There are three ways we can work on distancing ourselves from the shallow pleasures of the yetzer hara and find the deep and genuine pleasure in our relationship with Hashem. Our job during these holy days of Shovavim is to work on all three of these components simultaneously.
1) Avoiding the Klippos
Commit to an additional step in distancing yourself from an actual aveirah. Not just for the sake of avoiding doing an aveirah, but with the mindset and recognition that there is nothing there, and its pleasure is nothing but deceptive, counterfeit, and utterly worthless.
2) Elevate the Mundane
Choose a permitted pleasure, such as a certain food that you need and enjoy, and push yourself to try to see past the externals; access and reveal the light of Hashem that is hidden within the food. Contemplate and internalize that the goodness of that food is only from the light of Hashem that gives it its existence and taste.
3) Seek Hashem
Make a commitment to put in real effort to experience the existence and Oneness of Hashem in a more clear and tangible way. Seek the sweetness and pleasure in your relationship with Hashem and in Torah and Mitzvos.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 66.