ABSTINENCE IS REMEMBERING THE ALIGNED VERSION OF YOURSELF

We can’t always tell when something is bad for our well-being when we’re so used to consuming it all the time. And just because it feels good to indulge in it doesn’t always mean it’s aligned with who we are. So if you’re finding that what brings you instant relief is actually worsening your life long-term, abstain from it until you gain enough distance to understand its true impact.

Abstinence shows that the routine you’ve been following wasn’t natural. It was habitual to uphold a certain narrative.
Abstinence shows that the pleasure you’ve been consuming wasn’t conscious. It was compulsive to bypass an unmet need.
Abstinence shows that the pattern you’ve been repeating wasn’t productive. It was passive to avoid feeling discomfort.

As you learn to not respond to those impulsive urges, they lose a lot of their grip on you. When that happens, you realize freedom isn’t doing whatever you want. It’s about coming to a place where you have the agency to make decisions that are aligned with who you want to be because you’re no longer impulsively controlled by what you want in the moment.