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Elul Anxiety
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TOPIC: Elul Anxiety 345 Views

Elul Anxiety 27 Aug 2021 14:49 #371961

Hi, I’m new to this forum and little nervous to be putting myself out there. 

I struggle with Shmirat eynayim and Shmirat habrit. I try really hard for a few days not to do anything, and then it becomes too difficult to bear. The fear of Elul in general certainly doesn’t make the guilt any less or the recovery any easier.

just looking to feel a little bit heard on this platform. I just fell again a few minutes ago, and feeling so helpless. Even if I think about the upcoming Yom Kippur and the guilt and fear I will feel, it’s not enough to stop me in my tracks. It breaks my heart and feel like HaShem won’t forgive me after so many second chances. Feeling pretty heartbroken. 

Re: Elul Anxiety 27 Aug 2021 16:09 #371963

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Hey friend,

This is how it's normal to feel. Especially during Elul. The focus of Elul is basically all on cleaning up aveiros. So we focus on them. But we can forget about good things we do. Those few days that you fought back, in reality each moment is a priceless gem and you are spiritually wealthy despite your fall. And your true identity identity is that you are a fighter! But it's hard to feel this way, especially now.

Please see the free ebook The Battle Of the Generation. Link is below in my signature. It's very helpful for developing this attitude.

Hatzlocha
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: Elul Anxiety 27 Aug 2021 19:51 #371969

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Elul can be brutal. As so many people here will tell you, guilt is not healthy. If you feel that you just want to throw in the towel then you know its the Yetzer Hara talking. 
There is so much information available on GYE make sure to use it!
HHM just posted an amazing post on a different forum which is a must read check it out guardyoureyes.com/forum/13-BEIS-HAMEDRASH/371836-ELUL-ANYONE?limit=15&start=15#371915
Hope for the best Prepare for the worst

Re: Elul Anxiety 30 Aug 2021 10:00 #372011

I share your feelings buddy. I fell not long ago myself and have been feeling guilty too. I do not have the answers to solve this riddle, the only thing that keeps me going is that I always make Hashem a promise whenever I fall that I will never stop fighting. I do not know when (or if) I will ever win this battle, but the yezer hara wants you to give up more than he wants you to fall. I may not be in a position to give chizuk when I myself need some, but I promise to hashem that I will never stop fighting and it keeps me going, maybe it will work for you too. 

Re: Elul Anxiety 30 Aug 2021 11:18 #372012

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I reposted this for our chaver Jbass. Please read it well. When you will start believing what it says here, you will iyh have one foot out of the hole...
The typical fellow on GYE is a nice guy. He learns, davens, puts on tzitzis and tefillin, is careful with Shabbos, kashrus, and inyonim bain adam l'chaveiro. His "chart" in shomayim is looking good. Comes Elul, and he asks himself - Can i learn and daven better/more? Can i be mekayem mitzvos better? Can i improve my hanhaga with other people? Shmiras HaLashon? Polite and clean speech? Can i learn hilchos Shabbos/kashrus more in depth and make sure i am up to par? Can i make brachos better? etc..... This same fellow has a side challenge. He picked up as an innocent youngster some bad habits. Pornography, masturbation, and all that comes along with it. He was basically an onais. Nobody really prepared him for this challenge, so his curiosity got him hooked before he realized how assur and habit forming this stuff is. Once he did realize, he had nobody to turn to. No lines of communication about this embarrassing stuff were ever offered to him, and he was too ashamed to reach out. Onais material. He listened to the yetzer hara and started measuring himself totally based on these actions. It didn't matter that he did so many wonderful things and stayed away from other aveiros. All his good actions were tainted by his being impure and hated by Hashem. On a day that he didnt fall, he still had terribly negative feelings due to his (mistaken) knowledge that he has to fall soon anyway...Every good action was discounted to the barest minimum. Now he comes to GYE. Courageous. As a mature adult he is willing to put that shame on the side and post, call, and maybe even meet. There is no doubt that this causes great simcha in shomayim. Our friend is making changes. His Elul for this stuff, is to do something, anything, to show himself and Hashem that he is in truth loyal - ne'eman, albeit struggling with this bad habit. The two issues may not merge. He should not dare look negatively or even discount his Torah/davening even if he masturbated that day. He should daven an Elul davening and learn on an Elul standard. His "regular" issues have nothing to do with his "onais" issue. He dare not have a depressed Shabbos seuda even if he fell a few hours before. He should sing zemiros with geshmak, knowing that Hashem loves him and is proud of his attempts.  In actuality, our chaver has two sepearte avodos this Elul. All the "regular" stuff, where he should do the best he can to clean up his act. And then these issues. He should turn towards the right direction. Post, call, meet, get a filter, avoid triggers... (yes, iyh a few years down the road when he is in a healthy place, and has learned to truly accept himself, with proper guidance he will do teshuva for his past. But now as a still - even partially - broken depressed fellow, it is not the time). Iyh when one really picks up this mindset, he attains the menuchas hanefesh necessary to get better. He begins to rewire his brain about sexuality, starts to internalize that there is never a need to masturbate, and learns how to self soothe in healthy kosher ways. His pride in himself grows and helps create a loving home, where the bedroom is an extension of a thriving 24/7 marriage - in a dwelling where the Shechina feels invited in. And if chas v'shalom there are occasional slips and falls until he develops this confidence, he has the wherewithall to contact a chaver to help him get refocused and back on track. Truth to be told, our chaver does have one more important thing to do teshuva for this Elul. He listened to his yetzer hara when he told him "Nothing you do is really good because you masturbated today". Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, "everything you do is good because you are a mesiras nefesh yid! someone who is doing what it takes to walk against this tsunami of filth, even if today you unfortunately fell." How do you do teshuva for that? Go to the mirror each remaining day of Elul, and look deeply ito the eyes of the fellow looking back at you, and tell him "You are a great fellow. Hashem loves you!" After a few days, change the word "you" to "i". "I am a great guy and Hashem loves me!" May Hashem guide us all to utilize Elul and the yemei HaRachamim V'HaRatzon properly.
Feel free to contact me at michelgelner@gmail.com
Feel free to contact me at michelgelner@gmail.com

My threads: Lessons Learned: guardyoureyes.com/forum/20-Important-Threads/335248-Lessons-Learned

                    My Story and G-d Bless GYE: guardyoureyes.com/forum/17-Balei-Battims-Forum/303036-My-story-and-G-d-bless-GYE
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