When a guy decides to put his life together and end his porn addiction once and for all he might be surprised to find that some things can actually get worse…
…like anxiety for example!
However, it is very important to understand that this is just temporarily.
Let’s jump in and take a look at today’s article about anxiety during NoFap…
Anxiety – it gets worse before it gets better
Most of the negative side effects we had in the midst of our porn addiction will actually get worse right after quitting. This is especially true when it comes to anxiety.
So now some of you may be saying, “wait a minute here? I’m doing the right thing and quitting a bad habit and things are going to get worse, is that what you are saying?”
Yes, that’s right!
What I’m saying is that all those bad feelings and negative symptoms that the porn addiction gave you will become even stronger after you quit the porn before you start to feel better and better…
…but once you get past a few weeks you will slowly start feeling better and stronger than what you did back when you were fapping to porn.
Why does anxiety get worse?
There are two reasons why anxiety may get worse a couple of weeks after quitting.
- Number 1
You have probably developed some degree of addiction related brain changes from all your online pornography use (yes this can really happen) and when you suddenly remove it from your life your brains stress center goes into “over dive”.
This is because an addictions hijack the survival sections of the brain, you know the parts that deal with food, water, sex and reproduction so the brain really interprets the addiction activity as something that is vital to our survival.
- Number 2
When your brain no longer gets those, what it consider to be, “important mating sessions” a few times a week it sounds the alarm….
WARNING ==> We are not spreading our genes any longer, our reproduction is in danger!!!
So, when considering those two things, it’s easy to see how quitting porn often leads to increased anxiety and even panic attacks.
In the video below I talk more about the increased stress response that happens in the brain after
quitting an addiction. Take a look at it and you’ll see what I mean…
If you find the video informative, consider subscribing to my YouTube channel.
You can do so by clicking this link here
NoFap – When Does Anxiety Go Away ?
Ok, so back to the anxiety…
…when does anxiety disappear on NoFap?
It’s different for everyone, but here are some general time frames…
It’s important to realize that every persons reboot journey looks a bit different and that it’s not like the anxiety is strong one day and then suddenly 100% gone the next day…
…no, for most people it happens gradually…
- After about a month the anxiety symptoms will start to become noticeable lower
- After about 45-90 days in, most people feel much better than when they were fapping to porn.
Now, keep in mind that it also depends on how addicted the person was to begin with since addiction is not an on / off thing, but can come in different severities. This is also something I talk about in my article No PMO withdrawal symptoms.
Some people take much longer to recover
Whether it’s anxiety, porn induced ED, concentration problems or some other negative thing that porn was causing, some people just need a very long time to recover. This can happen without seemingly rhyme or reason, but generally, people who became addicted at a very young age take longer to recover.
Here are a couple of quotes about anxiety and NoFap…
Guy number 1
“Oh man, on day 3 after quitting my social anxiety got much worse. I already had bad social anxiety, but the withdrawals from quitting porn made it unbearable. This increased anxiety stayed with me for the first two months of my reboot. Today, at day 132 it is almost gone. I am now so much better than when i was using porn. I would say that my social anxiety is about 80% gone. Fuck porn! I will never ever EVER go back to that shit again.”
Guy number 2
“I was heavy addicted to PMO and I have suffered from panic attacks, generalized anxiety and social phobia for my whole adult life. I knew porn made it worse and in February 2019 I decided to give up porn for good. During my second week into my NoFap journey my anxiety went through the roof and I was seriously considering going back to porn because of it…but I didn’t, and after about 50 days the anxiety slowly stated getting better. When I hit my 90 day goal, the anxiety was gone. I have never felt this calm and confident in my whole life. Don’t give up guys, things get better!”
Guy number 3
“NoFap and anxiety, ah yes. Every time I relapse and I have to go through days 5-30 again, I know what’s coming…the horrible anxiety. It can be really really REALLY bad. Somehow I always get through it though. I guess it helps now that I know that the anxiety will significantly improve once I have about 30 days clean in my rebooting basket”
Anxiety from doing NoFap
So, as you can see, it’s very common for anxiety symptoms to get worse in the beginning of your NoFap journey. Just know that it’s a part of the porn withdrawal symptoms and that things will improve. You just have got to pursue patience and hold on to the mast as the anxiety storms hit you.
That said, there are a few things you can do to make it easier for you…
…which leads me to the next subheading…
How to reduce your anxiety during your PMO reboot
Let’s take a look at a few things that can be very helpful for anxiety during NoFap…
Meditation
Meditation is a tool that every nofapper should have in their back pack as they travel on their journey.
- It increases willpower
- It reduces anxiety
- It improves your ability to control your emotions and thoughts (and because of that it will also reduce the number of relapses)
- It reduces depression
Those are just a few of the benefits that meditation is proven to give, but those are the big ones when it comes to rebooting.
Now, granted, it takes some time before you get the hang of it to the point of you being able to use it as a tool for reducing anxiety, but it is so worth it. You won’t regret investing time in meditation sessions as you will reap the rewards later on…
…speaking of time and anxiety, if you really are suffering from bad anxiety and you are in a hurry, then faster solutions do exist…
….which leads me to the next tip…
ProVanax is a fast acting natural anti anxiety supplement
Provanax is a natural anti anxiety supplement that I have been using myself for several years. It works very well for anxiety.
It was a real lifesaver for me during my worst years, when my anxiety was extremely bad. Even when I was having anxiety symptoms so bad that I was unable to leave my house, provanax worked. About two hours after taking it, those hellish anxiety symptoms were about 80% gone. For a natural supplement, that’s pretty amazing, as far as I’m concerned.
- If you’re interested, click here to check ProVanax pricing at online vendor.
- If you’re interested, click here to read my full ProVanax review, where I share my full experience with the product.
CBD Oil for anxiety
CBD oil can also be very helpful for reducing anxiety. In fact, for some people CBD oil works so well that it eliminates 100% of the anxiety symptoms.
There is a particular brand that seem to work especially well for reducing anxiety because it is packed with a wider variety of cannabinoids, terpenes, and other vital nutrients creating a synergistic effect.
If you are interested, you can read more about that brand by clicking this link right now.
I have a couple of friends that have been diagnosed with severe anxiety and they have been using CBD oil successfully now for almost 3 years. For one of them, it works so well that he no longer consider himself to have any anxiety issues whatsoever.
NoFap and and anxiety
Final words
So remember, while it may seem like NoFap is causing anxiety, that is NOT the case.
More often than not it is porn that causes anxiety and when quitting the addiction the anxiety demons goes on a rampage, protesting violently, before finally calming down…
…often to the point of getting out of your life completely.
So, if things are bad right now, don’t give up. Keep pushing and the anxiety will get better…
…it sure did for me and for thousands of other guys!
Much Love!
-Scandinavian Bob-
P.S. If you found this article informative, consider subscribing to my YouTube channel for videos on NoFap, self-development and other cool bio hacks. >>Do so by clicking this link right her<<
…You might perhaps also find the article NoFap and social anxiety interesting.
P.P.S. Are you struggling? Click here to go to my contact page to discover what kind of help I’m currently offering.