Stay Strong, Even If You Think You’re Falling

D.A. first asked about his stress in general, and particularly about a recent match. I shared with him The Ultimate Stress Busters, to which he responded: 

Wow thank you so much for the detailed email and strengthening. It really means a lot to me. I’ve really been struggling a lot and your words of truth, emuna and chizuk are very helpful. I even opened your email today in personal prayer to talk about it with Hashem and I used it as a guide. I’m definitely doing the work of Rebbe Nachman and R’ Arush so I’m confident it’s helping and doing things even though it feels like I’m falling instead of climbing. 

Baruch Hashem! So happy to hear.  

Especially right now, a lot of people are feeling this way – we’re trying to climb but we feel like we’re sinking instead. Know that this is just to test your resolve, and to give you more merit. The big bucks come in when the bet is risky. So too in spirituality, “according to the difficulty is the reward.” 

Hashem wants to give us the Redemption as a reward – so He is upping the ante, upping the level of difficulty, TO THE MAX. Remember that and it will give you strength to keep going! 

It doesn’t actually matter how you feel. All that matters is your RATZON (desire and will) – as expressed in your hitbodedut. The rest of the day, just to try as hard as you can to be happy, and constantly remind yourself that Hashem loves you and is doing everything for you perfectly.  

A trick – say Psalm 100 whenever you feel down. I find it usually takes only a time or two and I suddenly, inexplicably, feel better. It’s like an injection of emuna, happiness and hope. 

Another thing that often helps is to try to isolate the thoughts that are creating the feelings. We get stuck in our emotions, without honing on the generally subconscious thoughts deep in our minds that are creating those emotions. Once you admit to them, and let those thoughts come up, now you can drag them into emuna by simply telling yourself the truth! 

An example – the Evil Inclination tells you, “I thought I was so close, and now I feel so far away from finding my soulmate. Maybe it will never happen…” Once you dig down and get that sentence out, now you bombard it with the truth. “Liar! Everything happens exactly how and when Hashem wants! I am doing mine, I am learning The Garden of Peace, I am doing the The Law of Thank You, and daily self-accounting. I am doing my part. Hashem will do His at the right time!” and just keep repeating and repeating until you feel better. 

The trick is to change the thoughts i.e. LIES from the Evil Inclination, which in turn changes the feelings, which enables you to start to feel emuna! 

One final trick from Harav Arush – desire and emuna are like a seesaw. If you find yourself weak in one, strengthen the other and it will bring up the other side too. So, you could say to Hashem for instance, “I WANT to believe in You. I want to be happy. I want perfect emuna! I want to know that I am really climbing! I want to live the truth!” and repeat until it helps you to feel the emuna. Usually, it helps quickly! 

Hashem should help you stay strong in emuna, give you daat (knowledge of the Truth) and give you Heaven on Earth! 

And of course, G-d willing very soon, your soulmate too. Rabbi Arush is praying for everyone, that everyone should be engaged by Passover! Strengthen yourself that “the tzaddik decrees and Hashem fulfills.” Connect yourself to the blessing and prayers of Harav Arush, and the TRUTH that Hashem can certainly do it for you! Don’t forget – Whatever You Believe in, You Get!