Day Eighteen: mindfulness and distraction

Overall, fast days are getting easier and easier to manage, as I learn how to deal with the effects on my body and mind. I suspect there will always be odd ones like last week that are a real struggle, but generally it's not a big issue. I no longer get the nausea and wooziness, just a hollow and occasionally embarrassingly loud stomach.

That is not to say I don't get hungry. I do, and I have two ways to manage it. The first and easiest is distraction. It's no surprise that when I am busy I have less capacity to think about the hunger, plus the time goes faster. This week I fasted on Wednesday rather than Thursday, as I have a work event this evening which would be no fun at all to fast through. I was slightly apprehensive as it was a full work day with a lot of meetings that I would need to contribute to. As it turned out, this was the best possible way to spend the time, as I ran around like a loon getting it all done and having to concentrate hard not to look like an idiot.

However the meetings were all over by 3 o'clock and I had to last out until at least 7 with no food. Distraction was no longer an option - I didn't stop working, I was just sat at my desk rather than running around. I therefore had to turn to the second technique, which oddly is the complete opposite of the first.

The concept of mindfulness has been around for a very long time. It is a central tenet of Buddhism, but crops up in many other cultures. There are a lot of different ways to describe it, but I think of it as being detached, almost observing myself as an outsider. This article explains the non-judgmental nature of this inner voice:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-wootton/mindfulness-happiness_b_4019398.html

My life can be so busy that a lot of my actions are on auto-pilot. Mindfulness is a conscious switching off of the reflex reactions and thoughts; it is "paying attention to the present moment without judgement". I did a course on meditation once and learned that it isn't really about emptying your mind, but simply noticing when your mind wanders and gently bringing it back to a point of focus.

Applying mindfulness to hunger works for me by noticing when my mind is wandering in the direction of food, discomfort, self-pity, resentment, cake etc., and detaching my thoughts from the hunger. I can then consider it unemotionally - yes, I am hungry. Yes, I am physically uncomfortable. But, it is no longer relevant. It is just something that is happening in that moment and I can accept it without letting it intrude on my feelings.

This generally works for about 2 minutes before I realise I'm visualising chocolate again and have to start over...

Next week I have a new challenge - I have work events on both Wednesday and Thursday, so will either have to fast two consecutive days on Monday and Tuesday, or on Friday which is my precious day off. I will see how Monday goes first.