People who are addicted to pornography often feel helpless. Thousands of people around the United States struggle with this type of addiction and many of them never seek out help to overcome their problems. If you have decided to get rid of your addiction to pornography once and for all, you need to realize this won’t be an easy process. Truly changing your life and removing the desire to watch porn is an ongoing process that requires lots of hard work and soul searching. 

At the beginning of your porn addiction recovery, you will have to retrain your brain and learn how to control your impulses. During this phase of recovery, you may start to experience withdrawal symptoms. Here are some common porn addiction withdrawal symptoms and what you can do to manage them. 

Mood Swings Are Very Common

Your mind and body get used to the constant “satisfaction” that porn addiction provides. Giving in to your lesser desires makes the body feel like it is getting what it wants. When you stop watching porn, your mind and body will go through a bit of a shock. In some cases, this can cause you to have severe mood swings. If you feel happy and jovial one minute and then steaming mad the next minute, you need to control this problem. 

While this can be easier said than done, there are some things you can do to make these mood swings less severe. One of the main things you need to focus on is getting out of situations that are angering you. For instance, if you feel like you will explode with anger at work, take a minute to go outside and collect your thoughts. Being mindful about your environment and the triggers that cause your mood swings can help you put this withdrawal symptom behind you. 

Dealing With Insomnia

For most porn addicts, falling asleep at night can be difficult in the beginning stages of recovery. This is usually because most addicts would watch porn at night. If you had a routine of watching porn at night, then it can be difficult to sleep without it. 

Addressing issues with insomnia will involve creating a bedtime routine and removing distractions from your bedroom. Instead of keeping your phone on your bedside table and dealing with the temptation, this can cause you need to put it in another room.

Problems With Anxiety

Giving up an addiction means that a person has to change various parts of their life. These changes can make an addict feel anxious and unsure about their future. If you are dealing with bouts of anxiety after quitting porn, you need to get to the root cause of this problem. Working with an experienced addiction counselor is the best way to figure out what is causing your anxiety and what you can do to fix this problem.

Following the advice in this article will help you deal with the problems you encounter after you stop watching porn.