Successfully Balancing Ramadan and College Amidst a Pandemic

This year will be the first year that I am going to be experiencing Ramadan alone. Fasting on top of attending classes (currently taking 5 courses this quarter ) is already a struggle—and then on top of that there is the mental strain of the pandemic (which has been getting to me a lot more than usual lately). One aspect that I am probably the most bummed about is that I don’t really have a sense of community or solidarity this year because of COVID-19. Before transferring, I thought I would at least have clubs that had members participate in Ramadan and I would be able to experience it with fellow Muslims. I was looking forward to having iftaars, participating in nightly prayers, and more. Unfortunately, that’s not the case this year.

With Ramadan coming up, I thought it would be nice to share and document what I plan on doing or adding to my routine to ensure that I have an enjoyable, balanced month of fasting while being a student during COVID.

Facetiming Friends and Family

Since my family is not too far from me, we will be having fairly close times for iftaar (when we break our fast) and sehri (when we eat before beginning our fast). I’m hoping that I can facetime them at least some of the days so that I can virtually “sit down and have iftaar” with them like we normally do. It’s definitely not as fun or comforting to break your fast alone in my opinion, so I think it’s a good option to facetime friends or family who are also fasting!

It’s also really nice and much appreciated if you’re not Muslim and support your Muslim friends by trying to fast even for just a day!

Prepare Food Ahead of Time

I am already a fanatic about meal prepping, but I think it’s especially important during Ramadan to make your life easier. I honestly would rather sleep in an extra 15 minutes than spend that time cooking in the morning when I am already less inclined to get up. I make it easier on myself by having the most things prepped the night before. Whether it’s having my smoothie prepped, or the fruits I’m going to eat cut up already, or making sure my water bottle is filled up so I can drink some water first thing in the morning—all of these little tasks to prepare for breakfast before dawn makes me less inclined to just stay in my warm, comfy bed.

Work Out Later in the Day

I’m planning on working out later in the day rather than in the morning. For me personally, after I work out it has been a routine for me to have my protein smoothie and some coffee especially after a tiring workout. However, during high school I would play field hockey in the afternoon and finish in the evening, fairly close to around the time I had to break my fast. This was a lot more doable for me since I was able to replenish myself rather than trying to push through the day with and empty stomach and after working out and probably bein even hungrier than before.

Shift the Time I Sleep and Wake Up

This is a tough one, because for me personally, drinking a cup of coffee has simply become a part of my routine—obviously, drinking coffee before sunrise and trying to go back to sleep would be difficult if not impossible. One way to get rid of this issue is to stop drinking coffee. But for me, I don’t really like going back to sleep (I’d rather just take a power nap later on in the day) especially on a fairly full stomach. I have been trying to get used to waking up a little earlier just so that it makes it easier for me to stay awake during the day in terms of my sleep cycle.

Communicate With Professors/Mentors

During high school, I would tell my coaches that I would be fasting just so they knew why I may be a little slower or why I won’t be drinking water during our breaks. It was just a good idea to have them aware and be able to judge when to sub me out a little more precisely.

I remember one of the years, I had a lab set for 7:30 AM sharp. After waking up for Sehri, I ended up oversleeping before my lab and showed up at 9 AM (). I was honest with my professor and told him that I had been fasting so my sleep schedule was a little out of order and I was just getting used to the new schedule for the month. I was lucky that he was really understanding and that he knew me as a student well enough to know that this doesn’t usually happen for me. Obviously, it’s better if you tell them ahead of time (lol I should’ve told him before), especially with classes that are earlier in the morning or near the time where you break your fast.

Schedule in Power Naps if Necessary

This is an absolute necessity for me personally during Ramadan, especially when it overlaps with the academic year. Not only are you waking up early for Sehri, but you also may be staying up fairly late performing prayers. This makes it a little more challenging to actually still manage to get a full night’s rest. Power naps save me and my ability to function LOL. Since I don’t prefer sleeping on a full stomach right after Sehri, I try to make sure I have time for a nap sometime in the afternoon when I feel a dip in energy and productivity.

That’s all of the main tips I have for being able to maintain a balance and have a successful Ramadan as well as a successful academic month! Ramadan Mubarak!