How does one strive against their own self (mujahadat al-nafs)? And what is the path to achieving that?

Striving against the self (mujahadat al-nafs) means employing it in what benefits it religiously and spiritually, even if it is ordinarily difficult for it. It involves battling the self that incites evil, which calls to arrogance, envy, wickedness, and desires. It means burdening it with acts of obedience that are difficult for it and abandoning sins, because "Paradise is surrounded by hardships, and the Hellfire is surrounded by desires." So, whoever allows their intellect to overcome their desires has ascended and joined the ranks of the angels.