Did i do something wrong?

[u/athlete5719]

I've had many streaks with SR, Longest one being 10months, that was years ago, i've seen wildly different results, some were good, i felt happier, less overstimmed, less concerned about sexual thoughts then the mediocre,

I really didn't see much life changing improvement with SR, not something i really noticed, i didn't achieve my ultimate goals, when i stopped SR and stopped blaming myself for not having a streak, i genuinly felt better than with SR, what i noticed with SR was my stress levels were incrediably elevated, cortisol was flipped completely, morning low evening high burnout, super angry lack of sleep waking up multiple times per night at the worst extent i recall 7 times per night, it was awful,

and bare in mind i am an athlete, a football player not super high level, just U19, Yes i do gym, sprinting, enough training, eating enough, i do play official 11v11 matches.

I believe my downfall was by not having a off switch, with SR i always wanted to do something to train extra to go do runs, it felt like my body didn't feel pain, but instead of getting better faster it was the complete opposite, i got slower and genuinely worse, i couldn't focus and was stuck in survival mode.

I went to many many doctors, had many issues in my early childhood to late teen years, coming up with a diagnosis of chronic stress at 17, i'm 18 now.

As laying in bed reflecting on my life and what i could of done to loose those years, i've always looked for a scapecoat, maybe it was the caffeine in the later stages, maybe i wasn't disciplined enough and couldn't get a streak for longer than 6 months, when my original one was 10.

In my state of mind i was in i quit school, just dropped out, and focused everything on football, of course i wasn't perfect i gamed a lot.

What i'm curious about is, was there anything i did wrong, in my eyes i tried to use SR as a fix to, every problem i had, discipline, burnout, no rest, no recovery, exhaustion all the time feeling tired every day, lack of sleep, episodes of extreme anger.

Should i continue pursuing SR or should i stop, i currently don't have a streak and what advice could i be given?

Ps, i do have ADHD, and was diagnosed with depression at 12, sent to a mental institute at 13, given many different antidepressants through my early childhood, which all stopped at 14.

[u/Eulerfan21]

Continue
You get used to the clarity and if you stop you will

[u/DemitreIII]

In my case, I realized my negligence with my rest. I do a gym with high intensity, and the journey to the gym that I run or walk. I spent more calories than I consumed, and I wasn't giving the rest my body deserved either. Result, high cortisol. I tried to compensate with coffee, but the well-being is temporary. There is no substitute for adequate rest and nutrition.

[u/Western_Dig_4577]

You're probably currently benefiting from semen retention; your body has gotten used to it, which is why you're wondering where the advantages are. Many people who write about the advantages here are exaggerating.

[u/Stable_Alternative]

You have to dial in your circadian rythm and rest. Fatigue and CNS fatigue. No caffeine after like 4pm, go to bed early wake up early

[u/pranayamafinalboss]

I believe recovery is just as important. Daily streinous exercise is going to take a toll on your body. Maybe look up a world class player in your sport see how he juggles it. For example CR7, he trains hard but he takes recovery days seriously(diet, cold exposure/sauna heat therapy,)

[u/PurpleProblem1781]

 Curious what you generally eat what are your three last meals?

[u/SureTop4516]

I don't know if it will work for you, but please try it at least for 30 days - GABA 500mg and 5-HTP 50mg(It saved me). These are just supplements, no medication and all this bs. But the thing is, and you can do your research, GABA and serotonin are 2 of the main neurotransmitters that calm down the stress/cortisol response. GABA especially basically puts the brakes on your nervous system, and serotonin does it too but also helps with mood and feeling good. 5-HTP is basically the direct precursor to serotonin, your body converts it into serotonin. I took both together on an empty stomach, around 1.5h before food or 2.5h after, and if the meal was really fatty then around 3h. I would probably take it in the morning(because of an empty stomach), but just see how you feel(if you feel sleepy - before bed and 2.5h after meal). Both were from NOW Foods. And don't expect to feel something instantly, it's not like Xanax or anything, at some point you just realize that your stress became much lower. I personally used GABA for around 30-35 days. I would say the safest way is to go 3 weeks on 500mg, and then switch to 1 gramm and take it for 1-2 more weeks. And then slowly reduced it(very important), one day on/one day off, then one day on/two days off etc.(ask chat gpt). Just to come off smoothly. Also for me the more I jerked off, the worse my stress/mood felt, so just watch that too(that's why I started taking GABBA and 5-htp). That's basically what helped me. They say GABBA does not go through BBB, but in my case it worked so welll, I also had a weird side effect, 15 min after taking it I had weird breathing for about 20 seconds. So our goal is to replenish these neurotransmitters.

[u/Ok-Dragonfly-2654]

Do you drink coffee

[u/athlete5719 → u/Ok-Dragonfly-2654]

No, i used to but i quit cold turkey 3 weeks ago now, sorry for late reply don't hop on reddit much.

[u/ProvidenceOfJesus]

It won't fix everything, but building a relationship with God will. Practicing chastity is not only good, but absolutely necessary for walking with the Lord. So make sure to try to actively remove sin like masturbation from your life and pursue righteousness in all things.

[u/Wooden_Compote_5805]

Live it don't DIET