Not sure how much people would want to read about this, but I recently started the /r/NoFap challenge. I’ve been abstaining from masturbation because I do it too much. While I don’t feel like I shouldn’t do it at all, I need to get to at least the level of self control where I can do it not at all. Just a few days successfully, and a few weeks of unsuccessful attempts, but I feel like this time it’s really coming along.
This is part of a larger plan to increase my general self control, and a concrete first step while I try other various little things.
What data am I recording? The days since I last did it.
There are TED talks and other things people have said exist that say when you’ve messed up some of your reward circuitry in this way that keeping away from it for a while is a good way to go. I haven’t really looked at them. I don’t claim that it’s the best way for everyone, or that people should abstain in general, but I do know that if I don’t stop entirely for a little while it won’t work. When I give in it’s harder to keep from doing it again and I tend to binge. I suppose I would know if it helps if this goes well.