With Shrove Tuesday out the way (I hope you all celebrated appropriately!) the period of Lent is now upon us. Naturally, as a religious holiday, it is celebrated by Christians worldwide, but as the world develops into a more diverse, multi-cultural space, more and more non-religious people take the time of Lent to practise self-reflection, self-discipline and self-improvement. I have had many conversations with friends about what they are planning to sacrifice for the next month and a half, and many people are naturally thinking about bettering themselves at this point in the year.
Whilst I think giving something up is an excellent way to practice self-discipline, it can be easy to fall into the same trap as New Year’s Resolutions. Promising yourself you are going to cut out all sugar, but not having a plan of how to persistently enact that often leads to giving up and feeling like you have failed, instead of being able to continue for the whole time. It is important to break things down into achievable goals and have a step-by-step plan to follow to get where you want to be. Plus, if completely cutting something out isn’t going to suit your lifestyle, then don’t set yourself up for failure! Whilst Lent is a traditional holiday, you can still take the core values of the time and apply them to your life in a way that suits you. I am going to cut down on my screen time this Lent and not go on my phone for the first couple of hours of the day, which personally is a way to practise self-discipline and improvement whilst also being realistic with myself.
It is also important to consider your plan at the end of Lent. Will you implement the thing you sacrificed back into your life, or are you giving it up for good? Having a plan for afterwards will enable you to be secure in your long-term goals and also may make it easier to stick to if you know you’ll be getting a good old-fashioned Easter egg after avoiding sugar for a month and a half!
Lent is also a time of self-reflection. Many Christians use it as a time to reflect on their faith and practise their belief, but if you are not Christian, it can still be a great time to consider what you have achieved so far this year, and what you want to achieve moving forward. Having little check-ins with yourself is a great way to assess where you are and where you want to be.
So, whether you’re a practising Christian or not, take this time to reflect and work on self-improvement, and I wish you a happy season of Lent!
Photo by Thays Orrico on Unsplash