Substituting an unhealthy obsession with a much healthier one?

[Metalhead]

My addiction to perverted content on the Internet has had me feeling quite down about myself for quite some time. I cut that stuff out of my life some time ago, and I have yet to find a healthy replacement for something that used to take up countless hours of my time.

Movies and video games are not cutting it as a substitute for the unhealthy addiction.

I suppose I could go back to reading books again like I used to do all the time when I was in middle school before my parents decided to start disciplining me by taking my books away from me.

It does not help that the gyms around where I live have been closed for 10 months now.

I developed an overeating addiction over the last year that I am working on curbing currently, I need to find something to replace that with, as well.

How does one go about replacing one unhealthy obsession with a considerably healthier one?

 

[Jacob7715]

I highly recommend that you find ways to increase dopamine. We need to balance our neurotransmitters. When we've been involved in addictions we've depleted our dopamine. Check out dopamine-rich foods on Google.

 

[Aspychata]

This is a hard subject to post about. When l feel frustrated about people pushing me around (too many people wrapped up in who l do or don't date), l tend to grab sweets or carbs. But my gym is open so l am going back again. Maybe you can invest in a treadmill or indoor bike. The bike is excellent for trimming lower body. I really am shocked how fun kettlebells are and you only need about 30 mins a day. l suggest Paul Katami Ultimate Kettlebell Workout. l did this every day when l broke my ankle and this toned and tighten my ab and kept me in shape for 6 months when l could barely walk. Anyways, l hope you try Paul's DVD. l used 12 lb. You probably can go way heavier then that. You just need one Kettlebell and about 30 mins.

 

[Misery]

Honestly? Exploration of different subjects.

There are lots of interesting hobbies and things out there, stuff you'd never guess at. For instance, there is an entire hobby apparently centered around fountain pens, which is something I randomly discovered lately. Like most hobbies, that rabbit hole goes waaaayyyyyyy deep. Youtube channels dedicated to reviewing different fountain pen models and related items? Yep, those exist. Sure surprised me.

Just one example of the sorts of unexpected hobbies you might discover. Look around, and try something completely new. Something not related to the movies or games. If you see something that even slightly catches your eye, that you're even just a LITTLE curious about, look into it on Youtube, and see where it goes.

Really, the best way to get something new into your life is to explore and experiment. But, make sure it is something ACTIVE. Not a passive activity like watching movies. The best way to direct your mind away from negative things, is to give it something that will really engage it as you participate in the activity/hobby.

 

[Fino]

If you can afford it, you can buy some basic work-out equipment and do your work-outs at home! And have you ever tried any amino acid supplements?

 

[Wolfgangus Faldestolius]

What were the subjects of the books that were taken away from you (a cruel thing)? You can right a wrong by returning to earlier loves.

I find that I balance better by multi-tasking: literally some minutes at each in turn. This makes for frequent rewards and the pleasure of variety, as well as shame-free re-immersion in science, history, (the parts that weren't in curriculums) or (the bit that had my mum worried) aeroplane pictures; fractions of housework get almost lost in the midst like lard in the pudding; not forgetting blessed little rests.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Many of us are in that low (EQ), high (SQ) type of brain. If you are a systemizer,...get yourself a log book. Some may call it a diary of all the things you have done,...and will do within a specific topic or goal. For example, when I was competing in powerlifting years ago, I had a log book of my daily exercise program,...literally every exercise, weight, set, rep,...and would have this all planned out a good week ahead of time. I knew, before I even went to the gym, exactly what I was going to do,...one more rep or one more pound,...I WAS going to do it. Then it became a mental exercise.

Your log book could be tracking your diet. It could be a new daily exercise program. It could be "one nice thing I did for someone today". It could be anything,...but what it does is gets your brain into a goal-oriented thought pattern.

 

[Metalhead]

I highly recommend that you find ways to increase dopamine. We need to balance our neurotransmitters. When we've been involved in addictions we've depleted our dopamine. Check out dopamine-rich foods on Google.

I looked that up last night, and I found that a lot of the healthier foods that I love were on that list. I am already on kinda the right track there.

This is a hard subject to post about. When l feel frustrated about people pushing me around (too many people wrapped up in who l do or don't date), l tend to grab sweets or carbs. But my gym is open so l am going back again. Maybe you can invest in a treadmill or indoor bike. The bike is excellent for trimming lower body. I really am shocked how fun kettlebells are and you only need about 30 mins a day. l suggest Paul Katami Ultimate Kettlebell Workout. l did this every day when l broke my ankle and this toned and tighten my ab and kept me in shape for 6 months when l could barely walk. Anyways, l hope you try Paul's DVD. l used 12 lb. You probably can go way heavier then that. You just need one Kettlebell and about 30 mins.

I should buy some exercise equipment after I move into my new house next month. I suppose a set of weights is not too terribly expensive, although I won't have enough space for anything like a treadmill in there since it is a tiny little house I am moving into.

Honestly? Exploration of different subjects.

There are lots of interesting hobbies and things out there, stuff you'd never guess at. For instance, there is an entire hobby apparently centered around fountain pens, which is something I randomly discovered lately. Like most hobbies, that rabbit hole goes waaaayyyyyyy deep. Youtube channels dedicated to reviewing different fountain pen models and related items? Yep, those exist. Sure surprised me.

Just one example of the sorts of unexpected hobbies you might discover. Look around, and try something completely new. Something not related to the movies or games. If you see something that even slightly catches your eye, that you're even just a LITTLE curious about, look into it on Youtube, and see where it goes.

Really, the best way to get something new into your life is to explore and experiment. But, make sure it is something ACTIVE. Not a passive activity like watching movies. The best way to direct your mind away from negative things, is to give it something that will really engage it as you participate in the activity/hobby.

I suppose I could take up cooking gourmet meals for myself instead of relying on tacos or taco salads all the time. Yeah, I love Americanized Mexican food, but expanding my culinary horizons probably will not be a bad thing in the long run.

Collecting and hoarding video games does not qualify as a terribly active hobby, I have discovered.

I suppose I could go back to learning Japanese, as at one point I was semi-fluent in that language and I could read a lot of the Kanji several years ago, but I lost that talent due to lack of practice over the last several years.

What were the subjects of the books that were taken away from you (a cruel thing)? You can right a wrong by returning to earlier loves.

To be fair, most of the books I was reading when I was in middle school were horror fiction novels. And quite a few of them were devoid of socially and morally redeeming value.

Many of us are in that low (EQ), high (SQ) type of brain. If you are a systemizer,...get yourself a log book. Some may call it a diary of all the things you have done,...and will do within a specific topic or goal. For example, when I was competing in powerlifting years ago, I had a log book of my daily exercise program,...literally every exercise, weight, set, rep,...and would have this all planned out a good week ahead of time. I knew, before I even went to the gym, exactly what I was going to do,...one more rep or one more pound,...I WAS going to do it. Then it became a mental exercise.

Your log book could be tracking your diet. It could be a new daily exercise program. It could be "one nice thing I did for someone today". It could be anything,...but what it does is gets your brain into a goal-oriented thought pattern.

I installed MyFitnessPal on my phone, and I enter everything I consume into that app, as well as every bit of physical exercise I engage in. It is helping to keep me well under 1.900 calories a day, which means I should start noticing the weight loss within a couple of months from now if I keep this up.

 

[Trophonius]

Maybe learning a new skill or game?

There are plenty of courses in websites like CourseEra and SkillShare.


The kind of habits and obsessions are interestingly explained in the book How Habits Work by Charles Duhigg, which I'm reading but I haven't finished yet. Habits seem to work by means of a simple loop: cue->routine->reward, plus craving that occur if the routine is not executed. In the book he suggests determining what is the cue that leads toward the habit you want to change (in your case, what to you see or do that leads to looking for porn), then you can either remove the cues (in an extreme case, find something that does not require using the computer) or replace the routine (if I look for porn every time "X" happens, then I will do "Y" instead when "X" happens).

Can't say much more in regards of how change habits, because I'm far from finishing the book. You may find it interesting to read, since it is related to what you're looking for.

 

[Wolfgangus Faldestolius]

I suppose I could go back to learning Japanese, as at one point I was semi-fluent in that language and I could read a lot of the Kanji several years ago, but I lost that talent due to lack of practice over the last several years.

Wow! I like to try to learn languages from their transliterated form but would aim to avoid "politeness forms" (or the tones of some other languages), difficult concepts for me. I like the pronunciations, grammars and geography of languages and don't aim to hold conversations in them much (though I could, in one or two, years back). What attracts you about languages?

 

[Metalhead]

Wow! I like to try to learn languages from their transliterated form but would aim to avoid "politeness forms" (or the tones of some other languages), difficult concepts for me. I like the pronunciations, grammars and geography of languages and don't aim to hold conversations in them much (though I could, in one or two, years back). What attracts you about languages?

I will admit, the main reason why I wanted to learn how to read Japanese was because I wanted to read untranslated manga. I was a massive otaku about 20 years ago.

 

[Metalhead]

I can’t shake the feeling that there has to be more to life than how I have been living it. Unlocking Xbox achievements and PlayStation trophies is doing nothing for me these days. Not that it matters much, since I had to back out of quite a few boosting sessions I initially agreed to host over the last month due to my boss needing me to shut down the office when I usually work the morning shift.

I feel a vast sense of discontent in my life, and handing it over to God helps until I decide to take it all back a few days later. I am addicted to immediate gratification, and if I do not curb that, it will be my downfall.

 

[Wolfgangus Faldestolius]

I am addicted to immediate gratification

I keep promising myself the mid morning nap - or the mid afternoon one - or the mid evening one. A phenomenology book is at the bedside as an incentive! As a visual thinker the topology of ideas is enough to admire when I shut my eyes. Paper & pencil are there for jottings too.