Relapses are inevitable on nofap. They are part of the nofap journey. Learning how to immediately recover from a relapse and getting back on track will make nofap easier. This is a complete nofap relapse recovery guide.
This is how I recover from a nofap relapse. I take a shower immediately after a relapse, meditate after that and write down the reason behind my relapse on a paper. I hit the gym and eat only healthy food for that day and the next day.
This method of recovering from a nofap relapse has worked wonders for me and I’m sure it can do the same for you.
Going into a “binge mode” after a relapse is pretty common. If you can learn to not go into a binge mode after a relapse and get back on nofap after relapsing just once, half the battle is won.
If you want to know how to not go into binge mode after a relapse, check out my THIS ARTICLE.
What Counts as a Relapse on NoFap?
There is a difference of opinion among fapstronauts(people who follow a nofap lifestyle) about what counts as a relapse.
I’m gonna tell you what I think counts as a relapse and why.
I consider watching porn, masturbating, edging, and peeking as a relapse.
A lot of people consider watching porn and masturbating as a relapse but not edging and peeking.
If you want to know what is edging, why I consider it a relapse, and how it affects your brain and progress, check out my BLOG POST ON EDGING.
No matter what you consider as a relapse, it’s important that you get back on nofap after relapsing just once and not go into the hole of binging by thinking “oh well, I’ve already relapsed, I might as well watch some more porn and masturbate. I’ll get back on nofap later“.
How to Recover From a NoFap Relapse?
Do these 6 things after a relapse to recover from it and get back on nofap as quickly as possible.
1. Forgive Yourself For Relapsing
It’s easy to beat yourself up after a relapse thinking that you’ll never be able to kick PMO(porn, masturbation, orgasm) out of your life.
Don’t be so hard on yourself after a relapse. Stop seeing relapses as failures and start seeing them as a learning curve.
As I’ve said before, Relapses are part of the nofap journey. You must go through multiple relapses before you can get out of PMO addiction.
If you get sad and depressed over a relapse, you’ll be more likely to go towards the path of binging and relapsing again and again.
Don’t feel guilty or ashamed over a relapse. Accept the fact that they’ll happen. The best thing you can do is to learn from them and not make the same mistake again which led you to relapse.
2. Take a Shower Immediately After a Relapse
This is a very effective way to clear up your mind after a relapse.
It is preferable to take a cold shower immediately after a relapse, but if you don’t have that option, a “normal” shower would also do the task.
You’re more likely to relapse again after a relapse due to the chaser effect. We often can’t think clearly and make bad decisions after a relapse.
We often make bad decisions like shoving our self with junk food, spending hours on social media, missing the gym in order to feel better after a relapse. This is the exact opposite of what we need to do.
The best way to make sure you don’t relapse again or make any bad decisions is to take a shower, preferably cold.
The day you relapse(day 0) and the next day (day 1) are the most important days on nofap because these 2 days you’re more likely to relapse.
If you can get past these 2 days, you’re 50% less likely to relapse and go into the “binge cycle”.
A cold shower will not only clear up your mind but also give you a fresh perspective on your relapse.
You’ll be able to think more clearly and make better decisions.
3. Hit The Gym
You should be exercising whether or not you follow nofap. It’s the best medication out there.
But if you’re on nofap, exercising becomes even more important. It controls your urges and makes following the nofap lifestyle easier.
After a relapse, you’re probably gonna feel a dip in motivation to exercise. That’s why it is so important that you exercise.
Exercising the same day you relapse and the next day is crucial. It’ll clear your mind and you’ll be able to make better decisions.
You might notice that your performance takes a dip and you also might feel a decrease in strength after a relapse. Don’t let it discourage you.
4. Meditate
You should be meditating every single day on nofap. It helps a lot and makes nofap a lot easier.
It calms your mind, gives control over your thoughts, and helps in controlling urges.
But after a relapse, it becomes even more important.
As soon as you relapse, hop into a shower. When you’re done, meditate for at least 20 minutes.
If you do these 2 things within an hour of the relapse, you’re very less likely to relapse again, and getting back on track will be a lot easier.
It helps clear any brain fog you might have got due to the relapse. Meditating after a relapse also helps to identify the mistakes which made you relapse.
5. Eat Healthy Food
Our semen contains nutrients like vitamin C, B12, ascorbic acid, calcium, citric acid, fructose, lactic acid, magnesium, zinc, potassium, sodium, fat, and protein.[Source]
After you ejaculate, your body gets deprived of all these nutrients. So, it’s important to take a healthy diet with all the necessary macro and micronutrients.
Foods like lentils, eggs, meat, sweet potatoes, oats, etc. will replenish the lost nutrients and give you some energy that you desperately need after a relapse.
People usually shove themselves with junk food in order to numb down the guilt of relapsing which in turn makes them even more susceptible to relapsing again.
Also, the cravings to eat junk food increase after a relapse. You must control this craving and not give in to the temptations.
You shouldn’t just eat healthy food after a relapse. Make a habit of eating only healthy.
Also, avoid spicy foods because they can increase urges. A lot of people have said that spicy foods make them more susceptible to relapses.
6. Identify The Reason Behind The Relapse and Eliminate it
This is the single biggest thing you can do after a relapse.
When you’re done taking a shower and meditating, sit down with a paper and pen. Write down the reason behind your relapse, under which circumstance you relapsed, what triggered you to relapse.
You must identify the reason behind your relapse, so you can make sure the same thing never makes you relapse again.
If you want to know what are the common reasons behind relapse and how to avoid them, check out my THIS ARTICLE.
For some people, Instagram is the trigger. They see half-naked women on Instagram, they get urges and relapse. If you’re one of those people, unfollow all the models and any content that can trigger you.
Some people relapse due to loneliness. They don’t have any close friends that they can talk to freely. If you find that loneliness is the reason behind your relapse, work on your social skills and try to make friends.
Some people relapse when they feel sad and depressed. If you find that this is the reason behind your relapse, don’t be alone when you’re feeling sad. Go outside, talk to a friend or a family member. Socialization will immediately lift your mood.
The point is, try to find out the reason behind your relapse and work on making sure that you don’t relapse due to the same reason again.
If you treat relapses as a learning opportunity, then finding out the reasons behind your relapses and fixing the causes behind your relapses can be fun.
If you keep learning from your relapses and fixing the issues behind them, you’re gonna relapse less and less and nofap will become effortless and natural.
NoFap Binge Relapse
The first thing in your mind after a relapse should be to not go into a “binge mode” because it is very common.
If you go on binging on porn and masturbating, you’re gonna lose a lot of progress. Also, it’ll be harder to get back on nofap the longer you binge.
I did a poll on my Instagram(@the_fapstronaut) asking people do they often go into a binge mode after a relapse. Look at the results.
77% of people said they often go into a binge mode after a relapse. That tells you how common this is.
You should avoid going into a binge mode, but even if you go into one, don’t stress yourself, you’re not the only one.
That’s why I say that if you got back on nofap after relapsing just once, consider it a win.
How Far Does One Relapse Set You Back On NoFap?
This is also a question many people wonder about. They wanna know how much does a relapse sets them back on nofap.
The answer to that question is not much. If you relapse just once and get back on track immediately after a relapse, it’ll set you back for a maximum of 2-3 days, which is not much.
But if you go on a “binge cycle” and keep relapsing again and again, it’ll set you back to square one.
But even if you binged and relapsed multiple times for multiple days and you learned something from it, it wasn’t a total waste.
How long Does it Take to Recover from a NoFap Relapse?
This is also something many people wonder about.
The answer is it depends on the individual. If you immediately take a shower after the relapse, meditate, write down the reason behind your relapse on paper, eat healthy food, and hit the gym the very same day, you might recover from it in 1 day.
But if you procrastinate, eat junk food, don’t meditate, or exercise, then it might take longer before you start feeling how you felt before the relapse, meaning it’ll take longer to recover.
Conclusion
Relapses are part of the nofap journey. Rather than seeing them as failures, see them as a learning opportunity.
Do these 6 things to immediately recover from a nofap relapse:-
- Forgive Yourself For Relapsing
- Take a Shower Immediately After a Relapse
- Hit The Gym
- Meditate
- Eat Healthy Food
- Identify The Reason Behind The relapse and Eliminate it
The first thing in your mind after a relapse should be to not go into a “binge mode” because it is very common.
Focus on preventing your single relapse from converting into a “binge relapse” by following the 6 things which I mentioned.
These 6 things have prevented a lot of my relapses from converting into a “binge relapse” which I’ve learned after a lot of trial and error and years of being on nofap. I’m sure they can do the same for you.
One relapse doesn’t set you much further back on nofap. At max, it sets you 2-3 days back on your progress.
If you do all the 6 things which I mentioned, you can recover from a relapse the very same day.
This is my complete nofap relapse recovery guide. Comment down below what you do to recover from a nofap relapse.
