The spiritual challenge of water fasting

[Nameless One]

What do I mean by spiritual?

If I type "define: spirit" in google, here are some definitions which I find tie in to what I mean by a "spiritual challenge."

- "the vital principle or animating force within living things"
- a fundamental emotional and activating principle determining one's character
- emotional state: the state of a person's emotions (especially with regard to pleasure or dejection); "his emotional state depended on her opinion"; "he was in good spirits"; "his spirit rose"
- intent: the intended meaning of a communication
- heart: an inclination or tendency of a certain kind; "he had a change of heart"

It is within all of these things and none of these things that fasting is a challenge for me.

What's puzzling me with water fasting is that physically it is very easy, but it's actually one of the most difficult things for me to do on a mental level.

I've seen many people writing fasting logs on the internet, where their first entry goes something like "So I'm on day 14..." And I just go "WOW..." they are so casual about it!

A couple of times recently I've tried to perform a complete water fast. Cleansing never ceased, but my mental resolve did.

Things that have proven quite daunting:

1. Mental and physical tiredness. It is often said that fasting is a great time to get things done, or to catch up on reading, or watching movies or other recreational activities. What a joke! When the body is working on itself, I am too physically and mentally tired to enjoy even the most relaxing and undemanding recreational activities, let alone work on tasks. The mental tiredness affects the attention span, and makes concentrating on any one thing difficult. The result is that often times all that can be done is sit around or lie around, and think or daydream. The tiredness itself isn't the problem. I don't mind it, in itself, but combined with...

2. Mental and bodily unease, restlessness. Many people talk about getting lots of sleep during a fast. I don't know what planet they are from, but it isn't Earth. The longer I water fast, the less I sleep. The body just doesn't seem to need as much sleep during a water fast, even if it needs to lie down. Falling asleep becomes an attainment of discipline, more than a need. Physical relaxation becomes more difficult as well. Despite tiredness, and wanting to lie down, often there is this general discomfort or unease, which causes me to feel like shifting positions constantly, or sit up, then lie down, then sit up again. At the same time, there is often also mental unease, in which the mind wants something to do, and yet the mind is so tired, that as soon as I do something, it peters out and wants to rest, and yet it is restless. Quite the conundrum. If I could just sleep 12-19 hours a day while fasting, it would be a cinch.

3. Time dilation. Even after only 24-48 hours of fasting, time slows down tremendously. I can lie down for 4 hours, think I've been sleeping for 15 hours, get up and realize almost no time has passed. This can be considered a good thing for productivity, but when cleansing is intense, the body and mind are extremely tired, the only thing productive happening is bodily rejuvenation, and there's usually sleeplessness and ill-at-easiness of the body at the same time, so the time dilation actually takes restless tired boredom, and magnifies it by 100. Combining time dilation with items #1 and #2 is quite deadly!

4. The mental salvation of food and sleep. One thing I noticed at the end of fasts, particularly the last fast, is the amazing drug-like effect food has, even before it is first swallowed. Breaking the fast with a simple piece of fruit, chewed in the mouth, for instance, not even having a single swallow of the fruit yet, would take my restless mind and body of 3 days of water fasting, and immediately tranquilize, making both my body and mind profoundly relaxed and soothed. The mind would quiet down immediately to what can only be described as a meditative state. Soon after breaking a fast, sleep would come very easily and be quite profound. When resuming eating, the body becomes capable of newly profound levels of physical relaxation and tranquility. The mind as well becomes more quiet and steady. Sleep comes very easily and is very deep and rejuvenating. Some of these effects occur so quickly upon breaking a fast, that it could not possibly be the chemical effect of eating food, which to start with provides very little caloric value, perhaps 200 calories in 24 hours. Thus what we have here, is that during a fast, food is the most obvious cure for the increasing mental and physical restlessness and boredom, which stretches on endlessly as time continues to slow down. This of course presents many opportunities to thwart the fasting process and end it early, due to mental breakdown and lack of resolve, with food in easy reach.

[Nameless One]

For lack of a better phrase I would say fasting forces me to be with myself. Without the food and sleep, it is not so easy to drown out the consciousness of self. I don't mean self consciousness in terms of self image. I mean one's thoughts and feelings. Soon the noise inside one's skull, and whatever they are feeling, is the most primary focus of attention 24/7, due to being too tired to do anything else. It can even be hard to day dream, as it would appear that takes energy as well, so one is left with little else but thoughts and feelings.

This can lead to problems, but these are only problems that are already there, just have been drowned out. I can say confidently that we all have major mental problems. I would say that fasting tends to leave me alone with my mental problems. Junk food isn't the only thing that hurts the body. Junk food mentality hurts the mind. The mind has its own addictions. Perhaps the mind needs some sort of fast as well. Usually what works best for my mental health is ceasing all contact with people, not reading any communications, not talking to myself, and not acknowledging the self (such as by looking in a mirror). They say "forget the self, and you will have no fear". It is a fast in its own rite and the temptation to break it is always great.

The problem with mentally fasting as well would be with regards to the employment of the physical fast. I type fasting threads here because it helps me do them, but in doing so I would not be mentally fasting any more. The only thing I can think of as the best compromise would be to write out updates prior to visiting the forum web site and then post them in complete ignorance of responses or other messages. It doesn't seem like there's any use to actually reading any responses while undergoing a fast. When there are no more questions, what is there left to say?

[Nameless One]

Hmm, I believe I will continue to write here while fasting. I'll just make sure I don't go overboard with my usual mental masturbations. The only question that remains is when will the challenge begin. As before I do not have an answer. It will begin when the time has come for it to begin.

[Nameless One]

An observation: Even when not undergoing an official fast, eating often has the same function. It keeps the mind placid.

A couple notes: I never get sick anymore. I went out running in the cold with almost nothing on, and never got sick. I have no fear of physical ailments, disease, infection. The last time I had a cold symptom, I had a slightly sore throat for 30 seconds. And yet mentally I believe I am quite unwell. I have a bad temper, no discipline, restless mind.

Perhaps I have heavy metals in my brain which need to be removed. This thought is funny

Perhaps a brain detox is needed!

[Nameless One]

When I was a little boy I broke a thermometer and the mercury came spilling out. I was fascinated by the liquid metal which would form these balls on the ground, and I played around with the metal for quite a while before cleaning everything up and throwing it out. It's quite possible that I really do have mercury on the brain to this day!

[KBaYogi]

I've read these, and I'm not really sure what to say. Maybe you should look to doing other types of fasts or cleanses instead of water? Maybe being as tired as you are, is your body's way of saying, hey I don't want this?

I can definitely understand how much it must suck, feeling that way. I did on day two of mine, but it's passed now and I've been feeling pretty darn good most of the time. Maybe it would also be possible it will just take longer for your body to reach that point where it balances out?

Looking in to whether you have some mercury poisoning would be a great idea from the sound of it. If you don't, I'd recommend giving yoga and/or meditation to help calm your mind. Homeopathy could also work, as well as EFT.

Just sound ideas for you to investigate.

[Nameless One]

The challenge is calling me and all that's left to do is to try again. The only question is when, and that is not something anyone can tell me, not even myself! I must wait for the power of the universe to manifest this decision for me!

[KBaYogi]

That is always the best way to do it. Listen to the universe, have no expectations, and put it all in the universe's hands.

[Nameless One]

Also it's a good way to make it sound more grand and important than it really is ^_^

[ginkgo]

Spirit is easy to define-- not existing in the physical world. That is the world of time and space. Outside the physical universe, time and space do not exist. That is where you permanently reside-- in a world outside of time and space. To experience the physical world, you occupy an animal body.

Like with other animals, it experiences great pleasure with eating and sex. This way it insures the survival of the individual (eating) and the survival of the species (sex). So you occupy an animal body but you are not an animal but are spirit or what existed before the physical universe came into existence.

[KBaYogi]

Originally Posted by Nameless One

Also it's a good way to make it sound more grand and important than it really is ^_^

If you feel it is grand and important, than it is. Don't deny your feelings.

And just a thought, if you are having the universe guide you, it could be working through some of the people here who post advice/guidance.

[RoseGarden]

I have been fasting for seven days now and I've had an entirely different experience so far than I have normally had on previous shorter fasts. Previously, I went up to three, maybe four days and it was definitely a matter of I am so bored, but I have no energy to do it or at least I cannot focus on it because I'm too preoccipied with my tummy!
This time around I sleep for 8-9 hours, and it's not like I've been running a marathon! I did put it down to how I started the fast (as in, for the first time I had breakfast, and then started the fast, whereas I usually start the fast with the last meal in the evening). It was an early breakfast (5:30) as I had a long day of work (unfortunately), then Saturday I laid in bed bored and thinking about food. The third day I had work and accidentally had water that apparently had 42 calories. I didn't feel like that broke my fast, more like it would just extend the time I felt hungry and miserable. It was maybe day 5 (although I'm not sure I can call it day 5 on account of the water with calories on Sunday) that felt the restlessness in my legs, and began anticipating the sleepless night (which usually happens- tossing, turning, little sleep), but after tossing for at the most 30 minutes, I slept for at least 8 hours!
I think this time around I prepared mentally for a long time, and I was more optimistic.
I still think about food ocassionally, but not as much, and my appetite is much lower. I enjoy watching cooking shows for some reason! That led me to cook dinner for my family, which was a fun experience.
The only thing I can say is that perhaps it will take a longer fast to start to experience the ability to focus, and to do things. I feel reletively energetic, enough to get things done (like shopping). Everyone is different, and the most important thing is to listen to your body. I know a lot of people are going to give you advice and facts and numbers, and step by step things to do, but you have to listen to your own body!