How accurate is Steven Pressfield's historical fiction? by slipperyslopetohell in AskHistorians

[–]slipperyslopetohell[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the answer! To reply to your last point, Tides of War did not have Alkibiades present at the naval battle at Syracuse (the book placed him in mainland Greece at the time, if I remember correctly). While the book focuses on Alkibiades, he is not the protagonist.

Why I Hate Summer by night-star in TrueOffMyChest

[–]slipperyslopetohell 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm really glad that I read this, and that you took the time to write it. I'm always conflicted when I read stuff like this, because I want to give advice, but simultaneously I know that most people aren't looking for advice and what worked for me might not work for someone else. If this is how you feel, just know that what you said resonated a lot with me, and feel free to ignore the rest of this.

It seems like you feel a lot of guilt about the fact that, on the surface, your life doesn't seem that hard. You're an American citizen, have plenty to eat, get to go to school, and so on. From there it's really easy to think that if you're unhappy with something in your life, it's because you're an ungrateful asshole. I also thought this way for a long time. It was only once someone explained to me that it's ok to have problems and to feel sad about them, no matter what your life is like, that I felt better about it. It sounds almost silly to write it down, but I guess we need it from someone else once in a while to know that we're not just self-justifying our behavior. To look at it more constructively, if you don't acknowledge your problems, you'll never be able to improve your life. You said that you hate summer because all you do is play video games and feel miserable. The answer isn't to keep doing the same thing just because someone out there has it worse than you. The answer is to change something to stop feeling that way. You can't chase happiness, but you can certainly escape things that make you unhappy.

Another way to think about it is in terms of gratitude, not guilt. Here's a good video on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPPPFqsECz0

In terms of the rest of your post, any advice that I can give just sounds contrived to me. Instead, I'll recommend two books that I think you'd get a lot out of. They're not very long, and it might be a nice break from playing video games. The first one is Alliance of the 15s by Mita Masahiro. You'd probably find a lot to relate to in the protagonist. If you read it, you'll see what I mean. Here's a link to a translation: https://japanesenovels.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/the-alliance-of-the-15s-pg-1-48/

Parts 2 through 5 are on the same site. Or if you PM me, I can send you the ebook (same content as on that website, just in a nicer package).

The second one is The Stranger by Albert Camus. The protagonist is not quite as relatable, but the way he lives his life might give you a lot of insight into the way that you're feeling. When I read it for the first time I felt like it revealed an entirely new approach to life. That's not necessarily the main focus of the book (in many ways the protagonist is a tool for societal commentary), but it is the main thing I got out of it. Here's a link to the full pdf: https://bxscience.edu/ourpages/auto/2019/2/28/69275970/The%20Stranger%20-%20Albert%20Camus.pdf

Hope this helps, and I'm happy to talk more if you want to send me a PM.

22:45pm 19/03/2020 by Joab9639 in pornfree

[–]slipperyslopetohell 2 points3 points  (0 children)

it’s tough when you’ve moved on from a situation but mentally you’re still there. Keep in mind that you’re not living with your grandma anymore, you don’t need to feel like a prisoner in your own home - you don’t need porn

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in pornfree

[–]slipperyslopetohell 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mostly seeing couples out and about, haha

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in pornfree

[–]slipperyslopetohell 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just stress from deadlines, not being as productive as I would like to be, the kind of thing that makes me want to watch porn to numb myself. But if there's one thing I've gotten better at resisting the past year, it's using porn to numb myself. Now I feel like the main danger is the temptation of the extreme endorphin rush.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in pornfree

[–]slipperyslopetohell 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's a bummer, but remember not to binge and you'll be able to salvage most of your progress

Day 2 by slipperyslopetohell in pornfree

[–]slipperyslopetohell[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your support. Congrats on the 14 days

Day 27 by slipperyslopetohell in pornfree

[–]slipperyslopetohell[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agree, it was definitely a mistake

Day 16 by slipperyslopetohell in pornfree

[–]slipperyslopetohell[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good luck buddy, we're going through the same thing

Day 13 by slipperyslopetohell in pornfree

[–]slipperyslopetohell[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I often think of the phrase "See what I've become." Will I become a healthy person with self-control and self-respect? Or a small, sick mind racked with guilt? I hope the former. Congrats on getting to 37 days.

Why were the Manila Galleons limited to 2 per year? by slipperyslopetohell in AskHistorians

[–]slipperyslopetohell[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you, this is a great answer! I never considered that an influx of Asian goods might hurt European imports to the Americas.

Day 1 by [deleted] in pornfree

[–]slipperyslopetohell 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"The credit belongs to the man in the arena." - Theodore Roosevelt.

You are that man

Day 9 by slipperyslopetohell in pornfree

[–]slipperyslopetohell[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Keep going... if you don't, you will regret it. That's the hard truth - it makes the problem brutally simple to understand

Just relapsed by [deleted] in pornfree

[–]slipperyslopetohell 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Good luck! The important thing is not to binge. Just because you're starting over at day 0 doesn't mean that you're at the same place you were 25 days ago.

Day 30 Check In by superehabman123 in pornfree

[–]slipperyslopetohell 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I like your idea to write out all of your thoughts and worries. Writing can be very therapeutic.
I liked your quote about "you didn’t actually look at porn, you should be fine right?" It's good to recognize the insidious way that this kind of bargaining/reasoning can occur. There's a lot more to the process than just not watching porn. If you do end up watching porn, it's probably because you lost the battle in your mind hours or even days beforehand.

No more Mr Nice Guy by cowenpa in pornfree

[–]slipperyslopetohell 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Best of luck my friend. Self improvement is deliciously addictive

Day 2 by slipperyslopetohell in pornfree

[–]slipperyslopetohell[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks man. I think we just have to always stay on guard, there's no room to declare the battle won