More is more.

Once a week, terrible weather notwithstanding, I treat myself to a hike. Time spent in nature is incredibly restorative for me, and so I make it a priority to get outside, whether I’ve got 20 minutes to quickly decompress or two hours to let loose and explore.

In the case of my most recent jaunt, I had availability that was somewhere in between — 45 minutes, give or take — and so I chose a familiar, zippy trail I knew I could close within that window.

Or, so I thought I could. It was a warm, sunny day — a busy scene, as one might expect, with large groups crowding the gravel — and so I took what I assumed was a small detour around my known route in order to avoid the masses. Instead, it put me on a path that brought me into the dead center of a forest — beautiful and serene, but not what I’d planned for, requiring not only an additional half an hour to accommodate for my missteps, but concerns about my safety (hello, random man standing by himself who called out to me while I read my compass).

When I finally got back to terra firma, I did something else outside the norm for me, and treated myself to a “cheat” meal: a burger, sweet potato fries, and beer. A simple indulgence — and, I do believe in letting oneself on the hook occasionally — but, again, not something I’d planned for, particularly where sticking with healthy habits is a cornerstone of my foundation. So, I shouldn’t have been surprised the next morning when I woke up in a lousy mood, exacerbated by aching calves from the steep inclines I didn’t plan on climbing, either. (Ah, denial — that old chestnut.)

But, as I often tell playmates who seek counsel as to why they can’t kick their own bad habits — endless gooning, porn addiction, becoming infatuated with cam girls and porn stars among them — I decided to do the next best thing, which is to flood the bad with the good; to lessen the space in which it has to roam. When the good becomes consuming, you simply have less opportunity to indulge in the bad.

This meant an immediate launch into triage mode — water with fresh-squeezed lemon, yoga, some self-forgiveness meditation. Then, tackling my work with fresh appreciation instead of bemoaning my headache. Choosing a healthy lunch. Going for a walk. And so on. I simply didn’t have time to linger in my funk, because I was busy allocating it (the time) to other, more productive choices.

That’s why I don’t believe in quitting things cold turkey, by the way — it’s far too easy to fill the void with another bad habit when you don’t have a good one lined up to take its place, or to panic at the perceived emptiness and relapse. Flood the bad with the good — choose the healthier thing again and again until you crave the healthier thing — and when you need to course correct because you’ve gotten off track, do that.

(Feeling weak? Read more about my thoughts around discipline here.)

Ashley Alair is an adult content creator who writes about her experiences in virtual sex work and at large. Learn more, and get in touch, at AshleyAlair.com.