What have you given up for lent?

Lent is something that happens every year and it lasts 40 days. This year it started on February 14th and will end on March 29th. It always starts on Ash Wednesday and finishes on Holy Saturday over the Easter period. The idea of Lent is for Christians to reflect. It’s also a time of repentance, fasting and to prepare for Easter.

Nowadays times have changed quite a bit from biblical times, possibly because we now have many more temptations, and bad habits that the human race has developed and we can consequently give up for Lent.

The world has moved on and there many more things we can give up, and although they may not be religious based, it’s about making a commitment and giving something up that that will make a difference to your life.

So I have three different things that are from the 21st century that people are more likely to give up for Lent. Interestingly though, all three of three of them have massive health benefits.

1. Smoking cigarettes

Giving up smoking cigarettes is without a doubt very difficult, and a habit that’s very hard to break. People often need help to quit smoking, and a perfect way is vaping. The perfect thing about vaping is that you can have the nicotine intake, but you can stop putting all the harmful chemicals and tar into your body. Hopefully this will lead to a healthy lifestyle, and once lent is over hopefully you won’t go back to smoking cigarettes.

2. Alcohol

I don’t think there is any doubt that one of the most popular things to give up for lent is drinking alcohol. I have heard many times that people are giving up drinking for lent, and let’s be honest it’s a great idea to detox your body of alcohol for 40 days, and hopefully once lent is over, you only go back to drink in moderation, and more sensibly. Of course if you give alcohol for lent it is also a fantastic way to detox your body of alcohol.

3. Chocolate

Most of us love the odd binge on chocolate. I know I do and sometimes we use chocolate as a quick fix when we are hungry. So giving up chocolate for lent has obvious benefits, and most importantly it will help to keep your weight down because there is no doubt that chocolate can contribute to weight gain.

4. Social Media

In today’s fast paced society, it can be hard to take time out to spend with friends and family without technology getting in the way. I mean, how many times have you been sat down having dinner together when the sound of someones phone vibrates or rings? I bet there are many occasions where this has happened.

Distractions such as social media can often get in the way of important relationships. That’s why giving up social media for lent can not only be a good challenge, it could also forever change your outlook on how often you access social media.

5. Bread

Now, giving up bread can be tricky. I mean, I like a slice of toast in the morning, and a sandwich for lunch, but there’s more to giving up bread than your standard loaf. There’s pizza and bagels too! Yes, giving bread is going to be a challenging one for me!

These are I feel in today’s world, three of the most popular things that people give up for lent.

Do you give up anything for lent? If you do, I would love to know what.