Hello, this is the record of my journey.

I have been up and down for a long time, and right now I do not have a car and am working from home. In my office. Alone. With an internet connection.

[Think about positives, think about positives] This is just a tough time right now and it will soon be over. Let's see if we can add one more day to the list.

WELCOME! We look forward to hearing more from you.

Welcome Q0,

Firstly, you're never alone (I'm sure you know that, but it's worth repeating). Hashem is truly everywhere. Not only to watch how you behave, but also to help you succeed in your journey. So why not acknowledge His presence and have a talk with Him. Pays to get Him on your good side.

Secondly, do you have a filter? If not, why not?

And finally, a filter is only to protect you from your weak moments, but you need to work on avoiding weak moments by committing yourself to stay away from all triggering sights and thoughts.

Anyhow, nice to meet you. Please stick around and tell us more about yourself and what brings you here.

Hatzlacha

MT

Welcome, uvracha
Adding one day to the list is all we need to do. Sometimes just an hour, or a few minutes. Seriously, sometimes just say to yourself, "ok, I've got the urge like a locomotive right now. I'm going to do it. I'm absolutely going to do it. But I'll wait ten minutes. That little bit makes a great ruckus above, and Hashem is very happy. So ten minutes at a time and then it passes, and we're out of the woods for a little while. Whew!

Being in isolation doesn't work. It's bad for us. Online or in real life. Isolation is suffering and bleak. The yh doesn't want you to know other people care about you. This virtual community is a very good place to unburden yourself, and let in people's caring. It may seem weird, but the guys here are very real about what we're doing with and for ourselves and each other. So tell us a little about yourself, and soak up the caring that's here for you.

Hatzlocho
Joel

Thank you everyone for your welcome and words of encouragement.

I made it another day yesterday, but this evening will be difficult. I always feel very stressed at the end of the day and tempted to slip.

A little about myself: I think my addiction sums me up. I often feel frustrated, isolated and alone and suffer from high stress levels and low self esteem. Looking at these images (which from now on I will call doing 'it') seems to fix all of these problems in the short term but I am old enough now to know that this activity is in fact contributing to a lot of them. So many good reasons to stop, and I can't think of one reason to carry on with 'it'.

But what should I do when I feel frustrated, or a failure? How can I overcome these negative feelings I feel are the main cause of this behaviour in the first place? I wish I had a list of a few things I could do each day for good mental hygiene, just like everyone has a list of brushing your teeth etc. for good physical hygiene. There isn't anything I do regularly at the moment to keep my mind good, and I think that is a big part of my problem.

Sorry I don't have any answers, I'm interested in hearing an answer too. Just know that you aren't alone.

I also feel isolated sometimes.

Q0 wrote:
CALL A FRIEND! Keep up with someone every day or at least a few times a week. Post here. Just sharing with others will be a HUGE help! Join a phone conference. There are many of them at all times of day and night. Connecting with other people is the NUMBER 1 thing you can do to help yourself.

OK, I will try to share with others every day.

I was lucky yesterday because I was out for most of the evening and was not in a situation where it woud be possible to do 'it'.

I was going to take public transportation into the offic today and not work from home but I spent most of the morning before work trying to fix my car situation and had to stay home. But I have been very busy at work and again had no time to do 'it', which I am grateful for.

I listen to music a lot at work, and I use youtube for music. I think I am going to stop because I think it might be a bad influence on me and can lead me astray. I listened to CD's on my computer instead today. I think I might rip some music from my CD's and only listen to that on my computer in the future. I guess there's lots of things I do that put me on the wrong path. Stopping youtube is probably a good start.

Q0 wrote:

Yes, Great Idea! You Tube is the ice patch at the top of a VERY slippery slope.