It's Elul, and I am still here

amother

Wed, Aug 27 2014, 8:33 pm

The last couple of years I managed to 'wean' myself from imamother for Elul & Tishrei, maybe even into Cheshvan.

Of course there are wonderful, inspiring posts, but I personally felt I wasted a lot of time, and I want to focus more on learning & other spiritual pursuits.

But here I am. I am not feeling like growing right now... Anyone relate?

I finished Sefer Tehillim in Tammuz, but in Av I wasn't feeling great & left it. I have tried to start again for Elul.

But I am not feeling much energy to devote to spiritual growth right now. I suppose I ought to listen to some shiurim & maybe one will click.

amother

Wed, Aug 27 2014, 10:03 pm

I am with you, (though I didn't say tehillim in Tammuz). Feeling uninspired.
So, if misery loves company, here's your company.
And know that you're not alone.

amother

Wed, Aug 27 2014, 10:11 pm

I wonder if it's overload. When the boys HYD went missing, I started to say Tehillim. Then I just wanted to continue. But now, I wonder how much it really accomplishes....which is a very un-believing thing to say...

amother

Wed, Aug 27 2014, 10:12 pm

I think it's the Yetzer Hara that wants to keep watching Married at First Sight. Which, if I am going to stop going in imamother, I'm surely not going to be watching TV on the Internet.

See how he drags you in? Now if I don't watch during Elul I'll miss the endings.

Lady Godiva

Wed, Aug 27 2014, 10:21 pm

I don't know. I don't feel this site to be detrimental to my spiritual well being or to negatively impact my religiosity.

amother

Thu, Aug 28 2014, 5:02 pm

Quote:

I don't feel this site to be detrimental to my spiritual well being or to negatively impact my religiosity.

Well, other than perhaps certain topics...

But my point was that I try to aspire to a "higher self" in Elul, more like the person I would look up to and wish to be, and that person might be cooking for the new mothers, visiting the sick, saying Tehillim, or studying or teaching the Parsha, or working to support her family or Torah scholars. And not hanging out & chatting on the Internet.

amother

Thu, Aug 28 2014, 9:44 pm

So maybe be mekabel that you won't go online for an hour a day, or one day a week, or something like that. It's a good temporary aseres yemei teshuva thing.

Emotional

Thu, Aug 28 2014, 10:14 pm

Lady Godiva wrote:

I don't know. I don't feel this site to be detrimental to my spiritual well being or to negatively impact my religiosity.

Unless you read some very heated Lakewood threads...

amother

Thu, Aug 28 2014, 10:22 pm

My husband's rosh hayeshiva gives a schmooze every year around this time and he always ends by saying, "it is not the size of what you choose to work on, but the accomplishment of succeeding at it. Pick one small thing you'd like to work on during this time. Now divide it in half, or even in quarters, and then work on that instead."

Sometimes we pick a goal that we might not be ready to achieve. But we all have so much to work on, in so many areas, that maybe there is one thing that we really are ready to do.

Perhaps this is not the right time for that specific goal? Just a thought.

PinkFridge

Fri, Aug 29 2014, 8:55 am

Emotional wrote:

Unless you read some very heated Lakewood threads...

B"H I stop watching some of these threads.

sky

Fri, Aug 29 2014, 9:32 am

If you have firefox you can install addins that limit how much time you can spend on a site. Like 30 minutes in a 24 hour period and once you exceed that you can't get back on.
Baby steps.

saracohen

Sun, Aug 31 2014, 10:39 am

Rebbetzin Feige Twerski will be giving a three part phone series on Days of Awe: Teshuva with Joy that might be helpful for you. You can email rebbetzintwerski@gmail.com for more info.