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But I sat with myself to revise everything and I noticed that the wars are the worst when I am studying for long periods of time. In the summer I do whatever it takes to not waste a minute and to redeem the time that has been lost during the school year; every summer turns out to be a great success. However, the impure thoughts hit me mainly when I am back in school and mostly during the preparation before midterms or finals. I also noticed that when I study, it's only in one spot, for up to 4 hours not moving except to get a quick drink or a snack. Could that be a problem?

I decided to go to school yesterday to study for the day, not only did I accomplish a lot more, but my mind was on what I was studying and that is it. However, I can't make studying at school a habit because it feels better to be at my ease when I am at home, and since winter is really cold here, I prefer to be at home during the night studying than worrying about walking back home at 10pm. What can I do?

Another problem I noticed was sleep. I usually don't have much time to drag on with my sleep because I start classes at 8 AM everyday and I have to be out of bed by 7 AM. By the time I finish the day, I don't go to sleep till maybe midnight. Saturday would be the main day that I end up sleeping till 11 AM. These are the times that the impure thoughts make me wake up disturbed. I remember in the Abbey someone mentioning this saying, "an empty mind is the devil's workshop." I decided instead of waking up at 11 AM on Saturdays, to wake up at 9 AM, in that way I give my body an extra 2 hours of sleep that should help start a fresh new week. It has been working well so far.

I just don't get why the wars worse during the school year but not during the summer. I know it's my fault that I don't pray as much as I use to during the summer, but sometimes I feel that the workload is overwhelming and prayer goes to the bottom of my list. When finals come, I get so upset to see that I made three months pass by without praying my usual prayers.

As for fasting, I feel that my fasting is going to waste. It annoys me so much that I am able to have self control over what I eat, but not on what I think. I learned from Your Grace that fasting is abstaining from any sin and filling that emptiness with godly work. What is the point of me fasting if I am not able to do that?

How did your Grace balance between prayers and studies when you were in medical school?

I am glad to see that you are being honest with yourself. This is the first step towards repentance. It is clear that the more occupied you keep yourself, the less time you will have to waste on frivolous thoughts. The energy of youth in particular needs to be absorbed in an active lifestyle. Attending college in America can be very different than attending college in Egypt. Factored in the educational system here is a luxury of time for the "college experience" so that students are "well-rounded" and exposed to a variety of different experiences, study abroad, volunteerism, etc., in addition to the course of study. In Egypt, the educational system is very demanding. There is no time to explore different majors and go from year to year trying to discover what to study. Therefore, the time of a serious Coptic student in Egypt who is also a devout Christian is consumed throughout the day with either the university requirements or the church services. Keep in mind, that as a Christian youth in Egypt, one must be very diligent and vigilant since often there is plenty of discrimination which can be the cause of a student repeating a whole year for no purpose. Therefore, it is wise for Coptic youth in Egypt to protect themselves and their educational future by staying focused in this highly competitive setting, especially in medical school, all the while never neglecting the presence of God in one's life and the need and desire for one to learn and serve in the church.

The struggles associated with abstaining from food are certainly easier from abstaining from thoughts. Abstinence from food, i.e., controlling your appetite, helps a great deal with learning to control your thoughts. Food is not the real problem because a certain quantity is enough to satisfy. However, thoughts are sometimes insatiable, and will flutter from one sin to another: from pride, to lust, to fear, to arrogance, to ambition, to laziness, to all kinds of imagination and vanities, etc....Therefore, keep firm in your mind and heart the lesson you learned at the Abbey: "an empty mind is the devil's workshop." Keep busy and avoid all situations that drag you into inappropriate thoughts. Through fasting, prayer, a willing heart, an alert mind, and the grace of God, you will overcome.