Different ways of fighting lust?

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Captain_America

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I’d like helpful tips and comments. What works for you. . .
 
The best advice I’ve received is to think about something else rather than trying to just not think about women. Work with the brain, not against it. Here’s a helpful website - reclaimsexualhealth.com - I can’t personally attest to it, not being a paying member, but the free info seems solid and my confessor has cards with it sitting in the confessional, so it is worth looking into.

BTW, I’ll pray for you.
 
Weekly confession with the same confessor and daily prayer time (adoration etc.) every day.
 
I agree with Civilwar, frequent confession is a big help. Exercise is helpful also, to spend some energy as well as keeping your mind busy.

If the internet is a problem, you can use a website filter.

If actions are a problem, do you have a trusted friend who can help hold you accountable? Just like having a sponsor with AA, it may help to have a friend you can call and talk to when you need to occupy yourself until the urge to act passes.

Peace
 
Take a cold shower. There are other things that work quite well, but require the permission of a good, holy, and prudent spiritual director/confessor.
 
If you get tempted to impurity in thought, avoid idleness and intemperance with food and drink, and practice mortifications. God bless you.
 
Nelka said:
Prayer is good.

Remember, the devil makes work for idle hands.
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Yes, prayer is essential, especially in times of temptation. Repeat the holy Names of Jesus and Mary when tempted; and pray 3 Hail Marys in the morning and at night for purity, in honor of our Lady’s purity. God bless you.
 
PietroPaolo said:
The best advice I’ve received is to think about something else rather than trying to just not think about women.
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Agreed: change the subject!

Temptations are not to be played with, but run away from. If you like images, wrestling with something like lust is not at all like Jacob wrestling with an angel, but more like Br’er Rabbit fighting the Tar-Baby.

Perhaps you’ve already considered, OP, doing things like praying the Rosary or praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and of course, I would humbly recommend those devotions.

But something else might be to pray a novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory: ewtn.com/Devotionals/novena/Purgatory.htm.
 
One thing that might help is to examine your thinking when you are tempted. Although I don’t have this particular struggle, I do struggle with gluttony and I notice several things that begin to happen in my mind wayyyyyy before I actually sin. Working with those thoughts can help stop the temptation before it gets rolling.

One suggestion I’ve heard for this sin in particular is to put an image of Mary near your computer screen or other places you are likely to be tempted.
 
You can try a Rosary of Liberation with the intent of liberating yourself from lust.
mgsprayers.com/Rosaries/Rosary%20of%20Liberation.pdf
This devotion was approved locally by some Brazilian Bishops (I think it was Brazil). If you’re having doubts about the legitimacy of this devotion it appeared in the AAA section a few days ago.
 
Captain_America said:
I’d like helpful tips and comments. What works for you. . .
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Two things that have helped me out this week…

1: This is a quote from St. Alphonsus Liguori: “In temptations trust not yourself, nor to all the good resolutions and promises which you have made, but rely solely on the divine assistance; and for this reason have immediate recourse to God and the Blessed Virgin. Especially in temptations against purity, the greatest care must be taken not to remain to dispute with the temptation. In such moments some are accustomed to set their will to make acts of the contrary virtue; but they run considerable risk. The best plan to adopt on these occasions is to renew the firm purpose rather to die than to offend God, and forthwith to make the sign of the cross without remonstrance, and to call on God and the divine Mother, making frequent invocations of the most holy names of Jesus and Mary, which have a wonderful efficacy against filthy suggestions, and should therefore be invoked continually till the temptations are over.” (emphasis mine)

2: Frequent adoration is crucial. I’ve been going every day this week, and I have seen a reprieve so far from lust.

The other thing is to take your battle against impurity one day at a time. Just focus on staying free from lust today, and forget about tomorrow. When tomorrow comes, it’s a new “today”, so just again focus on being free from lust today. And so on and so on. If you try to resolve to be pure forever immediately, especially if like so many of us you’ve fallen too often even with such a resolution or good intention, the devil will trick you into thinking it’s a Sisyphean task, and that you’re incapable of being chaste for the rest of your life, and too often that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Just focus on today for today.
 
“Know your enemy.”

Here is a YouTube video that is a documentary about lust, that shows what is going on that is working against us:

The Science of Lust
 
+JMJ+

“Man cannot live without joy. That is why one deprived of spiritual joys goes over to carnal pleasures.” - St. Thomas Aquinas, ST, II–II, q. 35, art. 4, ad. 2
 
nuntym said:
+JMJ+

For those who are going to watch this, be prepared for “sexy” scenes and images from the get-go.
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Oh yes. I’m sorry I should have made that more clear. Yes this is not a family version.
 
The best way to fight lust is to avoid fighting lust.

Motorcycle drivers are taught to look to either side of an object that suddenly blocks their path on the road, because the hands follow the eyes. In the same way, those who receive communion on the tongue should close their eyes after approaching the priest, for if they open their eyes to watch the host enter their mouths, they will incline their head to follow the priest’s hand.

It’s the old “blue elephant with the pink hat” psychology. If you focus on the object of your attention, the only thing you will achieve is further focus on the object.

Lust attacks you? Kneel and think of the Trinity and say “Father I am weak; I want to sin; I want to drink in my lust like water and consume the ones that I’m lusting after; please help me and save me”. Only the weakness of the Cross defeats the power of sin. Love. Love. Love.
 
I finally overcome masturbation by:
reddit.com/r/NoFap/
This is a online community of people who want to stop masturbation for many reasons. They have so many awesome advice and support that after years of struggle it became easy to fight lust.
 
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