I've gotten to a point where I have a routine that's helped me manage things on a "typical" day, but I still have trouble spots that I've long struggled with. TLDR: My main question is: Do I keep fighting to "take back" these vulnerable times, or is that just my addiction trying to keep them in my life, and it's better to cut them out? For example, usually I'm not alone at night but sometimes I or my partner will go out and I'll end up with alone time. Another example - sometimes I work from home, obviously alone there too. Part of me says I should do what I did for my "daily" routine - identify the most dangerous aspects, mitigate them (through blockers or planning) and build new habits to replace the PMO ones. But these situations are intermittent and I haven't had consistent success. Another part of me says, well, guess what, you don't get the luxury of those situations, addict! No working from home, ever, no matter how ugly the commute or when the repairman can come. If I must stay home alone (we have a kid) then I need to be open about how hard it is for me and ask for help safeguarding my devices, or something like that. I'm getting tired of the constant failure but also have a hard time admitting defeat and want to keep fighting. What do you all do in these situations? Is it a long-term fight worth fighting? Better to give up this front and try again when I've made more progress overall - or maybe I should never try again? If you've reclaimed a formerly PMO-tainted time, how have you? Thanks for any thoughts!
In short, I would say full no PMO is definitely worth the fight. The long term benefits far outweigh PMO’ing for years. PMO also significantly increases your anxiety and for a long time you don’t consciously know it. There are many other reasons why you should quit, but you do however also have a partner. Taking away P will dramatically improve your relationship in ways you didn’t previously see. It will bring you closer together. That doesn’t just benefit you, it benefits her! If I were in your position (I am in your position but on day 22) I would think of taking a long break from it for the foreseeable future, if not go forever!!! Good luck man!
Thanks slink! Full no PMO is definitely my goal, though I think my question was misunderstood. Maybe I spent too long writing it out and overcomplicating it. The main point is, if I know I have trouble fighting PMO urges in SCENARIO X, would people suggest 1) Build new habits until you are in control of your urges again, even if you fail along the way or 2) Cut out SCENARIO X entirely?
