22 Things to Give up for Lent

Lent comes around every year and even if you are not a Christian it’s a good time to think about sacrifice and self-discipline during this period. Many Christians believe in using the time to be more charitable which is something we could all have a go at.

You can consider giving up something that will be either difficult, life-changing or creative (or all three!). I have put together a list of ideas to give you some inspiration for Lent but firstly let’s not forget what Lent is…

Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, 1st March 2017 and ends on 13th April 2017. It is a special time for Christians to reflect and prepare for 40 days before the celebration of Easter. By observing this religious event, Christians replicate the sacrifice Jesus Christ made when he withdrew into the desert for 40 days. 

Here are some ideas to inspire you to give up something for Lent:

1) Give up unhealthy snacking between meals

2) Give up swearing 

3) Stop complaining about the same problems

4) Be less greedy (only buy the essential foods during Lent)

5) Give up negativity– say one good thing about yourself daily

6) Give up watching TV

7) No using your phone or other electronic devices after 7pm

8) Give up having a cluttered house, be tidier (clean your house – a decluttered house equals a decluttered mind)

9) Give up saying “I can’t” and flip it around and say “I will try”

10) Give up meat

11) Give up making excuses

12) Give up sugar

13) Give up neglecting the environment, be more green – turn lights and electronics off when you leave a room or car share to work

14) Give up chocolate

15) Give up smoking

16) Give up alcohol

17) Give up coffee or tea (you could replace these with herbal teas)

18) Give up hair straighteners

19) Give up laziness - walk at least 10,000 steps a day

20) Give up video games 

21) Give up biscuits

22) Give convenience food 

Last year, I gave up sugar which was something I had intended to do for a while but never got round to it. As sugar is in most foods, I gave up the more obvious foods with high doses of sugar, for example, chocolate, cakes, biscuits, sweets, fruit juices, fizzy drinks - all the good stuff! I was curious how giving up sugar would affect me.

It was a surprising journey where of course I had my ups and downs; I didn’t feel particularly good to start with because of the cravings I felt but I surprisingly adapted to a new diet fairly quickly as just after one week I felt a difference. I was less lethargic and I had more energy to carry out my daily activities and as time went on I saw more changes; I lost weight, the condition of my teeth improved and by the end of it, I felt so much better overall. 

This all happened over a 3 month period and yes, it was hard to begin with but it was well worth it considering the changes I experienced. Now, I am more sensible with my sugar intake; I tend to treat myself at weekends and eat well (with minimal sugar intake) during the week. 

How about doing the 40-day acts challenge which has been created by UK Christian charity, Stewardship. The charity aims to make Lent more about encouraging radical generosity as well as spiritual discipline. 

Let us know if you are going to be giving up something for Lent. 

Read our recent wellbeing post, Building Resilience and Managing Your Wellbeing as a Teacher. 

Sources:

http://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/religious-observances/lent/6-reasons-to-observe-lent-even-if-youre-not-catholic.aspx

http://lifeteen.com/blog/102-things-really-give-lent/