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TOPIC: Please join me on my journey, I need you. 1175 Views

Re: Please join me on my journey, I need you. 20 Aug 2024 19:22 #419504

  • Muttel
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And now you have me crying in my bed thousands of miles away….

menuchashanefesh, what a zechus it’s been getting to know you! You’re fortitude, courage, dignity, and refined character, serve as a bejeweled crown atop a talmid chacham and masmid such as yourself!

This time around, with you tapping into the great power of איש את רעהו יעזרו is bound to keep you buoyed and ready to take off like a rocket ship!!

I look forward to witnessing your meteoric journey בעזרת הקל!

With a heart overflowing with respect and brotherly love,
Muttel
We're in this struggle together; feel free to reach out! 
Muttel15@gmail.com

Feel free to call/text! (908) 251-9590 (google)

Check out my thread here: guardyoureyes.com/forum/19-Introduce-Yourself/413043-My-ENTIRE-story#413043

Re: Please join me on my journey, I need you. 20 Aug 2024 20:00 #419509

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menuchashanefesh9 wrote on 20 Aug 2024 18:27:
I want to to update my dear friends a bit on my past few weeks...

THANK YOU HASHEM FOR HELPING ME FALL TWO WEEK AGO!!!!

Now this may sound off... but let me explain.

From the age of 12 until today (more than two decades) I struggled with lust. My struggles did not bury me, but they weighed on me.... heavily. I am on open guy, have forged deep meaningful relationships friends, Rebbeim, and Talmidim, but this part of me I kept secret... and this secret-- a normal, common, not even too crazy, but inner struggle stayed inside me all these years. This secret weighing down on me did two things. It forced me to fight this fight myself, suppressed from proper tools to fight it, effectively prolonging my endless battle with it and without any ability to truly beat it. But moreover, it made me carry the burden alone. And boy did it hurt. It hurt because I had to do it alone, but it also hurt because I was beating myself up way too hard without proper context of what  this struggle was all about. 

And then Hashem was kind enough to put me in a situation that I had no choice but to reach out. I had literally just completed a year streak, a year of tremendous fight, endurance, and sweet freedom. I thought I had this damned thing beat!! I now know I did, but I didn't. I was no longer dependent on it, I was a free man, but I was still alone. And this is exactly where the Yetzor Hora wanted me, because as long as lusting is your own personal struggle- he will blow it up out of proportion, making it seem like an impossible unbeatable monster, and also cruelly make you carry the guilt alone. So when the Yetzor Hora got me good after a great clean run I was utterly terrified- this monster needed to be defeated once and for all. But how???!! So I reached out to you Heiliga Chevra, Malachim (in a human form), and boy did it change my life...

Reaching out was the next hardest thing I ever did (besides for breaking free for the past year)... actually ten times harder. Which showed me that this was the Yetzor Hora's most demised tactic. I trembled as the phone rang, I even cried as it dialed, and I cried some more quietly a bit as the the Tzadik lovingly applauded me for calling and my amazing courage in the fight. And then after the initial first short call I waited with more excitement (and a little nervousness) for later that night (tisha b'av night, no less) to continue our conversation. I do not have enough words to describe what type of kindness and Middos he displayed each and every minute of these calls. Utter perfection in the מדה of נשיאות עול.

I then reached out to another, this time the head honcho, MR. HHM himself, and boy was that the next most important move of my life.. His name in my contact list is now saved as Hashem HELPED ME!! What a Chessed from Hashem every minute of that conversation. And now as I hope continue to forge relationship with fellow Yiddin, each so special, so helpful, I feel as if I am now equipped in a way never before.

So to those who I have spoken to, THANK YOU, for those who I hope to speak to- I can't wait, and to that damned Yetzor Hora I tell you-- now I got you where I want you!!

Thank you Hashem for helping me fall!

Beautiful! WOW!

KOMT!

-Yiftach'l 
Looking forward to get to know you better! 

Email me @ yiftach1609@gmail.com or call/text 347-201-4989 (Google voice)

My story is unfolding here
"יפתח ה' לך את אוצרו הטוב"

Re: Please join me on my journey, I need you. 20 Aug 2024 20:26 #419510

  • 138eagle
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Wow!
I totally relate.
After being on GYE for a few months I thought I had this all behind me. then I had one day/incident that had me literally shaking. I came this close! to really falling down hard.

Then I opened up.
And it has been great!

Keep Flying!
Come fly with me as I fly higher!
My Story

Feel free to reach out to me.
138.124.eagle@gmail.com

Re: Please join me on my journey, I need you. 20 Aug 2024 20:42 #419511

  • iwannalivereal
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Wow amazing to see once again how strong the power of reaching out to others can be! I've been down my own road of discovering the delight of being able to connect with similar minded guys struggling with this stuff, and I'm glad you've discovered this awesome tool as well!

Keep it up!
Feel free to say hi! iwannalivereal@gmail.com
Check out my story here!

Re: Please join me on my journey, I need you. 22 Aug 2024 14:16 #419700

  • proudyungerman
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menuchashanefesh9 wrote on 20 Aug 2024 18:27:
I want to to update my dear friends a bit on my past few weeks...

THANK YOU HASHEM FOR HELPING ME FALL TWO WEEK AGO!!!!

Now this may sound off... but let me explain.

From the age of 12 until today (more than two decades) I struggled with lust. My struggles did not bury me, but they weighed on me.... heavily. I am on open guy, have forged deep meaningful relationships with friends, Rebbeim, and Talmidim, but this part of me I kept secret... and this secret-- a normal, common, not even too crazy, inner struggle stayed inside me all these years. This secret weighing down on me did two things. It forced me to fight this fight myself, suppressed from proper tools to fight it, effectively prolonging my endless battle with it and without any ability to truly beat it. But moreover, it made me carry the burden alone. And boy did it hurt. It hurt because I had to do it alone, but it also hurt because I was beating myself up way too hard without proper context of what  this struggle was all about. 

And then Hashem was kind enough to put me in a situation that I had no choice but to reach out. I had literally just completed a year streak, a year of tremendous fight, endurance, and sweet freedom. I thought I had this damned thing beat!! I now know I did, but I didn't. I was no longer dependent on it, I was a free man, but I was still alone. And this is exactly where the Yetzor Hora wanted me, because as long as lusting is your own personal struggle- he will blow it up out of proportion, making it seem like an impossible unbeatable monster, and also cruelly make you carry the guilt alone. So when the Yetzor Hora got me good after a great clean run I was utterly terrified- this monster needed to be defeated once and for all. But how???!! So I reached out to you Heiliga Chevra, Malachim (in a human form), and boy did it change my life...

Reaching out was the next hardest thing I ever did (besides for breaking free for the past year)... actually ten times harder. Which showed me that this was the Yetzor Hora's most demised tactic. I trembled as the phone rang, I even cried as it dialed, and I cried some more quietly a bit as the the Tzadik lovingly applauded me for calling and my amazing courage in the fight. And then after the initial first short call I waited with more excitement (and a little nervousness) for later that night (tisha b'av night, no less) to continue our conversation. I do not have enough words to describe what type of kindness and Middos he displayed each and every minute of these calls. Utter perfection in the מדה of נשיאות עול.

I then reached out to another, this time the head honcho, MR. HHM himself, and boy was that the next most important move of my life.. His name in my contact list is now saved as Hashem HELPED ME!! What a Chessed from Hashem every minute of that conversation. And now as I hope continue to forge relationship with fellow Yiddin, each so special, so helpful, I feel as if I am now equipped in a way never before.

So to those who I have spoken to, THANK YOU, for those who I hope to speak to- I can't wait, and to that damned Yetzor Hora I tell you-- now I got you where I want you!!

Thank you Hashem for helping me fall!

Beautiful! Just beautiful!
:pinch: Warning: Spoiler!
Feel free to reach out and say hi!
proudyungerman@gmail.com
406-219-8398

My Journey:
guardyoureyes.com/forum/19-Introduce-Yourself/406231-The-Real-Me

Re: Please join me on my journey, I need you. 22 Aug 2024 19:08 #419775

  • amevakesh
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Sometimes, a username says it all. The Alter of Novardok explains the difference between שלוה and מנוחה. One who has שלוה is at peace,because he has exactly what he needs, all the puzzle pieces of his life are in place. To be clear, this is a very admirable מדריגה, it means that he’s a שמח בחלקו and is content with the situation that he has because he feels that all of his needs are being met. מנוחה is a far higher level, where one doesn’t depend on external circumstances to be at peace. The contentment comes from within himself, whatever life throws at him won’t change his internal serenity.

Over the course of the past year you have attained greatness. You valiantly fought battles and were successful, only one thing was missing, comrades in arms, to help you out when the going gets rough. In less then 2 weeks, you’ve gone from a דרגה of שלוה to a whole new level of מנוחת הנפש. You’ve reached an inner contentment in this struggle which is nearly impossible to achieve alone. Yet you did what it took to overcome the fear, and reached out. You were קונה something priceless. Friends. 

Yesterday on GYE, we celebrated a great שמחה. One of our great generals made a ברית for his newborn son. In his remarks on the forums after the שמחה, General IWLR wrote, that he was more excited to see his GYE friends then his real one’s. I’d like to attempt to say פשט in the General. The friends we have in real life, might know us pretty well, but 99% percent of them only know our חיצוניות. They are what we can classify as circumstantial friends. They know our external situations in life, our likes and dislikes, perhaps our personalities, and based on these factors, they are or aren’t our friends. The friends that we make here are forged based on our innermost struggles. The most private part of our נשמה is bared when connecting with a good friend at GYE. Some of us barely know each other’s lives outside of this struggle. The friendship is rooted mainly in the bonding of the פנימיות of נשמות. Regular friend can help one better their circumstances and help one attain a level of שלוה. Friend here on GYE change our פנימיות and can help one reach inner serenity, real מנוחת הנפש.
Feel free to email me at amevakesh23@gmail.com

Re: Please join me on my journey, I need you. 22 Aug 2024 19:13 #419776

  • amevakesh
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An unrelated point. You had an amazing 373 day streak, then you fell. Now you’re back at it. There has been much written about how a fall doesn’t negate past hard work, and I’d like to add a subtle point to that idea, based on a story that I heard about ר' משה. 

The late מנהל of ישיבה תפארת אלימלך Rav Moshe Feigelshtock, was once made aware of an obstinate elderly man, whose doctor had given him strict orders to eat on יום כיפור. The man refused to listen to the doctors orders, because he couldn’t bring himself to eat on יו"כ. In an attempt to change this persons mind, R' Moshe Feigelshtock called ר' משה זצ"ל to visit the older man to try to persuade him to change his mind. They both went down to the hospital, where ר' משה told the man that he’s מחויב to eat on יו"כ. The man still refused, he just couldn’t do it. After trying many times and failing to convince the man, ר' משה got up to leave. On their way out ר"מ said to R’ Moshe Feigelshtock “ווייסט אויס אז ער האט מער מורה פון יו"כ, פון דער וואס האט געזאגט מ'טאר ניט עסען אויף יו"כ” - The גדול הדור was remarking that the man’s obstinance proved that his observance of יו"כ was a reflection of what he felt to be his own personal accomplishment. Up until that point, he had never eaten on יו"כ and he felt bad about breaking his own personal streak. Real 'עבודת ה is about doing what Hashem wants at any given moment. If that means eating on יו"כ, then so be it.

By getting right back up, and picking up from where you left off, you are making a declaration that you’re not abstaining from that which is אסור because you have a personal vested interest in continuing your streak, rather this is a manifestation of 'עבודת ה because 'ה wants it. Of course it’s okay to use the streak as a motivating factor to push oneself, but ultimately the reason we don’t engage in the this behavior is because that’s what He wants me to do today. (Yes, I know there may be some that won’t be able to break free for religious reasons, they must use other tactics, but ideally that’s the reason we do it) There’s no difference if you are working on your first and second day to working on your 3000th day, both are supposed to be because that what 'ה wants. 

If you were able to bounce back and seek out a different מהלך as soon as you were able to to get right back at it, and you were able to see the beauty in the fall that led you to reach out, it says something about the 'עובד ה that you are. Thank you so much for joining us in our battle. We look forward to much success on the battlefield together!
Feel free to email me at amevakesh23@gmail.com
Last Edit: 23 Aug 2024 04:34 by amevakesh.

Re: Please join me on my journey, I need you. 22 Aug 2024 19:37 #419780

  • Muttel
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Wow, I love these pearls of wisdom!

Keep ‘em comin’!!

באהבה
Muttel
We're in this struggle together; feel free to reach out! 
Muttel15@gmail.com

Feel free to call/text! (908) 251-9590 (google)

Check out my thread here: guardyoureyes.com/forum/19-Introduce-Yourself/413043-My-ENTIRE-story#413043
Last Edit: 22 Aug 2024 19:37 by Muttel.

Re: Please join me on my journey, I need you. 20 Sep 2024 06:04 #421965

To my dear friends,I want to share with you an experience from my past forty days of my journey. Forty days ago for the very first time I  began to reach out to get help from GYE friends.  Through exposing my inner self to dear friends, and holding myself accountable to them something major happened to me and I want to share them with this amazing GYE family.


These are my feelings, not fully formulated thoughts, so please forgive me if I'm not clear enough or if I start to ramble a bit.

While struggling in the past with Inyanei Kedusha I am only now realizing that more so than just failing in refraining myself from חטא, I was holding myself back from an inner world of רוחניות. I do not mean to say that I didn't experience growth in my רוחניות, but the יצר הרע entrapped me into defining myself as person בחוץ מעולם הרוחני. I carried my shortcomings as a heavy baggage weighing down on ME. I felt handicapped in my abilities to steig because after all how can a person who occasionally (sometime even more than occasionally) watches phonography really be connected to רוחניות. Even when I broke free from this habit, and enjoyed a long clean streak, which accomplished ridding myself of this awful dependency, I still viewed myself as a guy who used to watch porn- meaning I primarily defined myself based on my past struggle. Forty days ago, when I BH finally had the courage to reach out and break the hiding of this part of my life I accomplished not just exposing myself to others, but actually exposing myself to myself.  It allowed me to expose the real me to myself. I was not a porn watcher. I was an 'עבד ה who worked tirelessly in his 'עבדות ה- and who because of different circumstances had a specific struggle in this area. This may have been good for my self esteem perhaps, but it was much more vital than just that. It allowed me to view myself as someone who was actually deeply connected to 'עבודת ה and someone who actually did already live in an עולם הרוחני. Thus, I allowed myself to enjoy the actual liggin in רוחניות that perhaps was there the whole time, just I didn't allow myself to experience it, as I convinced myself that I had no שייכות to it. This pivot allowed myself to instantly feel connected to my עבדות ה in an entirely new plane than beforehand. 

Raboisai, the גשמק of living real, doing routine מצות, yes even the גשמק of not looking, were made available to me. But I want to underscore a bigger point here. While I do think that the lust struggles put dampers on my overall level of רוחניות, however it was the cloud that it put on me- defining myself based on it- that made that damper, not the lust itself. All my work in עבודת ה created real מדרגות but I couldn't access them properly because of this self imposed cloud. The removal of this cloud through the help of connecting to real people and really identifying who I really am, has allowed me to access the עולם הרוחני I had built for myself all these years. BH because of all your help I am now l liggin in that world, the very world I had built myslelf, but one that my lust had allowed my to lock myself out from it.

Thank you to all my friends who have helped and I can't wait to keep living real together!!
Last Edit: 20 Sep 2024 18:30 by menuchashanefesh9.

Re: Please join me on my journey, I need you. 20 Sep 2024 10:03 #421968

  • Muttel
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You hit the nail on the head! 

Perfectly summarized my feelings these last 4 months….

KOMT!!!!

Muttel
We're in this struggle together; feel free to reach out! 
Muttel15@gmail.com

Feel free to call/text! (908) 251-9590 (google)

Check out my thread here: guardyoureyes.com/forum/19-Introduce-Yourself/413043-My-ENTIRE-story#413043

Re: Please join me on my journey, I need you. 20 Sep 2024 13:37 #421975

  • proudyungerman
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At the risk of sounding redundant, I strongly relate to your feelings.
I also had related to myself as primarily the one who acts out and also sometimes learns, davens, etc. 
Through opening up to the choshuve members here, I came to know the real me.

KUTGW, and, as always, KOMT!!
Feel free to reach out and say hi!
proudyungerman@gmail.com
406-219-8398

My Journey:
guardyoureyes.com/forum/19-Introduce-Yourself/406231-The-Real-Me

Re: Please join me on my journey, I need you. 20 Sep 2024 14:47 #421980

  • DeletedUser7986
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Wow the people here are so impressive. 
They have unparalleled and unimaginable strength to stand up daily and fight. 

To the opening poster, while you did fall, and it hurt, just tell yourself that you fought a daily (ok it's probably hourly or minutely) battle, and won it for a total of 372 days straight. 

Can you imagine someone having to battle something every day for an entire year and winning EVERY SINGLE TIME! 
You are a gibbor. 

Re: Please join me on my journey, I need you. 22 Sep 2024 17:35 #422065

  • eerie
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WOW! Sounds like a real dose of menuchas hanefesh to me!
Dear friend, keep trucking, and keep inspiring!
Feel free to say hi. My email is 1gimpelovitz@gmail.com

Re: Please join me on my journey, I need you. 30 Sep 2024 17:06 #422649

Until now I have shared MY story. Today I want to focus on the OTHER SIDE of the story.


I entered marriage in a pretty decent place in many areas, but I walked in with a secret teddy bear. This teddy bear (read: porn) would stay hidden, and only be brought out to keep me company if my wife was:


A.  Not available.


B.  Not turning me on for whatever reason (all self-inflicted reasons caused by not realistic expectations for her to be as hot and seductive as a p*** star, while also being as frum and edile as the amazing bas yisrael girl which she is).


C.  Not fulfilling my needy emotional needs which somehow watching porn did, at least for the few minutes of watching, and then somehow magically leave me lonelier than before.





Thankfully this teddy bear has stayed hidden (I hope) but its ramifications have not. This teddy bear I thought was my own problem, but Baruch Hashem through much work I think I can now fully understand that this was actually more my wife's problem than mine. Meaning she was the victim of my problem. I really do think that my wife and I have a beautiful marriage. We care about each other, we support each other, we laugh together, and we cry together. I believe I am a good husband. BUT (and this is a painful thing to admit), my lusting has definitely affected my marriage. And I want to fix it so badly.





Why do I have to get down (and show it, dammit) when I realize that sex is not going to happen tonight?





Why does every hug need to be a full body hug?





Why can't I talk to her like a normal person without my mind thinking about the chances of sex that night?





Why can't I truly focus on only her needs?





BECAUSE I HAVE A PROBLEM! [Feel free to define it, but please give a solution too]!





My DW is perfect, and I have an issue that I want to fix so badly FOR HER SAKE!!





Each year my shortfalls in ענייני קדושה took center stage in my mind and my tefillos during this season. I beat myself up, I cried. I wanted to be clean so badly. But perhaps the focus over MY kedusha was the very problem itself. WHY DIDN"T I EVER THINK ABOUT MY POOR WIFE?!?! Was she not the victim here?!?





Hashem, I have no words to thank you in helping get free from my own biggest enemy. Over the last year and a half I have made great strides. PLEASE, PLEASE, let this be an impetus to become a great husband this next year.
Last Edit: 01 Oct 2024 19:48 by menuchashanefesh9.

Re: Please join me on my journey, I need you. 30 Sep 2024 17:18 #422650

  • eerie
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Not nice to make a grown man cry...
My dear special friend, with the amazing work you are putting in, and I mean specifically the fact that you are connecting with HHM and hearing, listening, learning, I'm pretty confident that with time, as you stay away from the poison that porn is to our minds, you'll find that sex will give up the front seat. Staying away from porn is the detox that allows for the normal, natural regard to sexuality to take hold. But if a person doesn't teach themselves to see it differently, than all the perspective of sex will remain what it was when he was watching porn. So, now that you are doing both, beH you'll soon start seeing the subtle differences, as intimacy takes the front seat as opposed to sex. 
Feel free to say hi. My email is 1gimpelovitz@gmail.com
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