As we grow and mature, according to Erickson, we are confronted with a set of challenges that cluster around a specific theme. We engage life-tasks that enable us to continue to grow and flourish as individuals in relationship with others. One way to conceive of recovery from sexual addiction involves doing the work of psychosocial development that has been undermined by the addiction.

Relationships are hard. It is little wonder that so many Millennial’s are skipping the relationship step and diving headlong into the hookup culture. One of the skills we are intended to learn as children is how to be in relationship. But if you spend your childhood playing video games, or surfing social media looking for distraction, relational competency becomes elusive.

A colleague of ours in the life star network shared a tool with us that can enhance the development of couple-intimacy. Developing a relationship of healthy intimacy takes practice. Most things require the development of certain skills. A person locked in an addictive process fails to develop the skills of intimacy that contribute to greater overall health. Our colleague described what he calls “The Good, Better, Best Check-in”.

People who flourish experience emotional well-being. They nourish this well being by practicing at least six positive habits.

Memory sometimes becomes a cluttered closet into which we throw painful episodes. As the closet fills up, experiences we thought we had pushed out of sight behind the closed door, sometimes spill out into the room.

The decision to address the challenge of sexual addiction may be the most important decision one will ever make. Because: Once you make a decision, the decision begins to make you.

Four areas in our lives keep us healthy. If we work on them intentionally every day, they serve as a guard against disordered thinking, feeling, and relating.