It’s November now, that means the No Nut November challenge is back!
According to a survey, 90% of men claim that they have browsed adult content at least once. The other 10% are liars. Okay, we just made that survey up but researchers have found that all men watch p*rn. It is unsurprising that we, men also fap during our “entertainment” session. We even know when do most Singaporeans watch these adult content. At some point, I am sure we all wanted to quit fapping for various reasons. This is a guide for those who want to reform, to stop fapping & take up the NoFap Challenge.
Before we share the methods on how to stop fapping, it is good to know the potential benefits of quitting might bring.
Better mental and spiritual state
People that quit fapping have reported that they feel better mentally. It boosts their self-esteem and improves their communication skills with the opposite gender. Their confidence is boosted and allow them to form new relationships. With a healthier mind, much more can be achieved.
Spiritual wise, some religions discourage the act of fapping. Some people feel guilty after fapping. Quitting fapping thus allow you to be more devoted to your belief.
This may come as a shocker to some but NoFap users also claimed that abstaining also plays a positive impact on sexual prowess, and attractiveness to the opposite sex as well.
Image Source: Kisses For Breakfast
Increased social confidence, energy, concentration, mental acuity, motivation, self-esteem, emotional stability, happiness, sexual prowess, and attractiveness just from abstaining. What more can we get?
More energy and time
Sometimes, a fapping session can go up to an hour or more. It is not because we can last that long but time is wasted searching for the perfect content to fap to! Whether it’s 10 minutes, 30 minutes or an hour, such time can be better spent elsewhere. On the same note, fapping can be exhausting for the mind and body. We can also use this energy on something more productive.
It may save your life.
Okay, this probably affects 1 in 100 million people, but it should be you. Did you know excessive fapping can kill? When we climax too often, we may accidentally cut off the oxygen supply to our brain… which will kill you. Give this article a read if you do not believe us! Unless you are trying to break the world record, please do not try this at home!
Now you have learnt some of the benefits; we will proceed to the methods on how you can quit.
Make p*rn less accessible
Obviously, to quit fapping, the first thing is to get rid of the things that boost your libido. Without p*rn, you will not make yourself feel aroused on purpose. While this is not an easy process, there are steps you can take to help yourself. One thing you can do is to delete your stash on your computer, phone, portable hard drive, cloud drive or where ever you are hiding it.
However, we are living at a time where these contents are readily available. A simple Google search will easily lead us to a haven of adult content. To prevent this, you can set up tons of firewall, and we shall share with you a few. We will also teach you how to bypass these safety measures so you can decide which method to use.
a) Setting up a safe search on Google
Setting this up prevents explicit content to appear in your search results, and it’s very simple to restrict your search your search settings.
First, head over to Google Search Settings.
Then, enable Turn on SafeSearch function. For additional commitment, click on Lock SafeSearch to for stricter filter and to prevent further changes.
Bypassing this SafeSearch is easy. It doesn’t block explicit sites, just search results. So if you already know the site address, it doesn’t help. If you have the memory of a goldfish and cannot remember any site, you can bypass this by unchecking that box or going through a lengthier process if you locked it (just click unlock and then confirm on the next page). Alternatively, you can use other search engines like Yahoo! or Bing.
b) Downloading the extension
This method assumes you use Chrome. However, there should be similar extensions for Firefox users, but we have not tried it. The extension we recommend is this. Alternatively, you can search “filter” and find other extensions which you desire. Click the “+ Add to Chrome” button, BUT you are not done yet. Since most of will use incognito mode, there is one more step. In chrome, head over to the extension settings by simply entering chrome://extensions in your address bar. Find the extension you just installed (this works for any extension whether it’s the one we recommend or not) and click “Details”. Now scroll down to enable the “allow in Incognito” option.
Bypassing this method is also relatively simple. All you need to do is to delete the extension or just use another browser.
c) Changing your DNS
This method is more advanced to set up. However, it does not require you to install anything and works across all browsers. This is done by changing your DNS. DNS stands for Domain Server Address. Basically, it is like a “phone book”. 99.9999% of us visit a website by typing its “name” or the URL e.g. www.google.com.sg. A DNS translates this “name” into its “phone number” or in Internet terms, IP Address. In this example, Mr Google SG’s number is “172.217.7.163”. By changing your DNS to one of the following below, this “phone book” is like your parents. If you want to visit a “bad” website, the DNS will block it, just like how your parents will most probably prevent (and also lecture) you from browsing adult sites if you tell them.
So how you do change your DNS? It is not that hard, just a little tedious. This guide is targeted for Windows 10 User. To begin, click the start menu and type (this will begin a search) “Network and Sharing Center”. Click on the result. (it should appear even before you typed the whole thing.
On the left side of the new window, select “Change adapter settings” then right-click on your current network (the one with without a red “X”) and select “Properties”. You may require admin permission. Now, select the option that says “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)” and click properties. Use the option that says “Use the following DNS server address”. Change them to the one recommended by us, which is OpenDNS. Simply copy and paste the DNS server listed below to the respective field. After you are done, click OK to save the changes made. For people that use different operating System, i.e. NOT Windows 10, click here for a guide on how to change your DNS.
OpenDNS:
Preferred DNS Server: 208.67.222.123
Alternate DNS Server: 208.67.220.123
Alternatively, you can change to one of the following.
Norton Security + Adult Content Filter:
Preferred DNS Server: 198.153.192.50
Alternate DNS Server: 198.153.194.50
CleanBrowsing DNS:
Preferred DNS Server: 185.228.168.168
Alternate DNS Server: 185.228.168.169
A test done by Hackernoon shows that CleanBrowsing blocks 100% of the site tested, while Norton comes in second. It is good to know the result could be biased depending on which site is being selected for testing. We recommend OpenDNS as to our knowledge, it is one of the fastest DNS, and the popular sites are all blocked.
To bypass this method, you have to go back all the way to the setting where you change your DNS server and select the option that automatically selects your DNS address. This is not really a “bypass” per se, but a workaround. You can use another device if you are too lazy to unroll all the changes made.
Stay with other people
Moving in with other people can also help you quit fapping. There will be less privacy and more inconvenience if you want to have your alone time. However, this increase in difficulty can be a huge step to kick off this habit if you are really trying to. A few ways you can co-live with other people is by moving into a dorm or hostel or share an apartment with a friend or your partner. Of course, there are many downsides to this method. One of them is the burden of accommodation costs and living with other people may also result in conflicts.
Find a hobby
A hobby allows you to have a distraction. As mentioned earlier, you have more time to yourself once you quit fapping. Use this time to do something you like. It can be something cheap such as hiking, gardening or fishing. For those who want to be more intellectual, you can pick up a new language, learn to play an instrument or maybe even programming. For people that want to be more active, you can consider hitting the gym, biking or picking up martial arts. For more hands-on people, you can learn cooking or get involved in volunteering. There are tons of hobby out there. Try out some of them and stick to those that you like.
Image Source: e-w-e.ru
Set milestones
Setting a goal helps to keep you motivated during your journey to quit fapping. Start small and gradually grow big, say a 3 days interval between sessions then 1 week, then 10 days then 2 weeks to a month, etc. Reward yourself for each milestone you hit, so you have a goal to look forward to. To yourself on track, you can download calendar app or those apps that help you count so you know where you are.
Image Source: MonoImages
While we are not big fans of Reddit, the /r/NoFap subreddit is a good place to explore for those that are serious about quitting. You can read some of the “inspirational” stories of others who have successfully quitted and learn from what they did. Search what others have done before and see if it applies to you. Post regularly to get encouragement and seek help over there if you are about to have a relapse. They even have monthly mega threads aka events to keep you motivated.
This will be not an easy journey for those who have been doing this for years or decades. However, even if you decide not to quit, there is entirely nothing wrong about fapping. It is just a way for men to release their raging hormones. And hey! There are also benefits from fapping. It helps to prevent prostate cancer and is also an excellent way to manage stress.
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