SURABAYA - Every worship, including fasting has many benefits both spiritually, socially, and mentally health of a person. Fasting can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Diana Rahmasari., S.Psi. , M.Sc., Psychologist, said that in psychological studies, both mental health and mental disorders are generally influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors.
Biologically, mental disorders can be caused by neurotransmitter imbalances in the brain. For example, low serotonin levels are associated with depression and anxiety, while excess dopamine is found in patients with schizophrenia.
Genetic factors also play a role in the risk of mental disorders, such as major depression and bipolar disorder which is often found in family history. However, this factor is not the only cause, because psychological and social aspects also have a significant influence.
Fasting provides an opportunity for the body to rest and recover, including in regulating stress hormone levels such as cortisol. "With a more regular eating pattern during fasting, the ability to think increase and stress is more controlled," he said.
In addition, fasting is proven to increase the production of Brain-Derved Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), protein that plays a role in increasing mood, vigilance, and euphoria. Increasing dopamine hormones during fasting also contributes to increasing motivation, enthusiasm, and happiness.
In addition, fasting affects the rhythm of the circadian, which is the body's mechanism that regulates the sleep and wake cycle. Improvement of circadian rhythm during fasting improves the quality of sleep, which contributes to reduction of stress, anxiety, and depression.
"Sleep lack can cause mood swing , impatience, and disruption of concentration. Therefore, maintaining the quality of sleep during fasting is very important for mental health," he said. Rules in fasting, such as dawn, breaking the fast, and refrain from things that cancel fasting, train individuals to develop self-control and emotional regulations.
Spiritual practices such as prayer and self-reflection during Ramadan can also improve emotional welfare and strengthen relationships with God. Sharing during Ramadan increases the production of the hormone oxytocin and serotonin, which creates feelings of happiness and meaningful life. Study by Sahaby et al. (2022) found that fasting during Pandemic can improve mental well -being.
Meanwhile, research Jandali et al. (2024) states that Ramadan fasting can increase happiness, life satisfaction, and reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
Other research, Ganson et al. (2021) also shows that fasting can be used as an intervention to reduce impulsive behavior, including abuse of substances and disorders of self -control. Mindfulness means to undergo fasting with full awareness and sincerity, happiness, which is accompanied by a sense of acceptance.
Meanwhile, meaningfulness related to understanding the goals and meanings of fasting, which can increase motivation, mental resistance, and social connections through sharing and worship activities. "By undergoing fasting consciously and meaningfully, we not only get spiritual benefits, but also better mental health," he concluded. [*]
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Reporter: Sindy Riska Fadillah (FISIPOL)
Editor: @zam*
Illustration: mucahityildiz /Pixabay.com
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