At the beginning of your road to recovery, it can be difficult to stop the familiar habit of turning to porn and masturbation, even when you want to stop. Sometimes we are blind to some of the simple choices right in front of us that can help us not slip back into our old behavior. These are suggestions and ideas that might help you change some things in your life and have a better outcome.
- Get up and get dressed when you wake up.
- Put on pants and a belt (as opposed to just shorts and no underwear).
- No phone (media browsing) in bed or when alone.
- Charge your phone downstairs or in the kitchen (not on your nightstand).
- No phone while in the bathroom.
- Check-in first thing in the morning.
- Make an action plan for any day off (how will you spend your time).
- No media or TV until…chores done, step work done, journaling done, etc.
- Practice 2 self care activities on day off.
- Practice 1 self care activity on work days.
- Take short showers. Put a timer on your phone to make you get out to turn it off.
- Put a clear shower curtain up to prevent creating a private place where you are naked.
- It should only take 3 seconds to wash your penis. Any more and you are kidding yourself and looking for an excuse for self-stimulation.
- No hands in your pants or shorts. Keep your hands off your penis except for scratching and peeing.
- Don’t walk around the house naked.
- If you have an erection when you wake up, be grateful your body is functioning properly and say “No Thank you” and move on with your day. Some have found it helpful to say it out-loud.
- If you get an unsolicited erection spontaneously during the day, phone it in, be careful of what you choose to do next (stay out of the shower, bathroom, no media) until the trigger passes.
- If you are getting unsolicited lust thoughts (memories, fantasies), phone it in. Ask God for his help. Get into community. Run. Turn from evil.
- Tell your body what is going to happen. Let your will inform your drives and cravings. Tell it to get in line and behave.
- If you have a strong urge to view/browse/binge on stimulating media (soft or hard porn), phone it in. Leave the room, change your environment, flood your head with loud worship music, cry out to God. You are helpless and unable to do this. Call in reinforcements.