How are you doing today?
Hit day 7. Working towards day 8. Had an urge. Came here instead. Going to head up to shower and go to bed.
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Way to go friend! 7 day milestone is amazing 
Glad you did not give into the urge 
Keep taking it one moment at a time
Having urges…starting to sit… came here to commit to a plan.
Putting away laundry. Putting sheets on the bed. Watching Sherlock. Scrolling through YouTube shorts is not an option!!!
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No YouTube…you got this💪🏽.
Check out threads here (just for fun threads are great for distractions)…
Do something active like a walk if you can… Just keep yourself busy and remind yourself of what a relapse would mean (play the tape forward as many day here).
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Having a sad realization…I truly don’t know what to do in dead moments without my phone…going to bed and to ponder this in the morning.
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Glad you are getting some sleep and will work on what will help in the dead moments.
Maybe some puzzles, word or number games like sodoku. Meditation helps too if you can find a way to focus. If you use the search bar up top for hobbies you may find some other great ideas.
Coming here to start over again. Jazzy I will look into the search bar of hobbies…but what got me here was the same pattern and a new pattern.
Same pattern: Felt stress, went to phone and eventually pmo
New pattern I am aware of: I spent the better part of 10 days using my phone in a healthy way. But, on days 9 and 10 I noticed a trend where I started to feel anxiety in those moments where I did not have my phone. Like I can’t cognitively think of what else I could possibly do other than going on YouTube. That realization is scary to me and this week I want to focus on that. This week I will become more ok with those moments of silence and inaction. I don’t always have to be doing something. I can just have silence.
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This is true but also dangerous at the beginning stages of our recovery. It is best to make sure you have support and other hobbies/ activities that can keep you busy / occupied.
Have you had a chance to check out what other members are doing to help them through the journey? I know everyone has their own path but maybe something may be helpful. You did gather some days so be proud of that and be proud of coming back here to start your day 1.
One day at a time…this is all we can focus on 
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How are you doing? Haven’t seen you posting in a few days.
I’ve done a lot of soul searching over the past few weeks to truly try to understand what is happening here.
In the end I have come to this conclusion.
I use the internet and PMO to stop the uncomfortable feelings I have from thoughts or situations because my brain immediately PERCEIVES those thoughts as threats that I cannot handle. So, my brain has interpreted the YouTube videos and the PMO as coping. The Youtube freezes me and the PMO forces me to eventually exhale, but then I have another thought based in guilt about the PMO that forces me to return to the cycle and flee again.
So this week I tried something different. I really focused on using coping skills in the moment when I had urges and I realize that my actual goals for the next month should to perceive reality objectively to truly be present, and to stop doing maladaptive coping skills.
I’ve done a terrible job of this today. But, I don’t truly feel like I have tried or cared about this problem as much as I do right now in a very long time.
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Change the stress response. That is my only job today. I understand that my brain tried to have me run away for all these years from perceived threats. But, now I need to change the stress response. My skills today are going to be: 5/7 breathing, taking a deep breath, separating my thought from my environment, and categorizing the triggering thought as non-actionable.
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Great to see you back and posting. Realizing the triggers and having a solid plan on how to work through the. Is awesome.
I loved this. Keep working on your recovery…it’s one day at a time 
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I have not checked in in a little bit. I’ve been busy this week and really have been trying to use coping skills rather than just will power. I’ve been getting stronger. My goal today is to realize that when I have a triggering thought I do not need to run away. I can see that my thoughts are not my present moment. My physical environment is my present moment. That is my focus today. I’ll have many urges to check my phone and get lost today, but I need to be vigilant of the thoughts and redirect myself to the present.
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Great to see you checking in and being so mindful if yourself and your surroundings. Keep working those coping skills my friend. You are doing great
Checking back in to remind myself to put focus and effort into this goal.
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Great work
…glad to see you checking in. ODAAT …keep putting in the work
Have struggled the past month. I don’t have much to say right now but at least coming back here feels like a positive behavior
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It definitely is. Good to see you checking in. Sorry for the hard month.
Sending strength to keep going strong one moment at a time
Sorry to hear of your struggles. Checking in here is so very positive for you as well as us.
Take care of yourself.
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