By Wiwin Hartini
Adjust your schedule
I made a mistake on my first time fasting here by keeping my regular schedule on top of fasting. This didn’t turn out well because I didn’t get enough sleep, and I would be very sleepy during school. So I have adjusted my sleeping schedule to accommodate for the early breakfast at 4 a.m. Sometimes I would stay up from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. and do my classwork. Then, I’d take a nap. Making sure that you have enough sleep is critical to perform in school while fasting.
Prep your food in the evening
I prep my breakfast in the evening, so when I get up in the morning, I don’t have to cook. This helps if you choose to go back to sleep, which I sometimes do. I get up at 4 a.m. and go back to bed an hour or two later. – I like this schedule because it allows me to engage with those who are not fasting and have a regular schedule.
Avoid flipping your day to your night
Doing work after breaking your fast until you have breakfast again is definitely doable. But from my personal experience, this can be unhealthy mentally because most activities are happening during the day. Still, if one is sleeping during the day and up at night, it can be challenging to keep in touch with people and feel energized during the day. But if this works best for you, that’s perfect.
Eat simple, nutritious food
I learned from the past fasting experiences that I cannot eat a lot. Making sure that I’m eating the food that my body needs is essential. I tend to focus on hydration more than food, so I have juice, milk, tea, or water in the morning with my food. I ask myself if I have protein, carb, and vitamins in my meal. Eating enough healthy food is better than eating a lot of unhealthy snacks.
Schedule your naps
I don’t usually take naps in the afternoon. I take an early one around 10 a.m. so I can wake up at 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. if I don’t go to bed right away after breakfast. This is helpful if you have your classes during the day.
Call your family and friends
I do this either during the early breakfast or during iftar (breaking the fasting). It’s helpful to keep the Ramadan spirit around you when fasting in the U.S.
Those are a few tips that I hope will be useful. Happy fasting!