Whether practiced religiously or secularly, Lent is a great time to make some resolutions and stick to them. By giving up a habit (or a few), religious observers work to commemorate Christ and his fasting in the wilderness, while secular observers simply aim to improve themselves. Whether you’re looking to get closer to Christ before Easter or just trying to kick some bad habits to the curb, consider this list of things you could try giving up for Lent:
- Drinking Sodas
Giving up sodas can make a huge difference in both your health and your budget. It’s no secret that these costly sugar bombs can hurt your health, but you might be surprised at how much money can be saved by simply switching to water.
- Biting Your Nails
Typically, people give up “luxuries” during Lent, and while this isn’t technically a luxury, it’s still a habit worth breaking. Biting your nails in public can make you look nervous, childish, and/or unsanitary. It also makes your nails look less than appealing. Try chewing gum instead.
- Chewing Gum
Try biting your nails instead. Just kidding!
- Drinking Alcohol
This is a big one. Drinking, whether done regularly or just occasionally, can be a tough habit to break. The health benefits and savings of an alcohol-free lifestyle aren’t hard to calculate, though. If you’re trying to make a big change, booze could be the best place to begin.
- Drinking Caffeine
This can be a tricky one. Quitting caffeine cold turkey can be dangerous if you have a serious habit, so you might consider starting to wean off caffeine before quitting altogether. But, if you seriously want to quit, there’s no better time than during Lenten season.
- Eating Fast Food
This one is a no brainer. By dropping this habit, you can save money and slim down. Win-win.
- Using Makeup
Lent can be the perfect time to drop the cosmetics and let your skin breathe. Whether it’s for health, convenience, or dermatological purposes, there are plenty of reasons to give up makeup—even if it’s only for six weeks.
- Swearing
Here’s another tough one worth giving up. Cursing isn’t exactly bad for you, but it can make you look bad. Giving up swearing for Lent can definitely improve your image.
- Hitting the Snooze Button
This might be the toughest one of them all. But, if you’re able to abandon the snooze button altogether, you might be surprised at how much more energized and productive you can be.
- Using Social Media
And finally, ditch one of the most useless vices around. There are several psychological benefits to a social-media-free lifestyle, but your time is what stands to benefit the most from giving up Facebook or Twitter. Without time-wasters like these sites, you’ll be able to devote your time to more meaningful pursuits.
