I fasted for 21 hours today. From 10pm last night to 7pm today, all I consumed was water, an americano, and the Eucharist. When I started fasting like this, I would get very angry in the middle of the day. My energy was all over, I couldn’t focus, and I said hurtful things to my loved ones. But since building up a tolerance to fasting, hunger is often replaced with greater mental clarity, and discouraging remarks towards family and friends turn into awareness.
I feel as if fasting takes the attention off me and places it on the immediate world around me. Smells become more vivd and colors become brighter. I can see other people for who they are instead of who I want them to be for me. My whole world becomes less self-centered and more focussed in on my environment. All of this because I chose not to eat until dinner.
Being a college athlete with workouts nearly every day, fasting becomes far less possible during the season. But rest days on the weekends are fair game. So long as I can resist the urge to guzzle down waffles and omelettes, I might just have my most productive days of the week. If only…
Here’s to the joys of not eating. Hip, hip.