Addiction to pornography and sex is harmful; make no mistake about it. These compulsive sexual behaviors affect your capacity to establish emotionally intimate relationships, and often negatively impact careers, finances, hobbies, health and your spirituality.

Shaking off your addiction could take a long time (especially if you are not in a program) but by being aware of the many fulfilling things you can do rather than watching porn, your recovery and transition to a more normal and more meaningful life can be achieved much quicker than you originally thought. And science demands that you do something else. Here’s a scientific fact, TO BREAK A HABIT YOU MUST MAKE A HABIT.” Instead of obsessively focusing on what you don’t want to do, try focusing on activities that will enrich your life.

What could be more fulfilling than consuming pornography? We thought of these ten things. Perhaps you can think of more – share your ideas in the comments below.

Fall in love with yourself – People who are addicted to porn tend to lose all sense of personal integrity. The shame and numbness that goes with watching porn can make you love yourself less. Remove porn from the equation, and you’ll discover an amazing new world of deeper love for yourself and the people around you.

Meditate – Nowadays, life moves so fast that more often than not, we forget how to slow down. Meditation and practicing mindfulness can help lower your stress levels, decrease your anxiety, and allow you to focus more.

Engage in a hobby – Porn addiction makes you lazy. You can reignite your passion by engaging in something you really love doing. Whether it’s painting, carpentry, crocheting, or metalworking, the sense of accomplishment you’ll have when you complete a project will be so much better than the thrill you’ll feel when you watch porn.

Care for a dog – Science has shown us that people who have dogs tend to be more physically active, have less stress levels, and have a greater sense of personal well-being. We’re pretty sure it has something to do with all those oxytocin (love hormone) that our bodies produce when we are close to our pets. Do you need to de-stress? Don’t watch porn. Pet a dog instead. And nothing’s stopping you from getting a cat instead (or any other kind of animal BFF, for that mater).

Go to the gym – Regular exercise helps protect your body from a whole host of diseases, and it also helps make you look better. When you feel like watching porn, consider doing a short exercise routine instead. Or how about call your exercise buddy so you can both go to the gym and lift some weights or perform a round of boxing exercises. If yoga or pilates is your thing instead, then by all means, just do it.

Run – Better yet, get on your running shoes and sprint a few miles outdoors to get some fresh air along the way. Running is one of the easiest ways to get some dopamine and serotonin (happiness hormones) coursing through your body. This is also a great way to get around your community, to observe things that might interest, and perhaps to meet some new friends.

Go out with your friends – Old friends, however, are really great at making us feel better. Instead of watching porn, why not hang out with your friends more often? Go check out that new mall out of town, go hiking together in the nearest national park, or meet more of your old friends.

Get a makeover – For porn addicts, there is no need to improve themselves because they’ll be able to fulfil their fantasies anyway when they watch porn. Porn will not reject you because you have no makeup or because you have no muscle definition, so it’s okay, right? Not exactly. When you focus instead on yourself and take care of your body and looks, you can feel good in knowing that you’re doing something to achieve the best version of yourself.

Learn new things – But turning into the best version of yourself is more than just improving your looks and caring for your body. You also have to feed your mind and soul. Think about the things you’ve always wanted to try or do, and make a commitment to accomplish them. Do you like to learn a new language? Do you want to learn how to dance? Do you want to know how to play the guitar? To try parkour? It’s all up to you. When you take away porn from your system, you’ll have a lot more free time to do the things you ought to be doing.

Fall in love with someone – Ironic isn’t it? You watch porn all the time and are addicted to sex, but you still feel disembodied because of the lack of intimate and emotional connection in your life. When your mind is affected by images of porn, you project all those debauched fantasies onto people you should be caring about and loving instead. It is only by freeing yourself from the addiction that you’ll be able to experience true intimacy and passion in the relationships you wish to build.