Ramadan Fasting Challenge - my experience

Last year I participated in a one day fasting challenge in support of our Muslim colleagues at Rolls-Royce observing Ramadan. It was a really informative experience and I would encourage others to give it a go this year either as part of your organisations Faith Network or just as an individual.

 I wasn’t too sure initially if I was going to take part as I really love my food and the additional challenge of no drinks during the day seemed a bit daunting. But a number of things contributed to my decision to give it a go:

•  The project I was working on included colleagues from Qatar who were observing Ramadan, so it was a nice way to show some solidarity

• I had a supportive colleague who encouraged me to give it a go together

• I wanted to support our Muslim colleagues and learn more about their experience

 On the day I got up early to eat (porridge and yoghurt) and drink (coffee and a couple of glasses of water) and then went back for a bit of a snooze before having to get ready for work. The morning started well and actually not eating or drinking seemed fine until late morning when I started to feel quite hungry.

Our Multi-Faith Network (MFN) had arranged a call for all of us doing the challenge and that was a great opportunity to come together and check in on how everyone was doing. It created a nice sense of community.

 By mid-afternoon I definitely noticed the effects of the fast as I was feeling quite tired and my ability to focus was waning. A number of people recommended going for a walk in fresh air or taking a short nap. I was in the office for the day as my colleague and I decided it would be good to support each other in person (and being away from the fridge was a good thing!), so a nap wasn’t possible. But it did make me reflect on supporting colleagues to work from home more where possible during Ramadan to rest during the day if needed.

 In the evening the MFN kindly arranged for us to have some food to break our fasts with. I was struck by the kindness and generosity of the team in supporting us in our challenge – to teach us, to create community and to support us in our experience. I was counting down the minutes to dusk and was incredibly grateful for my first drink of water, followed by an excellent meal!

 The whole process made me feel grateful to be able to eat and drink whenever I choose, it also gave me renewed respect and a better understanding of what our Muslim colleagues do during Ramadan and the strength of faith needed to go through the fasting day after day.

 One of my main reflections was around the strength of community and how important it is for us to look after each other, share how we are feeling and pool ideas in order to face challenges and the more we can take time to understand each other and come together the better!