Chassidic Approach to Self Control

Contemporary Issue: Lacking Limits
Looking at the wedding Viennese table, scanning the extravagant delicacies, and watching everyone enjoy themselves. You can’t seem to decide whether you should take the chocolate fudge ice cream or the delicious chocolate and cream bar. You decide to try both.

Nowadays, many people are unable to control the quantity and quality of the food they ingest. They feel helpless that they do not have decent self control to restrain their desires. Others suffer physically from the excessive weight that result, and its effect on their health and figures.

Though this is partially caused due to the abundance of food which is available, it is really caused by a person’s own lack of self control. It is extremely difficult to restrain oneself from giving in to one’s desires, in this case, the desire for tasteful food.

Is it even possible to control one’s desires?

The Alter Rebbe in Tanya lays(1) ground for the fundamental principle with which one can learn to have complete control over his desires.

Applying the Chassidic term of “the mind governs the heart” allows everyone to physically apply what they intellectually understand they should do.

In our society, the way we often control strong desires that surface at the wrong times is through opposing them. For example, one may have a very strong desire to sleep late in the morning. However, he will force himself to ignore this desire, and get out of bed, because he does not want to be late to work.

We tend to use a similar logic when attempting to control our eating. We try to force our body to ignore its desire for sugar, carbs, sodium, etc. However, this method does not achieve effective results. One’s diet does not last for a long time in such a way.

The reason for this is because desires are very powerful. When one’s desires are not satiated, they turn into needs. When one’s needs aren’t met, a person develops a strong thirst for them.(2) This thirst will not be quenched until the person will succumb to his desires and fulfill them. Chassidus acknowledges the futility in this method of self-control and suggests a different approach as to how one should control his desires.(3)