Things outside CD's regimen that have helped me personally

Lots of these things are scattered about the forum, so I thought I'd make my own condensed list that might be helpful to others! Feel free to add to it and or make your own!

Diet:

Drink tall glass of water with pink salt upon waking
6 pastured eggs daily
Bone broth
Lots of spinach
Nutritional yeast

Supplements:

Niacinamide
Malic Acid
Digestive enzymes
Bile salts
Low dose naltrexone
MSM/Sulfur
Ginger
Shilajit daily
Lisuride--sparingly on days I need to be my sharpest self: job interview, heavy workday, etc
BCAA/Tyrosine--for dopamine and pre workout
Taurine-- with meals
Potassium chloride/Mag chloride/ Beatine Hydrochloride with protein meals--I realized how fucked my stomach acid was when i puked, and it didn't burn my throat in the slightest. Definitely worth testing your own stomach acid.

Exercise:

Yoga--especially before bedtime to sleep amazingly well.
Rebounding on mini trampoline--stimulates lymphatic system and makes you feel great
Long walks in sunshine whenever possible

Lifestyle:

Juggling--I taught myself how to do this after reading about the brain benefits...the brain activation you feel after 5 minutes of juggling is insane.
Writing things and brushing your teeth with non-dominant hand--brain activation along the same lines as juggling
Liver flushes
Semen retention/abstinance
Oil pulling
Epsom salt baths
Self affirmations
Practicing grattitude
Smiling first thing everyday--I personally think about people I know that have passed away, and it makes me grateful as hell to wake up and have a chance to eventually make myself whole again. Really helps with perspective.

I was thinking about this and, while there are a few items that would be worth listing (will do at some point), I think the most important thing for me was “simply” to get my focus off of PFS and off of myself.

How do you do this? Decide on a recovery plan and just get on with it…Quit thinking about it constantly and second guessing it every time you wake up with or without a hard on. Then, get on with your life. Get out with your friends and family and have fun. Throw yourself into your work, studies, interests. Take a genuine interest in others and how they are doing. Try volunteering…You will be amazed at what you learn from it and how rewarding and healing it can be. But, be forewarned…you may also be a little embarrassed when you realize what a whiny little bitch you have been when you see little kids with cancer, or with burns over their entire bodies. or who have been beaten almost to death by their parents who show more selflessness and courage than you have. Just get over yourself, get on with your life and make it meaningful.

Edit: I realized this may have sounded a bit "preachy"...It was not intended. When I was drowning in fear & self pity during the first couple weeks after my crash, I regretfully said to my teenage son "my life is over" to which he responded "if that's really how you feel then that is pretty fucking pathetic, Dad". That was my wake up that this was about more than just me.

@Damn:
I agree with lots of what you said.
-getting mind off of pfs and self, I did some of this:
-Business (sometimes 247, only when significantly better of course -- not pre long water fast for me).
-Helping others, younger people, older people, friends.
-A best friend.
-Learning about people,
-Studying...(painful but if really interested not so bad, obsessed then).
-Walking,
-Music,
-Writing songs, essays, notes, ideas, thinking, projects, etc.
-Also more normal conversation with close friends and family, them seeing major improvements.
-Learning Coding
-A second language, etc.

Wow, at damn... I wish my family could actually speak about real things without provocation (anger, arguing, yelling, screaming, etc).
MYb when I have kids, and a level-headed wife (tho I'm "crazy", and so have been all the women in my life).

This is a pretty respectable list. Sometimes you just need to find one thing in your day that makes you happy. Even a small thing and this could make the difference.

I heard something the other day that's stuck with me...Everything you strive for in your life is ultimately for the positive emotional response that you think your action will bring about. Ex: you go to the gym and work your ass off because you know you'll feel great, and look great as a result. This in turn will continue to bring you more happiness.

The hard thing about pfs is you can be taking the exact same actions in your life as before, but the positive emotional responses are dampened...this can make you sometimes have the outlook of thinking "fuck it, whats the point." But it absolutely has a point. Honestly more than before.

A pity day spent couped up in your room vs a day of exercise, productivity, and thrills bring about radically different emotions...even when they're dampened by this thing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CSM25

@Damn:
I agree with lots of what you said.
-getting mind off of pfs and self, I did some of this:
-Business (sometimes 247, only when significantly better of course -- not pre long water fast for me).
-Helping others, younger people, older people, friends.
-A best friend.
-Learning about people,
-Studying...(painful but if really interested not so bad, obsessed then).
-Walking,
-Music,
-Writing songs, essays, notes, ideas, thinking, projects, etc.
-Also more normal conversation with close friends and family, them seeing major improvements.
-Learning Coding
-A second language, etc.

Wow, at damn... I wish my family could actually speak about real things without provocation (anger, arguing, yelling, screaming, etc).
MYb when I have kids, and a level-headed wife (tho I'm "crazy", and so have been all the women in my life).

---

Looks like a great list to me...Hope you're getting/get as much mileage out of it as I believe I did. Yeah, I can totally relate to the dysfunctional family thing...I found learning to establish healthy boundaries saved myself a lot of stress with that over the years.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DrivenToRecover

Lots of these things are scattered about the forum, so I thought I'd make my own condensed list that might be helpful to others! Feel free to add to it and or make your own!

Diet:

Drink tall glass of water with pink salt upon waking
6 pastured eggs daily
Bone broth
Lots of spinach
Nutritional yeast

Supplements:

Niacinamide
Malic Acid
Digestive enzymes
Bile salts
Low dose naltrexone
MSM/Sulfur
Ginger
Shilajit daily
Lisuride--sparingly on days I need to be my sharpest self: job interview, heavy workday, etc
BCAA/Tyrosine--for dopamine and pre workout
Taurine-- with meals
Potassium chloride/Mag chloride/ Beatine Hydrochloride with protein meals--I realized how fucked my stomach acid was when i puked, and it didn't burn my throat in the slightest. Definitely worth testing your own stomach acid.

Exercise:

Yoga--especially before bedtime to sleep amazingly well.
Rebounding on mini trampoline--stimulates lymphatic system and makes you feel great
Long walks in sunshine whenever possible

Lifestyle:

Juggling--I taught myself how to do this after reading about the brain benefits...the brain activation you feel after 5 minutes of juggling is insane.
Writing things and brushing your teeth with non-dominant hand--brain activation along the same lines as juggling
Liver flushes
Semen retention/abstinance
Oil pulling
Epsom salt baths
Self affirmations
Practicing grattitude
Smiling first thing everyday--I personally think about people I know that have passed away, and it makes me grateful as hell to wake up and have a chance to eventually make myself whole again. Really helps with perspective.

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Semen retention in regards to no fap is part of the program, but abstinence is not. It should't be for you either. If you can find a sensitive and caring partner to have sex with, it helps with hormones and neurosteroid production immensely. Being intimate with a woman comes with a complicated interplay of these steroids and hormones which can be very, very helpful to someone in your situation.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cdsnuts

Semen retention in regards to no fap is part of the program, but abstinence is not. It should't be for you either. If you can find a sensitive and caring partner to have sex with, it helps with hormones and neurosteroid production immensely. Being intimate with a woman comes with a complicated interplay of these steroids and hormones which can be very, very helpful to someone in your situation.

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Even if you have severe brain fog that comes on during/after sex? Definitely a high prolactin issue for me

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DrivenToRecover

Even if you have severe brain fog that comes on during/after sex? Definitely a high prolactin issue for me

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I do find if I have a lot of sex it kinda worsens my sexual sides. I think I might have prolactin issues. Mucana is good for that as well as b6/vitamin e which u can get good amounts in liver and avocado.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jacknap

I do find if I have a lot of sex it kinda worsens my sexual sides. I think I might have prolactin issues. Mucana is good for that as well as b6/vitamin e which u can get good amounts in liver and avocado.

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Dopamine and prolactin antagonize each other so I find that cold exposure is the most effective thing to boost my dopamine back up and lower the prolactin post-nut.

Also, I'm stepping up my cold game here soon...Chest Freezer - The Set Up | Brian Mackenzie (Cold Exposure) - YouTube
Gonna try this out :)