#43 Fasting: A Forgotten Supertool

In this episode from The Sara Shabana Show, I take you on a journey into the deeper meaning of fasting—not as a religious obligation, not as a trendy diet, but as a forgotten superpower for mastering ourselves. Inspired by Ramadan and other fasting traditions around the world, I explore how fasting has always been more than just abstaining from food.

Key Takeaways:

• Why fasting is not about deprivation but empowerment.
• What delayed gratification teaches us about success and resilience.
• How fasting strengthens willpower and emotional discipline.
• How to use fasting as a tool for deeper self-awareness and connection.

Don’t forget to say “Hi” on Instagram (@SaraShabana.me), I always love to hear from you.

Transcript

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Welcome to the Sara Shabbana Show. We are all born unique in every way, yet we often forget there is more than one way. Hesitant, we are believing in what's possible and never ask how we can make it more probable. So, this is a place to learn and explore. From the stories of those who have designed life they adore, there is nothing set in stone if we stay curious and unlock the door. My name is Sarah and I'm the host of the Sarah Shabbana Show. I'm here to provoke you to design your own life, dig deeper into your curiosities, and get inspired from those who created a life they love. This podcast is all about realizing the possibilities and learn new tactics and strategies on how you can design a life that brings you joy. Hello my beautiful friends. Hope you are all keeping well. Today's episode is interesting because it's a topic I wanted to talk about last year, but I didn't get a chance. It's inspired by this time of the year when Ramadan and other fasting rituals are observed in different parts of the world. I wanted to talk about fasting not as a religious obligation, not as a trendy diet, but as a spiritual and psychological tool that has always been there for us, yet one that many may not have truly understood its depth and significance. Fasting has been there in all religions, cultures, and spiritual practices. There is no culture or faith that hasn't embraced fasting in some form. Most of us were told that fasting is a form of devotion or a way to empathize with the poor. But every curious child has questioned this. If fasting is about feeling what the poor feel, then why are the poor asked to fast? These are the kind of questions a curious child's mind would ask. But as adults, we often stop questioning. We either accept it as it is, fasting as an act of devotion, even if we don't fully understand it, or we refrain from it because it doesn't make sense to us. And there are some who would choose the safest explanation. It's good for your body. So today let's talk about fasting. Not as a rule, not as a diet, not as something you have to do, but as a tool given to us, waiting for us to understand its power. So let's ask, why has fasting been practiced for thousands of years? Why did the ancient civilizations know that we in our world of convenience and excess have forgotten? Fasting doesn't unlock for you its magic until you are intentional about it. But what does being intentional about it really mean? It means that it's my choice. I'm not doing it because I've been told to, not because everybody fasts and I'm socially pressured, not a devotion as it's not there to serve someone else but myself. Fasting is a tool for developing your own will power. The power to say no to our urges, the power to sit with the discomfort and not flinch. The power to not let your cravings, your emotions, your impulses run the show for you. Because that's what fasting really is. In its subtle form, it's a raw, unfiltered conversation with yourself if you really listen. Have you ever come across the famous Stanford experiment, the marshmallow test? It was done like 50 years ago to test something called delayed gratification. And I'll explain this in a bit. So in this case, which was done individually, a child would be offered a choice between one small but immediate reward or two small rewards if they waited for a period of time. In this case, the researcher left the child in a room with a single marshmallow for about 15 minutes and then returned. If the child did not eat the marshmallow, the reward was either another marshmallow or a prizzle stick, depending on the child preference. And of course, this was filmed. And it was really fun and interesting to watch. You can check out examples on the um on YouTube, like examples of the experiment. You would see the kids' faces, their impulses, and how difficult it was to overcome their urges to eat that one marshmallow in front of them. Some couldn't hold it and ate it after the first few seconds. Some were able to hold their urges for some time, but then they fell for it. And some been able to wait till the very end and get rewarded with two marshmallows. Now the researchers took this data and then reached out to these kids later in life. And then they concluded something very interesting. The ones who managed to wait, they did better in life. Better in education, better in health, and better in handling life challenges. As they were more resilient and had a stronger will power. How? Because they had mastered the art of delayed gratification. The ability to resist the temptation of an immediate reward in favor of a more valuable and long-lasting reward later. It's not failing for the immediate pleasure to achieve bigger or a better benefit in the future. And if you look at many rewards in life, they come when we delay the gratification. If you delay the gratification of watching Netflix and go move your body, you will have a healthier body. If you delay the gratification of just keeping scrolling on Instagram in bed and sleep early, you will have a sharper mind in the morning. If you delay the gratification of just hanging out every night and avoid working on your dream side project that you have always wanted, then you will never know what you are capable of. And so many other countless examples. Now let's take the outcome of this and apply it to the way we live now. We live in a world of if I want something, I have to have it now. Like now. How come I can't have it now? Hungry, you have countless restaurants with one click. Want to watch something? You have the biggest movie library ever been available to humanity, that is also a click away. Bored? Don't sit with it, keep scrolling. Lonely, you have dating apps that you no longer need to exert an effort or master relationships because again, one click away. There is no even room to sit in the space between wanting and getting what you want. And yet, all the strength is built in that space. Muscles grow in the tension between effort and release. Wisdom grows in the pose between feeling and reacting. And willpower? It grows when you delay the distraction and temptations of the right now to something better for us in the future. And ladies and gentlemen, that's what fasting teaches us. Not just from food, but from anything that controls us. The reason why fasting is always related to food and sex is because they are the strongest and most primal human desires, deeply tied to our survival and our instincts. Mastering our urges in these areas isn't just about restraint. It's about developing emotional regulation, self-discipline, and a deeper sense of control over our impulses. When we learn to manage these desires consciously, and I would put three lines under consciously, rather than just being ruled by them, we cultivate a strength that extends into every area of our lives. It's the same power you build when you push through your morning without the caffeine fix. I have lived for years thinking I cannot survive a day without a coffee. As I've been having coffee for like every single day for more than 20 years. When you sit with the discomfort instead of numbing it with the distractions, every time you delay an immediate urge in favor of something greater, you're not just practicing self-control, you're reinforcing the belief that you are the one in charge, not your impulses. I will say it again, you are reinforcing the belief that you are the one in charge, not your impulses. And that's why fasting is also meant to be accompanied by spiritual connection and reflections. So you don't turn to distractions and entertainment to escape the discomfort. And sadly, this is what we mostly do. Instead, it's supposed to be a sacred invitation to turn inward, to sit with yourself, to reflect. Why am I feeling triggered? What am I seeking in this moment? Really, what I am seeking in this moment. Do I need a dessert or I'm missing sweetness in my life? Do I really need to be eating, or do I just need to digest my emotions? What inner void I'm trying to fill with external comforts. Fasting is not about abstaining. Fasting is not just about abstaining, it's about listening, about understanding ourselves on a deeper level, about reclaiming our power, we so often hand over externally, believing if we change that, we will be better, giving our own remote control to what's outside of us. So maybe as Ramadan and Easter approach, we can rethink fasting. Not as a deprivation, not as an obligation, but as an ancient spiritual and psychological tool. One that has always been here waiting for us to truly understand its power. Because in a world that constantly tells us to consume, to want more, to never be satisfied, maybe the most radical thing we can do is to let go. To empty, to sit with our discomforts, to feel the emotions we reach out for food and distractions to avoid them, and to witness our own strength in this journey. And as we are reaching the end, may we release the cravings that are actually not for food, but for love, for connection, for tranquility. May we release the distractions we used to numb and to have the courage to feel what we need to feel. May we hear what our inner turbulence is really trying to tell us. May we find a deeper connection with ourselves, with others, and with the guiding power of the universe. And may we witness our own strength in consciously choosing for ourselves with clarity and with intention. Love you all. Bye now.