I published a quick post on my Substack, as we enter Lent about how we can be vigilant against pride and self-will intruding into any fasting, penances, and other forms of self-denial that we might intend to undertake over and above that required by the Church.  When we just obey the Church, we're submitting our wills to the Church, but when we undertake various things on our own initiative, there's a very real danger that the motivation might be SELF-will and pride, potentially causing more harm than good to our souls.  Normally, the way to avoid this would be to submit to a spiritual director, but few have access to good, experienced, wise, and orthodox directors, where even among Traditional Catholics we often have priests who simply fly in for the weekend as Sacramental "vending machines" (an apt term coined by ElwinRansom here) and then scurry off for the next one.  So I propose that if we do undertake penances that we make sure that our primary motivation is that of charity, of love for souls, rather than our own self-improvement, betterment, and advancement in the spiritual life.

https://vladsarto.substack.com/p/on-fasting-penances-and-self-denial

Yes, obedience is typically the antidote ... except very few of us laymen have access to spiritual directors these days.

I believe that Tertullian, and one or two of the other Church Fathers, e.g. Origen, also split off from the Church by becoming excessively rigorous, elevating various things that might be evangelical counsels into obligatory practices.

Based article

Thanks.  I'd like to write more about the intrusion of subtle pride.  There's the irony that if we think we're being humble, we may be taking subtle pride in our humility but as soon as we notice ourselves being proud, we humble ourselves due to the pride.

Our Lord describes holiness as series of paradoxes, where the last shall be first, and those who seek their life will lose it.  After Our Lord explained that the last shall be first, how many then are tempted to seek the last place ... but only with a secret hope that they'll be called up to the front.

Reminds me of that old series of commercials with Bob Eucker going to the "front row".