#1387 - Self-restraint
Any time I practice self-restraint, there's an initial phase of resistance. My body and mind complain, and I feel awful for a day or two. But then, once I push through that resistance, something magical happens. I have more energy and clarity.
The brain is a reward detector. It uses pleasures and disappointments to distinguish what to repeat or avoid. If left unchecked, mine tend to lean too much on treats. I'm talking small stuff; too many sweets or coffees, staying up late to watch another episode of that series. Without even noticing, I start dragging through things, and I lose focus.
Luckily for me, I had the opportunity to discover the power of self-restraint through a few experiences, like the pilgrimages I do regularly.
Self-restraint is the practice of harnessing desires. And desires are bound to the subject, in my case me. So, self-restraint is not about removing the object of my desire but about harnessing my desire for it.
Two things happen when I do that because I'm working on myself, the subject. First, the object will still be there, but because I am free from the desire, I can genuinely experience joy through that object.
The second and most important result is that by harnessing my desires, I reclaim my agency in my life.