supremeone wrote on 17 Aug 2022 11:44:
Hey Eyes!
The point of this blog is not meant to talk about our challenges in that area.
What I want is for people to talk about the areas they are proud of.
So you learn Rosh Hashana? That's impressive. Who cares if you looked at something?
Torah is more important, focus on that. Give yourself a feeling of self worth and maybe you will actually see that your other issues are suddenly getting smaller and smaller.
The Chachamim famously said, "if you feel the yetzer harah, go and learn." Why?
I would like to suggest, the yetzer harah only has power when you give it power. Your body only has control over you if you think it does.
Torah is the only thing which truly has power, and only if you let it! So I say go learn.
IF you cant learn however, i say the next best thing is do something constructive. Read a book, go for a run, work out. Cook something. Why? First of all it is good to get your mind away from it, its like trying not to think about the pink elephant. The best way to stop thinking about the pink elephant is to stop thinking about the gray elephant. Its a mind trick, but you control it.
The other reason is because I have felt that the reason I spiral is because I feel worthless when engaging in pornographic material. I make it more than it is. I forget that I am the sum of many things.
I learn, daven, talk kindly to people. I read, love music, want to paint. I am on the whole pretty good. I have a small weakness as a man. I understand that weakness, but it does not define me.
So let us all focus on the good things we do and hopefully those good things will elevate us away from the bad. Guys try and post success stories liek learning, chessed, even giving a kind word to someone. I see enough of people saying they avoided looking at something or doing something. Focus on what good things you actively did.
I second that!
Btw you had a great idEaster to start this threday. Negativity is what keeps people on that vicious cycle of P/M and feeling depressed. If so, then positi it must be part of the way out...