Experiencing Ramadan when struggling with mental health

How to experience Ramadan when struggling
with your mental health

Some people are chuffed when they hear Ramadan is here, others can be confused about how to feel about it. As much as Ramadan is a month of blessings, forgiveness, connection and, change; it can also be a month of increased pressure due to what’s expected of you, what you expect of yourself. Especially if you suffer from difficulties related to your mental health.

First of all, it’s important to know that your mental health is not a reflection of your faith. The same way a person’s diabetes, hypertension or high blood cholesterol is not a reflection of faith.

So, here are the top-3 topics clients discuss with me before or during Ramadan

How do I manage my expectations when fasting?

I remember that proud moment as a kid when I finished my first whole day of fasting. Since that moment, I amongst many, was expected to fast every day in Ramadan, forever! When I tell my clients they should skip all or some days, they usually tell me about their feelings of shame guilt, and anger at the whole situation.

If you are one of the at-risk groups like clients with eating disorders, I encourage you to speak to a professional, ask them if it's healthy for you to continue fasting? Or to take the exception to heal. Talk about how that makes you feel and get help to break the cycle of shame. It helps a lot, and please know that there are more ways to build your faith besides fasting.

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How do I manage my medications?

Can we talk about meds throughout Ramadan? Do we stop the medication? Do we alter the dose or the timing? These are questions you hear often as a psychiatrist this month. To put it very simply, you shouldn't do any major changes in meds during Ramadan. A sudden stoppage/alteration of type or dose of medications can have massive repercussions. Please talk to your psychiatrist first, and never choose to switch things around on your own!
It can be advisable to find out which meds make you drowsy/sleepy, and take those before you sleep. Also if some meds make you feel stimulated, then take those after Iftar. Remember that some medications need you to be hydrated, so remember to hydrate efficiently in Ramadan to avoid side effects. If you experience new side effects, you should report them as soon as you can, sometimes the doses can be slightly reduced to account for the reduced water content in your body.
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I don't want to see people!

Understanding your boundaries and your safe space is important. It's also important to learn to say no to things that will put a strain on your mental health. Try to have specific goals during Ramadan and schedule the people you would like to see. If it gets too difficult then make sure you have a backup plan! Meditation, sports, and talk therapy are all nice options.

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A further take-home message would be to hydrate efficiently, listen to your body, respect your sleep cycle (few hours of sleep before sohour can do wonders), and be kind to yourself. If you find you need help, but find it hard to beat the traffic/exhaustion to get to a clinic, we're more than happy to bring that clinic to your home through our O7 Therapy App.

We are always here for you.

Experiencing Ramadan when struggling with mental health

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