles about relationships and power dynamics that usually there's a dominant person and a follower and that we tend to settle into roles we're used to or are comfortable with. And that that can lead to healthy relationships because you are where you are used to being (sub or dom) or bad relationships like one where's there's some kind of abuse involved. But nevertheless, it's there and it's a factor to keep in the back of your mind. This is probably me overthinking this, but I hope this element won't be too huge a speedbump. 

We talked about this too and both of us got a tad sad and scared. We discovered through that that we really cared about each other and we didn't want to lose this, that this all feels so healthy and such a huge step forward. For both of us, the other is a clear break in patterns. She's used to macho assholes who tend to just do whatever the fuck they want and she's dabble along with them. Even to the point where her ex just kept her on the hook as a FWB but also trying to sabotage the friendships her and their mutual friends. She loves that I'm sensitive and such a great listener. I feel so comfortable around her. I'm used to a bit more conflict in a relationship. She seems to be so open, so kind and warm. I'm not used to somebody wanting to genuinely see who I am without expectations. I feel so oddly free. I get to be myself. And I guess that's why I freaked out. I AM a tad more like my grandma than anybody I know. I love baking cakes, eating ice cream, drinking red wine and talking about my feelings. Sex is just as much about the physical desire and lust as it is about how you feel and what the mood is like. I guess I'm just a tad insecure about myself because I feel so naked and vulnerable around her and that freaks me out a little bit. She's so easygoing, it's bringing out a whole other side of me. Not that I used to act like I was somebody else in previous relationships, but there's a clear difference I feel. We both notice this. We both acknowledge that we are a positive influence and a step in a good direction. We just both hope we can make it work, we're really keen to see where this could go. But we're both rather emotional creatures. It makes the highs higher and the lows lower. But we've both already found peace with that part of our personality. I'd rather be a candle that burns brighter than longer.

In short, work was a tad more fun because the changes are coming. My replacement was officially announced. A colleague talked to me about training and education because I'll be helping him out in Sales. My freelancing is picking up. It made the day fun. Though I did splurge and ate fast food with my colleagues for lunch. I wanted to get rid of the thunderclouds in my brain from last night. When I came home I watched Critical Role, drank a beer, fell asleep, ate a pint of B&J's, more Critical Role and I totally ignored everything else. Kindness! Relaxation! And now I'll shower, shave and spruce myself up for a party! I'll be meeting a few friends of GF's for the first time. Exciting ? 

 

Highlight of the day: My colleague asking me if I have any experience in cold calling or scientific instruments and him suggesting we get together and he train me.

Budget status: The bonus is coming at the end of the month. So I'll have to make due with what I have. Yikes. At least my next paycheck will be double with the bonus added to it. And my writing gig pays me midway February. So I'll have a nice, comfortable remainder of the winter before I go to Japan. But I'll still have to mind my money because Japan will be crazy and when I come back, there's still going to be bills to pay! ? 

My one goal for tomorrow: Try to let go of my fear of dogs and enjoy my walk with GF in the park with one of the dogs from the pet asylum thing.

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Days without games & porn: 20

Well, this was a crazy weekend! ? 

There was partying, discipline, my mom and some pretty serious love going around. I'll try and keep it short, but it was an amazing weekend.

I met GF's friends Friday night. They all seem like a fun bunch of people! Afterwards she told me that her friends texted her and found that she had picked up a great and attractive guy. I was nervous to make a good impression, but it seems it's all going rather well. Her ex popped up, though. From what I've been told by her, he's a bit of an emotionally constipated egomaniac. Doesn't really thing of others and just does whatever he wants. I still wonder why that whole group puts up with him, but who am I to judge? When he reared his head, I kept my cool and was just not impressed with him. I'm very proud that I was able to focus my attention on dancing, having fun and being there for her if the whole thing went south. Her ex is part of her friends group. Some of them are torn because of this. He doesn't want anything to do with her or me. But he does tend to text her and was told not to come into the club towards us, but did it anyway. I don't think he's handling himself, his emotions or us dating very healthily. But it's not really affecting me or her. Emotionally, I feel strong and confident. I'm not sure he would, but if things go really bad and it gets physical? I've got my Krav Maga skills now to back me up. It'll probably never happen. But it feels amazing to be so confident about it all.

She and I are doing great. We spent the better part of Saturday and Sunday in bed. Partly because of the parties we went to and we were a tad hung over, but mainly because of the sex and the connections and the talking. There was a certain point where both of us were crying in the other's arms... We both feel so safe and secure with the other person. We both try our best to listen, communicate and make the other feel at ease and loved. It's incredible. I never knew this was even possible! At a certain point she told me that she's so amazed by me. That my background should have left me shattered and destroyed. That it would have been easy for me to sulk, flee in booze or worse, be a way worse person that I am today. But instead I radiate fun and kindness, I dare to follow my dreams and ambitions. I try to spread love and joy into the world despite everything. She said that she saw and understood how much energy and bravery it all must have taken and that she was in awe of that and who I had become in the process. This is where I started to cry, held her ever so closely, buried my face in her neck and shoulder and admitted that I've always secretly dreamed of having a significant other seeing that inner strength. I always downplay that aspect of myself. My battered and bruised heart is still as strong as Hercules. It wasn't long before she was crying as well. Because about an hour later she was admitting her insecurities about her intellect or creativity. I eased her by telling her that I'd fallen for the warmth in her heart, her kindness and her acceptance. Through her tears she told me that she'd never imagined a partner being so supportive and loving. I held her very tightly after that. I think this a very, very powerful start to what could be a life changing relationship. I am very, very grateful.

And then there was mom. My aunt gave a little family brunch thing at her new place and I'd been thinking of giving my mom some sort of a pep talk after hearing from my sister that she'd been doing awfully. Despite the beef we have, I still care about her and had set out to remind her of how strong a person she was. I am very proud of myself for being able to set aside my differences with her and speak up like that. It was hard, though. The first thing she'd done when she came into my aunt's place was berate the way it looked. That's not really polite, it's very rude and crass. Who the hell does that when they enter the new home of a close relative? My sister knew of what I wanted to say to our mother and suggested she came with. We all went into a separate room and my sis took the lead. I then continued after she's set the stage. Mom was rather.... unresponsive. Her body language could not have been more closed off. I told her that I wanted to set everything aside for a minute and express to her that I was worried. I asked her if she was absolutely sure that what she was doing, the partner she was with, where she lived, ... If it all was actually making her happy. I told her that she used to be this amazing, strong amazon and that I just want what's best for her.

But she kept her upper lip firm and stiff. Despite her body language and the slow and subtle sobbing in between her words, the tears slowly escaping her eyes, she maintained that she was perfectly fine, everything was the way she wanted it to be, she wasn't aware that she and I were fighting and she even gave my sister a hard time for telling me how badly she was doing. She pressed on to say that said distress was for her to cope with, in the privacy of her own home, that my sister had no business telling me and that it was all just a momentary thing. My sister and I let go at that point. She wasn't budging. It was crystal clear that she was just guarding herself and denying that anything was wrong at all, to the point where it was ridiculous. I pity her. We have a therapy session in 2 weeks. I feel like she is the one that would benefit from it the most but sadly she's also not exactly excited about the idea. She's very much in denial. My sister once told her that she has a choice: be stubborn or be happy. I hope that one day she can learn to be a bit more at peace with herself and the way she feels.

 

Highlight of the weekend: Tears of happiness, moments of deep connection, tender kisses and joy with GF. 

Budget status: Took out 60 bucks in cash to pay for drinks and such. I had a couple of cocktails. I could have saved some money there. When you have had a few beers already, you tend to get a little bit loose with money. I should learn from this to not take out too much cash at once. Also paid 400 bucks because of Japan. My travel partner has been fronting me and my savings account is partially meant to make sure I can pay for Japan so it felt like common courtesy to pay her a couple of hundred. The entirety of the trip will cost us about 2000, without souvenirs or food or splurges. I still reckon it's very doable since my bonus and my savings will pay for all of that, easily. They money I'll be making and saving nowadays is meant to make sure I don't end up broke in a few months when I'm part-timing and freelancing.

My one goal for tomorrow: Not lose too much energy at work. Because I want to come home, cook and do some random shit and then get to writing! I'd love to have enough energy to get me through a whole evening of writing ? 

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Days without games & porn: 21

I'm three weeks clean of porn ànd games. The latter is not longer a major issues. The former is ... different.

I've been having a really difficult evening in terms of not relapsing.

Work was boring, as usual. I actually had shit to do today so no secret personal projects. I even had a bit of training about learning to sell devices that measure particle size. It was all very difficult and theoretical but at least something that breaks the daily drudgery. I had a brief talk with my supervisor a few moments before. She mentioned being displeased with me and that I lacked focus and concentration (well, duh, you got me doing the most boring shit ever). She told me that she didn't want to get cross with me and that I needed to step my game up and be less chatty. I had a little bit of an internal giggle. So what? What would happen? She'd get angry? So what? Anger is nothing scary. Heck, even getting fired wouldn't be scary at this point, it'd be almost a relief. In the middle of it all she asked why I was so laid back and didn't take any of it serious, I didn't really have anything poignant to say so I blurted out that I just simply didn't care. That I felt like a number and felt very replaceable. That I felt like I was just expected to keep my head down, don't say anything that might disturb the status quo in any way, don't go in against authority and just do my job and sit quietly at my desk. She said that she was surprised I felt that way, was sorry I looked at it all like that and hoped that I would change my outlook on things. I found that all very silly and smallminded. She shouldn't be suprised because I told her all of this a while back during my employee review. And it's not my responsability to change my outlook. You want me to care about my job? Then do something with that information I just gave you. You're my employer, motivate me, help me care, find ways to keep my morale up. That's what leadership is: caring about others and helping them grow. I don't think it's difficult to understand why I feel like this. There's a boss that actually laughs at me, out loud, when I yawn because I'm tired because of all the work I'm doing. He literally made a whole spiel of laughing all the way back to his office after that small encounter. What a dick. That's not how a boss should act. It's ludicrous. The whole company management uses no positive reinforcement whatsoever, when something happens, you get berated or push down back to your place. Whatever they do, it's a negative backlash. Like a parent using only punishments when their kids mess up, but never building up their confidence.

Sometimes I really, really hate working there. The boss reminds me of my dad. Blind to everybody but himself and his needs. Takes no criticism and takes the better part of stuff launched at him personally. They all seem like a bunch of emotionally handicapped nitwits sometimes.

I set out to cook this evening, do some random stuff like ironing or go through my inbox. But I just couldn't... I could feel it creeping up. The urge to watch porn or some equivalent clawed itself up my spine and settled in the back of my mind. It's still there, right now, waiting to pounce. I can feel myself starting to slip. I stopped and breathed and asked myself why. Why now, what am I feeling and how to we alter it. How do we deal with this like a healthy, breathing, living person? I know I don't actually want porn, actual sex or love or inner peace is waaaay better. I want relief from the stress I'm feeling. The stress of the shit that happened at work today. Relief from the pressure of needing to to the household chores and cooking healthily, of needing to write and check my emails and so on... So much pressure, so much shit that needs doing. Sometimes it's really like I'm drowning in a sea of small tasks that feel impossible. 

I ate ice cream. I tried chocolate. I had a cocktail. I watched Critical role. I watched funny YouTube videos and scoured Reddit for a while. I thought of meditating but the scrolling took over. It's been hours now. I still can't shake the feeling of wanting that relief. I'd feel horrible tomorrow but I just want to run away from it all for just one night. I want to lose myself in some kind of binge. I know it's horrible but I can hear the monkey on my back whispering, flirting with me. "You have other nights where you can write, it'll be fine. Just one night. You'll feel better, I promise. You know you want to. You're stressed and you're not able to figure out right now what to do. This might be a bad decision. But it's normal to relapse. It's a temporary thing. Just one night and you're good for another few weeks. You seems so empty and sad and jittery at the same time. I could make it all go away and turn it all numb." 

-edit-

I figured it'd be wise to call GF before I do anything stupid. I didn't tell her about the urge. It's a tad sensitive and a little private. I don't know her well enough to share this part of my struggles yet. The call did wonders for my mood. I was able to vent and share what I thought and felt. We've set up a coffee date before work tomorrow morning! ? I'm so happy. it's so romantic! We'll have an hour to cuddle and talk and drink coffee together! We talked about work. Her job is as boring as mine, if not worse. Employers suck. Nobody actually cares about what's truly important. It's all about profits, numbers and margins... Anyway, I'm happy and proud that I reached out to her instead of sliding into a bad decision.

Highlight of the day: Calling GF and feeling the stress slide off of me.

Budget status: I'm going to feel better when I see my paycheck at the end of the month, plus my bonus. And then I'll feel at ease when I see my writing gig getting paid halfway through February. Didn't spend anything today.

My one goal for tomorrow: Enjoy Krav maga and give it my all. Maybe try and do something productive afterwards.

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Days without games & porn: 22

I started my day really early. An hour earlier than usual. I also went to sleep rather late. Both are because of GF. We had a morning date. We had coffee at the place we met. It was original, lovely, romantic and a great way to start the day after last night. I soon lost that extra energy it gave me due to the repetitivity of my office job. Tuesdays suck because my colleague isn't there so there's no actual stimuli apart from my boring daily drudgery.

I kept losing energy. I felt like a rag at 3 pm. I feel so burned out. So empty. Everything feels like such a chore. Like there's this endless list of stuff I HAVE TO DO and it never ends...

I've been reading a lot about burnouts and millenials. I need to keep an eye on myself and make sure I don't go batshit insane. Because I feel like a lot of this is a mental exercise. There's nobody forcing this on me. I just need some perspective, some change.

Krav Maga hit the spot so bad! Omfg, I enjoyed it so much. I'm happy I went. I had reservations (laziness mainly) but I'm very proud I bit through that and went anyway.

I arranged some stuff when I got home but mostly chilled out.

Highlight of the day: That feeling after practice. Accomplishment for pushing myself to my limits. Beers afterwards. Being productive afterwards at home. A good evening well spent.

Budget status: Paid 65 bucks for a big event for freelancers and storytellers. Full day of workshops and keynotes about storytelling. Also a networking event. I feel like it's a good investment. I got the early bird discount so that's pretty positive. Spent another 16 bucks on a ticket for a special comedy gig. I am strongly looking forward to seeing that paycheck arrive. I hate being so afraid to become actually broke.

My one goal for tomorrow: When I come home, GF will drop by at some point to watch 'Unbreakable' with me. Knowing myself, I'll do just about 1000 things before she comes over. So my goal is to properly let go of everything as soon as she walks through that door ? 

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Days without games & porn: 23

So everything hurts. Krav Maga was brutal. I do feel battered and bruised but I notice a difference. I'm not as sore as I used to be after a rough practice. I hit harder and dodge faster. I'm still new and I still fuck up a lot. But I can take ànd dish out a punch now. I feel progress. I feel confident. And I'm aware of that and it feels great to be able to say that I've improved at something that's not gaming.

Work was a tad more fun, mainly due to my colleague returning. 

This evening was rather uneventful. Making food and doing chores and cleaning up the place. I'm going to rehearse my poetry a little bit and iron some clothes. GF is coming over to watch a movie.

Highlight of the day: My podcast being mentioned on another podcast. It's a comedy podcast that I listen to and sometimes write letters to. They read them out loud on the episode. One of the other listeners sent a letter and suddenly started referring to little old me! It turns out that he knows my name from my own D&D-podcast! How cool is that? He went on to praise it and it just blew my mind!

Budget status: Paid 5,55 bucks for a bread and some cheese. I think I could save a lot of money if I went grocery shopping more. Food is cheaper there. I usually buy my bread fresh at a baker's and they have this fridge full of breakfast meats and cheeses and stuff... I could save way more if I just ate Nutella. It's like 100 sandwiches per jar, whereas a packet of cheese is only a couple of sandwiches. Or maybe I'm overthinking this...

My one goal for tomorrow: After I visit my friend to help him out with his D&D character, try to mentally drop everything and write a couple of pages for my freelancer assignment.

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20 hours ago, Phoenixking said:

Days without games & porn: 23

So everything hurts. Krav Maga was brutal. I do feel battered and bruised but I notice a difference. I'm not as sore as I used to be after a rough practice. I hit harder and dodge faster. I'm still new and I still fuck up a lot. But I can take ànd dish out a punch now. I feel progress. I feel confident. And I'm aware of that and it feels great to be able to say that I've improved at something that's not gaming.

Work was a tad more fun, mainly due to my colleague returning. 

This evening was rather uneventful. Making food and doing chores and cleaning up the place. I'm going to rehearse my poetry a little bit and iron some clothes. Elien is coming over to watch a movie.

Highlight of the day: My podcast being mentioned on another podcast. It's a comedy podcast that I listen to and sometimes write letters to. They read them out loud on the episode. One of the other listeners sent a letter and suddenly started referring to little old me! It turns out that he knows my name from my own D&D-podcast! How cool is that? He went on to praise it and it just blew my mind!

Budget status: Paid 5,55 bucks for a bread and some cheese. I think I could save a lot of money if I went grocery shopping more. Food is cheaper there. I usually buy my bread fresh at a baker's and they have this fridge full of breakfast meats and cheeses and stuf... I could save way more if I just ate Nutella. It's like 100 sandwiches per jar, whereas a packet of cheese is only a couple of sandwiches. Or maybe I'm overthinking this...

My one goal for tomorrow: After I visit my friend to help him out with his D&D character, try to mentally drop everything and write a couple of pages for my freelancer assignment.

What do you do on your podcast? Is it a game that you play and record? I'd definitely go grocery shopping at a huge store if you have those. I spend 50.00 a week and it works. I agree with the colleague returning statement. I hate my career, but love my coworkers. So it's just nice to see people you like. 

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4 hours ago, BooksandTrees said:

What do you do on your podcast? Is it a game that you play and record? I'd definitely go grocery shopping at a huge store if you have those. I spend 50.00 a week and it works. I agree with the colleague returning statement. I hate my career, but love my coworkers. So it's just nice to see people you like. 

It's basically a recorded D&D session. There's no video so we try to be as descriptive as possible. There's 4 players, our DM and a guest star. We record long sessions that we edit into 2-3 episodes and release about 2-3 of those per month. We have built up a following of about 100-150 core listeners and about 300 casual ones. I try to help out with the social media but I've been a bit overwhelmed. It's pretty cool to see the reactions. It's totally going beserk nowadays. We're getting a couple of celebrities as guests this year. I never dreamt it would go this fast. All props go to the DM, the audio engineer and the dude who started it all. I just do funny voices and crack wise. They do all the actual work.

I should totally go shopping more but I'm so stretched out sometimes. Grocery shopping makes me really anxious so I tend to avoid it. I eat lots of veggies and fruit though, but all of it frozen so it lasts longer in my fridge/freezer and so I don't have to make multiple trips. It feels like such a waste of time to go shopping each week. It's just around the corner though. Maybe I don't like spending the scratch?

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Days without games & porn: 24

Soon I'll be free from porn for a month. It's still a struggle sometimes. I haven't told the girlfriend about how hard it is sometimes. I find that it's a very private matter. Despite us being able to talk about just about anything. Addiction is a strange creature. 

Sometimes, like today, a thought just pops into my head. An urge, a want, a need. And I can totally feel how easy it would be. No resistance present. I could just do it. Nobody would stop me. Normally I'd feel disgust of have enough mental strength to fight it off. But this time I was lucky to not be home and be busy. I know I'd feel sad or angry or empty afterwards. It's not worth it at all and I'd feel worse. I guess it's just surprising and annoying that this itch is still there. I wish it would go away.

I watched a couple of minutes of streaming today. I have a few friends who livestream games. I logged into Twitch for a few minutes to say hello, give my support and then I skidaddled. I didn't really feel anything, to be honest. If I think about it a bit longer, I don't understand the insane attraction anymore. Sure, the story might be great. But not spending all that time and money on games feels like a natural choice nowadays.

I did something rather crude last night. I've always believed that the passion, the viability of a couple can be measured through a kiss. A proper kiss is a good sign, a mismatched kiss is a bad sign. You know the spiel, right? Too much tongue or too little, moving their head the wrong way, stuff like that... I told the girlfriend this. And I must have been a tad tactless. She really took it personal and went into a little panic. It took the better part of the day but we turned it around into agreeing to a kissing date. We'd light candles and play music and just mess around with it. Kissing softly and then hard and seeing what we like. I think that the idea is amazing and great. But I'm also slowly becoming aware of this new relationship. It's rather intense. It takes up time and effort and energy. I am going to need to be aware of how fast it progresses and what I am and am not comfortable with. I think it's healthy that I realize this but I'm a tad dissillusioned that we've hit this speed bump.

I was supposed to write. There's less than 1 month to go. I keep putting it off. I have ideas and stuff, but I don't sit down and write them up. I feel like I should take myself hostage for a few days and just force myself to do it. I'm going crazy over how to start and continue. I'm used to writing when I have discipline. But I keep doing D&D-related stuff, seeing friends or the GF, I keep agreeing to see, go and do so many things that it's getting in my way. If I was already parttiming, I'd have more time and I'd be fine (I think, I hope). But for now, it's really hard... I feel really bad and guilty and am afraid of fucking this up. 

 

Highlight of the day: Seeing my friend and helping him build a character from absolute scratch into something he truly looks forward to playing. I am a happy and proud DM.

Budget status: Spent nothing today. Only have about 1000 left in total. Not going to lie, getting a little bit anxious...

My one goal for tomorrow: Try to relax, make a good impression on GF's colleagues at her work's reception and try not to stress and fret too much about it all.

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Days without games & porn: 26

Friday was a 'fun' day as far as my boring job can be fun. I talked with my colleague a lot and after work I set out with GF to see her closest colleagues and then go to the New Year's Reception of her work. Her friends are loads of fun. I really had a good time. I do notice that GF is way more active than I am. I'd rather talk and get to know people a bit more instead of dance and party. I want to really talk to them and connect. But I'm adventurous, the music was loud and I'm bad at saying 'no'. So  we danced almost all night long. We drank a lot too. We didn't sleep a lot either ?

I woke up hung over, she left for a brunch appointment. She's seeing a lot of people about co-housing. She recently texted me she's found a place and will move soon. It's nearby though.

I went to a special costume store and got my 1850's outfit. My friend and ex-FWB came over to freshen up and get hoisted into her ballroom gown. I was basically doing D&D-stuff all day. Reading up on rules and characters and just about anything that would improve my skills as a DM. I'm hellbent on making sure this Friday's session is way better than the last one. I am nervous but I also totally look forward to it.

Then I went to the costumed party. Now this was in the opera. So it was really fancy, dances were actually being taught and everybody was dressed up as if we'd stepped through a time machine. I forgot about the rest of the world for a few hours. I learned so many new dances, saw new faces and met new people. There was a little bit of flirting here and there and I feel a tinge of guilt about that. I never explicitly said that I was seeing GF. I think I liked the attention. There were so many girls interested in me. I never noticed until recently how many girls make a move on me. The fact that I liked the attention and didn't mention seeing GF made me wonder why I did that. I like attention, sure. But is this a symptom that there's something wrong? I would have never cheated and when prompted would have told them about GF. But I think I was afraid that if I told them about her, they'd no longer want to talk to me. Which is ridiculous, as if my being single would be the only thing of worth. But still. It was there. I felt a tad guilty. I'm probably overthinking this, but I feel like it's healthy to not ignore it.

I'm not sure what is is with GF, but something's off. She spoke of me hitting some sort of barrier and that we just need to get through it. She doesn't like me giving her so many compliments. I'm a very verbal guy. And very enthusiastic. When I like somebody, it's very clear and I shower them with attention. I can be a little bit much, I get that. She told me that putting her up on a throne, like I do, puts a lot of pressure on her to be perfect. She wants me to take it down a notch. And then later she took that back and said that she likes it and just needs to get used to it. But then there's that kissing thing we had recently and we haven't been able to fix it because I push myself so madly in life that I've gotten a new sore on my mouth. Yuck! We've both been tired, a tad sick, and so on. It's just a bit off, I guess. 

It's healthy to look critically at things like a new relationship, I feel. Sometimes I can't help but wonder if it's going to work out. I'd love to have a deep connection with somebody like I did with my ex. I'm just not sure if it's going to be with GF. You can never be sure, obviously, and it takes loads of time. I think I'm just a bit scared. She's got a bit of fear of commitment, I think. And while I understand that and am willing to help her through it and be a kind and understanding boyfriend, I'm also not a schmuck. I'm not going to invest time and my heart into somebody that I don't know very well yet, where I don't get the same stuff back from her. I don't know. It's okay, I guess. I'm just a bit disillusioned. I like the whole cloud nine, lovey dovey gooey stuff.

 

Highlight of the day: D&D stuff and the supercool dances, outfits and opera house.

Budget status: Paid my electricity bill, got back my money from the improv weekend that got cancelled, paid a deposit for my costume from the party (which I'll get back Wednesday), paid for expensive drinks at the opera and a coffee and a sandwich 

My one goal for tomorrow: Be mindful of your limits in terms of food, attention, mental energy...

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Days without games & porn: 27

I was reeeeeeeally tired from the ball. I slept through my alarm! I hurried and ended up being right on time at my friends' for lunch. We talked about my ex (because they also know her rather well) and my new girlfriend and the trials and tribulations of freelancing and finding your path in life and my new girlfriend. The two of them are a great, warm and loving team. Funnily enough, they seemed to have started out in the same way GF and I are. I wonder if it's a good sign.

I went to this workshop about managing your feelings about money as a freelancer or an entrepreneur. It was very educational actually. I could write a lot here about what I learned and who I met and how. But I'm rather tired. In a nutshell it was nice to experience that everybody is scared and worried about the same things. And when I hear somebody speak about the same fears that I have, I noticed that I wanted to encourage them and show them they have nothing to worry about. Which is an interesting insight because I could just as well say the same things to myself ?  it all gave me some mental peace ?

Then I went to the marketing meeting of my improv troupe. It was okay. I was tired and very aware of my risk of burning out. I told them I wanted to help bring the social media and copywriting to a new level. But that I wanted to wait until spring because of the part-timing and freelancing. I need to get stuff off my plate first. I'm proud for having set that boundary and was looking out for myself. I did that again a bit later when I ordered food. I was famished and needed actual food. I would have eaten simple cereal because of the saving money stuff. But I felt it was important to spend some scratch to nourish my body. No regrets, the burrito was amazing.

I talked to GF about the odd feeling I'd been getting from her. We worked things out ? I'm happy there's so much communication between us. I have a lot of stuff to do this week. D&D-related stuff but also two nights of writing, some improv and then there's the weekend where I'll be going to The Netherlands to go and write on location. I still need to figure out the time schedule on that one and what will be expected of me and how and when and so on. I haven't really done a lot yet. So I'm a tad anxious to start that conversation. Because I want to set clear lines for that weekend. The dude has a reputation for blending work and private life and I won't have that. GF expressed she likes the city I'd be going to and I'd like to be able to take her along with me if possible. So that's a little thing I'll keep for Monday or Tuesday after I've gotten some work done. I should probably get the contract sent too.

 

Highlight of the day: The workshop about money and anxiety

Budget status: I spent money on getting food delivered. It was a conscious move and I don't regret it.

My one goal for tomorrow: Create a cool D&D character with and for my friend.

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Days without games & porn: 28

I'm really tired so I'll try to keep this short.

Work plans have changed drastically. The girl who was supposed to be my replacement flaked out. So for now I'm stuck doing my full-time job. But also am already freelancing. The workload is immense and I can feel my levees start to break. I'm going to see if I can have a talk tomorrow about all of this. I'd like to say something along the lines of "Replacement or not, I'm going part-time on the first of March and there's nothing you can do to change that.", but less antagonizing.

My friend dropped by and we created a cool character. It's still missing some body here and there and I'm curious to see how he's going to play her. I thoroughly look forward to our D&D-session on Friday. I cancelled another D&D-related appointment later this week. I want to manage myself and my time a bit more. I don't want to burn out. I am learning to say 'no' to stuff ?

I have a 2 hour phone call with my gf. I'm seeing her tomorrow and we're going to be visiting the new place she's moving into. She's moving on the 1st of February in all likelihood. I might bump into her dad while we're moving and helping out. Her parents see how happy she is and how she feels and they're rather curious about me. Her mom was embarassed that she was caught by GF, apparently she'd looked me up on Facebook and let slip that she thought my eyes showed kindness. I found that compliment very flattering but also that she's curious about who I am. I also told GF about quitting porn. She was super cool about it and even admired it. She really is one of a kind. She's so open and accepting. We sometimes say to each other that we're good and healthy matches for one another.

I can still feel the porn urge from time to time. But for now we're good. I hope I don't crack. Sometimes it feels like it's so innocent, so harmless. But I'd feel bad afterwards again.

 

Highlight of the day: Cancelling the D&D thing. Saying 'no' feels empowering and as if I'm taking care of myself.

Budget status: Getting paid soon. Yay!

My one goal for tomorrow: Write. Let go of just about anything, make an actual effort to write for my cop gig.

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Days without games & porn: 30

Holy shit, it's ONLY been a month without porn? Fuck... It feels like forever. I'm really struggling nowadays. I'm stressed and tired. I feel like I'm burning out. I need to seriously make some kind of change soon or this is going to break me. I'm getting sick too. I have been rather demanding of myself lately. There's just so much to do, I can't cope. There's the huge workload of freelancing stuff. An ever-growing to-do list, household chores and all of the stuff I do for my hobbies. Then there's the job I hate that totally drains me. It's horrible. I feel like I've sprung some sort of leak.

It's not the sex that draws me to the porn, it's the release of happy chemicals in my brain. I know. It's fleeing, coping, running away from it all. It's artificially making myself feel happier. I know. But how do you deal with all of this? It's like I need more hours in a day. Even the smallest pebbles are starting to feel like huge boulders I have to move. I'm afraid that I might actually need help working through this... Not that I'm aversed to therapy or coaching, it's just that admitting to required that extra hand is similar to admitting this is way bigger than I thought and that's a little uncomfortable to realize... I really am getting a little bit afraid that I'm circling the drain. My health is deteriorating.

I didn't write last night. I don't really remember what I did. I ate, I relaxed and I did D&D-stuff. I took a day off tomorrow to make sure I actually finally write something (ARGH!). I'm meeting with my 'clients' this weekend. So that's basically a 7-day workweek. The first of many, I fear. I have to start my freelancing stuff now or I'll not make rent when I start part-timing. But it's so hard. I'm getting sick, so I didn't really do anything tonight. It felt nice to not force myself to do stuff. But my ironing is piling up, my livingroom is a mess, there's so many dishes, trash needs taking out, I need to cook and mealprep or I won't have anything to eat... I feel like I'm drowning in common household problems. 

I talked to HR at work and they're being dicks. I expressed that I'm the one who's getting the short end of the deal. I keep working full-time so the company doesn't really have any problems, also because it's in my contract. The agreement was that I'd start part-timing when they found a replacement. But I have already started the freelancing train. Stuff's moving. I emphasized that I have calibrated my whole life around that agreement. She was rather short en dismissive. 

I swear to fucking everything that is valuable to me, I will fucking walk out of there if I have to. I will not burn out because middle management are a bunch of self-centered assholes. 

...

I need a fucking vacation to get my energy and physical strength back. And when I have all of that back, I'd spend a day or two getting food, mealprepping and cleaning. And after that I'd spend àll my time trying to get my freelancing stuff up and running. Auditions, a website, LinkedIn and social media, headshots, ... When I take a step back it all seems so simple and doable. 

*sigh* I guess I'll just go to sleep and see what tomorrow brings. Right?

... 

 

Right?

 

Highlight of the day: Falling asleep with the girlfriend in my arms. Allowing myself to do nothing and just chillax on the couch.

Budget status: Bought groceries. Very much looking forward to getting paid soon. 

My one goal for tomorrow: Write. Let go of just about anything, make an actual effort to write for my cop gig. Also cook food with lots of fresh veggies.

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I feel like you're doing too much right now and trying to accomplish too much.  I wonder if you've been needing the same thing I just experienced.  Are you fully aware of the reason you're in this position?  Have you connected enough to unload your stress rather than find ways to deal with it? I'm not healed, I just saw the big picture for the first time after 3 years of therapy and 1 year of this website.

I'm there with you.  The littlest things make me want to snap.  I hate my bird sometimes because I can't focus with him chirping.  But really he's just the easiest thing I can obliterate with my frustration and stress.  If I discover the underlying stressors in my life then I'll be less explosive.  

It's gonna take us a long time to get our moods corrected from too much stimulation.  I get the impression that you have more highs and lows emotionally than a stable mindset of emotions.  Is this true?  I don't want to judge so I wasn't sure.

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When you are used to doing things at work because you have people expecting you to, it is hard to work when nobody is watching, yeah? I have no boss myself, and never had, which is a blessing and a curse. Forcing yourself to work, aka discipline, is necessary in freelancing, I sadly have no other suggestions other than that. It gets easier the more you do it. 

Imho, when you're about to do a professional change like that, it isn't wise for you to prioritize hobbies, going out and other fun activities over setting up and completing your freelancing tasks, because what you are doing is piling up a stress stack awaiting for you and while you do everything else you still have all the things waiting for you at the back of your mind, not letting you enjoy the moment. At least that's my experience back when I gamed and postponed work. 

You don't need days off, you need to stick to your to do list once you're off work, complete things and that's gonna make you feel lighter and satisfied. As a freelancer, I'm often told how lucky I am to not have a boss. People have the impression that if you don't have a boss you magically have all the motivation in the world to work just like people with a boss do , and I want to warn you not to expect yourself to work all day like you describe in the ideal situation. It doesn't consistently happen with anyone I know in the freelancing world, maybe some days are like that, but most aren't when you're an average lazy person like most of us are. Work is work, even if we chose it over a 9to5 job. 

Be realistic, do a few tasks every day and watch the little accomplishments accumulate. The more you linger in doing nothing, the harder it will be to start doing tasks, the easier your bad habits will lure you back. Boredom loves instant gratification.

"Eat your frog. First thing in the day."

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Days without games & porn: 0

It finally happened. I was bound to. I broke. I watched porn, I drank and ate junkfood, procrastinated, ran away from feelings, didn't go to work... You name it. Apart from actually gaming I've just about fucked up everything.

Stress had building up. Working 7 days out of 7 and combining a horrible fulltime job with my demanding freelancing gigs is spiritual suicide. Right now I have a shitload of stuff to write with a deadline set for tomorrow and another one at the end of the week. I might as well shut myself in for a few days and do nothing but write. I feel horrible. The pressure is making me run away from the one thing I need to do right now: sit down and do the work. 

I also have 2 poetry performances this weekend, proper paid gigs with 3 other poets who are counting on me to be there and kick ass but I have yet to rehearse. 

The girlfriend is moving but her new housemate seems rather manipulative. I advised against moving but it seems the wheels have already been set in motion. I didn't have the energy nor did I feel it was my place to really get involved.

Went to family therapy. It started out very hard and cold and brutal. In the end we agreed to text once a week about how we were doing. It's been both odd and nice to get texts from my mom. 

I'm still scared I won't make enough money to make the rent, to travel, to invest in freelancing, ...

I am under a lot of pressure because of all of the above.

 

Grandma died.

 

I had lived with her for a few years. I left my chaotic, broken home when I was 18 and she shelterd me. Don't get me wrong, she was bigoted, mean and crude. But it's grandma, you know? She's been circling the drain for a year or two. She's at peace now. No more physical pain to deal with. She was basically a plant with sentience at the end. No more sight or hearing. A shadow of the person she once was. I'm okay with her death. I'm not a bawling mess. But it still fucked me up. I went to see grandpa. Never saw the man so emotional. My infernal dad is involved in the mess too. My sister was freaked out more because of knowing we'd run into him at the funeral and even worse: we'll have to talk to him and help arrange the funeral. Honestly, I'm not sure what I'll do when I see him. 

So I broke. Because of all of the stress and pressure of all of the above. Because I'm very demanding of myself. And because of that, I've put myself in situations that demand a lot from me. I'm not really sure what to do now. I feel tattered and frayed and everything else is in shatters.

Highlight of the past few days: hugging SO

Budget status: Big paycheck came through. Thank god for breathing room. But I notice that I'm still worried despite the paycheck. So it's not about the amount of money, it's about my stress.

My one goal for tomorrow: Make the deadline. No matter what you have to do to.

Edited by Phoenixking
Anonymity.
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