The Break Free Weekly Newsletter - Edition #3

Starve the Shadow, Nourish Yourself

Nov 11, 2024

Opening Remarks: Starve the Shadow, Nourish Yourself

All of us experience fear in one form or another. For me, one of my greatest fears is an invisible horror. The terrifying thought of failing to live into my potential has haunted me throughout my years like a cursed shadow - the dark projection when the bright light of truth spotlights my conscience. The shadow becoming increasingly more powerful, demented, and unrecognizable the more I bury and numb my mistakes, feeding void’s insatiable appetite for destructive dominion.

There’s been many instances in my life where I thought I had more in common with the shadow than my physical form, almost as if I was possessed by it.

With such a powerful force seemingly attached to our fate, you may ask - how does one defeat this shadow?

Starve the shadow, nourish yourself.

To starve the shadow, we need to begin intentionally identifying the fears in our life, what actions feed that fear, and make the decision to start nourishing our soul instead of feeding the fear.

In my life, my fear is the fear of regret and the hopelessness of missing important opportunities because of my poor decisions. This fear grows when I believe the lies I tell myself instead of accept the truth of reality, when I choose to numb the pain of failure instead of learn from it, and when I let my old habits drive my life down the same dark pot-hole road instead of advancing my inner technology to chart a safer and clearer path.

To starve this fear, I choose to not lie to myself and accept who I am - the good, the bad, and the ugly. I nourish myself through the decisions to grow instead of decay - to know what is working and what is not. I choose to focus on embracing health and prosperity in my spiritual connection to a higher power, in my physical well-being, in my relationships with others, and in the passions that bring me bliss.

The more I nourish my soul, the more my shadow resembles my physical form as a loyal and symmetrical projection. When the light shines upon me, I know what will be reflected and will be more equipped to spot the inconsistencies that can be addressed.

As you start this week - think about the shadow that will be cast when truth’s bright beams find you. Will the shadow be recognizable? Will you continue to feed the fear or will you nourish yourself?

The power is within you to make the right decision!

Featured Articles

How Quitting Porn Saved My Life
“I was recently featured in a magazine, and I wanted to share this exciting news with all of you! Samara, owner of Liberty Magazine, asked me to write about my journey and the inspiration behind my Substack publication…
My story offers a deeper look at the pain that a relationship with porn can cause, why it almost ended me, and why I’ve decided to break free of it.”
How Porn Can Negatively Impact Love and Intimacy
“Countless studies consistently show that porn consumers tend to struggle in their relationships. From poorer relationship quality to an increased likelihood of cheating, research suggests that porn plays a major role in fueling unhealthy relationship dynamics.”
How Porn Can Change the Brain
“Because of neuroplasticity, our brains constantly change in healthy ways that help us learn and complete tasks more efficiently. Yet, supernormal stimuli such as porn can trigger measurable changes that can influence our lives in unhealthy ways.”

Practical Tips: 30 Day Podcast Challenge

Listen to 1 porn-free podcast episode each day for 30 days
This is a strategy I implemented about 5 years ago that jumpstarted my journey of recovery. I remember hitting rock bottom after my wife at the time caught me in the act and journeying up to the mountains of Colorado for a couple of days of solitude with my dog Bo. I spent my time reading, journaling, listening to Porn Free Radio (about 20 episodes in a short amount of time and then continuous daily episodes once I got back into town), and fly fishing. I look back at that time as a pivotal turning point in my life of self-discovery. That time spent in solitude encouraged me to get help and start pursuing this challenge with more intentionality and vigor.

When you educate yourself on this topic, you will begin to understand what you need to do in your life to change your trajectory.

Give this challenge a shot and let me know how it goes!

Podcasts to listen to:

Community Spotlight

Defining Fear

“Fear makes us desperate. Desperation is the method of all tyranny.”

Reflection

Remember your victories, no matter how small you think they are. Skipping a nude scene on your favorite show, choosing not to double-take at the attractive stranger in the grocery store, or dismissing that thirst trap in your online feed instead of hovering over it. All these are victories that if done consistently, will change your habits, your mindset, and your life.