I just found this picture of five asparagus shoots and remembered that I actually bought some yesterday. They go bad so quickly, especially the tops which are actually the best part. And in a way, my “30 Day Intermittent Fasting Journey” has passed it’s “best” part. Well, it depends on how you define best.
When the hype dies, real work rises…
It’s very easy to start something challenging in the beginning. It’s new. It’s fresh. If it’s something external and tangible, people cheer you on and give you tons of advice even though they’ve never set a foot on your path. In other words, there is a lot of hype. When all that energy dies, then comes the call of real work. The quiet silent moments that no one sees. No one except God. Some call it naive to believe in a Higher Power but I believe having faith brings hope. And with a mental illness, you need some pretty strong dose of hope because those antipsychotics just ain’t gonna cut it.
Day 5 ~ Trekking on Even with Some Missed Days
It’s day five of my fasting journey and my last IF day was three days ago. I got sick over the past few days and could not continue. I also got a lot of valid criticism for starting this and some colorful comments. The good thing is that I’ve learned to take the opinions of those who matter most to me. They are my loved ones, some family, some friends, who are face down in the dirt fighting right beside me. Hey, if you are not suffering along with me, you will hardly know what the battle is about, no matter how hard your well-meaning heart wants to try. Brene Brown is a great teacher of this precious life lesson.
Trying to instill changes in a bipolar life is like removing a block from a Jenga tower, you gotta do it one at a time.
For the past few days, I removed too many Jenga pieces too fast. Thus, my tower fell and it fell hard. Details don’t really matter. Nor does the drama though that would make for a really juicy post but I’m here for the diamonds I found in that messy dirt.
Lessons I Learned from Fasting So Far…
You gotta find your own pace. Choose what works for you. If you are driving down the road, keep looking at the car next to you and you’ll be in the hospital pretty soon or below the ground. What is best for me may not be ideal for you. A decade ago, I didn’t have this insight. A decade in the future, I will hopefully have more flavor to add to this lesson. The point is that, focus on what boosts you. Take the criticism from the people that matter. Sometimes, that means listening to the people who vehemently hate you because they give you an honest picture of your shortcomings.
Fasting does not mean losing weight. It might be a side effect or benefit. But the most important and best gain is self-control and energy. In a world where we are hammered to obey our every physical desire, learning to control our basic appetite brings an overwhelming sense of power that is almost unparalleled with any other practice. Think about it: your body, brain, even your saliva is telling you to eat that hamburger you smell a mile away but you, you the master, say “No.” This exercise in restraint brings so much benefit for people battling mental illnesses and ironically freedom.
Fasting is Freedom from Desires
The last benefit of this fasting journey is my ability to write about it and share it with you. That’s how my bipolar blogging started. I began my path to recovery and documented and penned my journey so I could improve and learn from my mistakes. Writing has that power. It gives you control over your situation because you capture your thoughts and can objectively stand back and look at where you came from, where you are and where you want to go.
In the next couple of days, I hope to go into some of the science behind this intermittent fasting by sharing some theories and studies shared by some pretty cool doctors and professionals.
Read my previous intermittent fasting posts here:
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