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Feeling so down right now
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TOPIC: Feeling so down right now 286 Views

Feeling so down right now 19 Aug 2020 22:38 #354015

  • gyealways
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The past few days have been really difficult. Unfortunately, I fell hard today. The yetzer hara is smart; it wasn't a 1,2,3 presto you fall. Slowly but surely it happened though. Hashem tried to stop me multiple times, but the yetzer hara somehow fought a hard battle. Immediately (I mean mamish within a second) after I fell, I felt so down and angry. So angry at myself for falling yet again. So down about the fact that I fell right before Rosh Chodesh Elul. I am really upset and frustrated right now, and could use some SERIOUS CHIZZUK. Chevra, please give me so chizzuk. I'm so distraught over this. This nisayon is so difficult, and my neshama aches with every part of it. 

-A heartbroken Yid

Re: Feeling so down right now 19 Aug 2020 22:51 #354016

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"Whoever does a sin and is embarrassed by it, they forgive him for all his sins." -- Brachos 12b

Don't give up. Your reaction shows that you have what it takes to win.
In the place where ba’alei teshuva stand, even pure tzaddikim who never sinned cannot stand. (Rabbi Avohu, Brachos 34b)

Great free resources:
My favorite book for breaking free: The Battle of the Generation 
https://guardyoureyes.com/ebooks/item/the-battle-of-the-generation. Change your attitude and change your life!

Rabbi Shafier's incredible lectures on breaking free: The Fight. Download here: 
https://theshmuz.com/series/the-fight/

If you're only ready to try something small, check out an easier way to do self-talk here:
https://guardyoureyes.com/forum/4-On-the-Way-to-90-Days/378128-Captain—Shtarkemotionals-Secret90Day-Challenge

Re: Feeling so down right now 19 Aug 2020 22:56 #354017

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Here's some chizuk from The Battle of the Generation ( https://guardyoureyes.com/ebooks/item/the-battle-of-the-generation ), Chapter 11:

The incredible story of the teshuva of Rabbi Elazar ben Durdia is related by the Gemara (Avodah Zara 17a). Elazar ben Durdia was known to have visited every woman of ill repute in the world. Once, he heard of such a woman who lived far away. He amassed a bag of gold coins and traveled across seven rivers to reach her. When she met him, this woman recognized his depravity and told him that he would never be accepted back in teshuva. Struck by her statement, he ran out of the house.
    Elazar sat between two mountains and valleys. He cried out, “Mountains and valleys, beg for mercy on my behalf!” The mountains and valleys declined his request. He then asked the heavens and earth to beg mercy for him, but he was turned down again. He called out for the sun and moon to plead on his behalf, and they too refused. He begged the stars and constellations for help, and he was rebuffed once again.
    Finally, Elazar said to himself, “It all depends on me!” He sobbed bitterly over his sins until he died. At that moment, a heavenly voice proclaimed, “Rabbi Elazar ben Durdia is ready to enter Olam Habba.”
    When Rebbe (Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi) heard this, he cried and said, “Some people acquire their portion in the World to Come over many years, while others acquire their portion in one minute!” Rebbe continued, “Not only do they accept those who repent [in Heaven], they even call them ʻRabbi!’”
    There is a lot to learn from this story. Let’s start by examining what caused Elazar ben Durdia to do teshuva. What changed? Before this woman told him that he wouldn’t be accepted back in teshuva, didn’t he know that what he had been doing his whole life was wrong? Of course he knew Hashem didn’t like promiscuity, but that did not stop him from acting as he pleased. What changed now? What woke him up and caused him to change his life?
    Rabbi Shafier (Shmuz 3: “Yom Kippur: The Power of Teshuva,” www.TheShmuz.com) answers that Elazar realized he had hit rock bottom. When that sinful woman made her remark, he understood that he had fallen lower than he’d ever thought possible, certainly lower than where he was comfortable viewing himself. That shocking realization broke through all his rationalizations, waking him up and enabling him to see clearly. Not liking where he saw himself brought him to tears, and he turned around immediately. Of course, Hashem accepted his teshuva; Hashem eagerly awaits the repentance of even the most sinful people because of His tremendous love for all His children.
    For many people, there comes a point in their lives when they overstep their bounds and do what they never thought they would stoop to do. The shock and regret they feel afterward is searing. It is vital that they respond properly to this pain because this moment is the most critical moment of their lives. In that instant, they can decide to see past their rationalizations and change, or they can defend their decisions instead.
Unfortunately, no matter how they respond, it will be painful. Whether they commit to act differently or try to deny their mistakes, they cannot completely quell the agonizing realization that they have done something wrong. Deep down, they know they failed, and that feeling is excruciating.
    But there is a way for a person to mitigate much of this pain, and that is by saying to himself, “I will make this the most productive thing that ever happened to me because I am going to use it to change my whole life! Years from now, I am going to look back and realize that all I have become is because of what happened today, and that had it not happened, I probably would have continued to plummet further instead. I am going to become a different person and reach greatness because of what happened!” Making what happened productive by deciding to turn around because of it eases the sting of regret like nothing else can. Best of all, it is a huge shortcut on the road to self-control. It enables us to attain lasting change much faster than usual.
    Of course, we must also remember that teshuva completely wipes away our sins as if we never did them.  Once we repent, we no longer have to feel down about what we did. We can take comfort in the knowledge that our error has been erased and move on.
In the place where ba’alei teshuva stand, even pure tzaddikim who never sinned cannot stand. (Rabbi Avohu, Brachos 34b)

Great free resources:
My favorite book for breaking free: The Battle of the Generation 
https://guardyoureyes.com/ebooks/item/the-battle-of-the-generation. Change your attitude and change your life!

Rabbi Shafier's incredible lectures on breaking free: The Fight. Download here: 
https://theshmuz.com/series/the-fight/

If you're only ready to try something small, check out an easier way to do self-talk here:
https://guardyoureyes.com/forum/4-On-the-Way-to-90-Days/378128-Captain—Shtarkemotionals-Secret90Day-Challenge

Re: Feeling so down right now 20 Aug 2020 00:31 #354018

  • Jj123
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First off, sorry to hear. It hurts deep.
Reaching 90 or any streak for that matter isn't valuable just because a person is currently 90 days clean. What's more important is that this person has developed himself to the point where he was able to get to 90 days clean. People here talk about white knuckling, which is when a person stays cleans for a few weeks out of sheer willpower, without making any real change or combatting his lust issue. When he falls, he mostly falls back to where he started. Same lost dude with the same issue.
I dont think 90 days clean is even possible to do white knuckling. 90 days is the result of change. 

Yes, you messed up. But it's a different person who messed up now than the one who kept messing up before coming to gye. A person with more self knowledge, motivation, tools and strategies for overcoming his yetzer Hara. And most probably a better person.

So yeah, it feels awful. But so what? Redraw your battle plans, with your new knowledge of what leads to the slow decline in carefullness, and what your triggers are.

Mend your armor, polish it, and strap it on.

You are warrior.

Re: Feeling so down right now 20 Aug 2020 01:20 #354019

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Im not sure what you mean hashem tried to stop you - to mean it sounds like you fought a hard battle and thats huge even if it didnt end the way you would have liked

Re: Feeling so down right now 20 Aug 2020 03:32 #354030

Deleted, see below. I got the quote part messed up lol 
If you are really bored, you can check out my original thread here: guardyoureyes.com/forum/4-On-the-Way-to-90-Days/305558-Journey-of-one-day-at-a-time 

"Think good and it will be good!"
Last Edit: 20 Aug 2020 03:34 by Ihavestrength.

Re: Feeling so down right now 20 Aug 2020 03:34 #354031

gyealways wrote on 19 Aug 2020 22:38:
The past few days have been really difficult. Unfortunately, I fell hard today. The yetzer hara is smart; it wasn't a 1,2,3 presto you fall. Slowly but surely it happened though. Hashem tried to stop me multiple times, but the yetzer hara somehow fought a hard battle. Immediately (I mean mamish within a second) after I fell, I felt so down and angry. So angry at myself for falling yet again. So down about the fact that I fell right before Rosh Chodesh Elul. I am really upset and frustrated right now, and could use some SERIOUS CHIZZUK. Chevra, please give me so chizzuk. I'm so distraught over this. This nisayon is so difficult, and my neshama aches with every part of it. 

-A heartbroken Yid

I'm sorry to hear you are going through a rough time. It may be helpful to realize that you are not alone and that many people have felt what you are feeling. In fact, I could relate to every single line in your post. I have felt all those things before after a fall. However, I can tell you that I don't feel like that now. Feelings come and go, and you will grow and move on from this. Try to remember that this is a very normal thing to struggle with and that streaks are nonsense (outside the motivational value and accountability element). They have no intrinsic value. Tomorrow is a new day that Hashem created and he doesn't care that it's chodesh elul, or the significance of what being clean before that means to me. Hashem says I gave you life today, make the most of it, do your best, be kind to yourself and others, and serve me as best as you can. 



I hope this is somewhat coherent and helpful. Wishing you the best, keep the spirit, things will get better!
If you are really bored, you can check out my original thread here: guardyoureyes.com/forum/4-On-the-Way-to-90-Days/305558-Journey-of-one-day-at-a-time 

"Think good and it will be good!"
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