Hi C23 -- congratulations on 23 days!
I also felt really great after a few weeks, and that has continued (with some mild ups and downs) over the next year. In my experience it definitely does not have to be a battle or a struggle.
For me it has been important to keep working my plan -- doing a number of things every day that support my sobriety and growth. When I slack off, I can start to feel more negative and less comfortable in my sobriety. As long as I keep doing the things that work, I feel really well, and it doesn't feel like a struggle.
That's the paradox ... for me it's not a struggle, but neither does it "just happen" without some gentle effort.