0 What to Give up for Lent

Ever been stuck for ideas with what to give up for lent? or how long for? Well, lent itself is from March 5th - April 17th, so that's a long enough period of time where whatever you give up will no longer be a habit (if you succeed that is). Here are some suggestions that you may want to consider.

1. Unhealthy Snacks

Unhealthy snacks are often on many people's list to give up, and with good reason too. Sweets, chocolate, biscuits, cakes and crisps, are the main foods that are seen removed from a persons diet when wanting to give up unhealthy snacks. Snacking is an incredibly easy thing to do, especially when at home, and is a big contributor to weight gain. Because it's so easy to do, like for instance when watching the t.v., lots of people do it. 
It's not against the law to enjoy an unhealthy snack or two, but if you are snacking all the time then other factors may be reasons why you want to stop. For example: health risks and weight gain. 

For me, sweets and chocolate are my biggest weakness. And of course with sugary foods, the more you eat of them, the more your body will crave for them, which can lead to an increase in snacking on them. 

A post related to this that you may or may not want to read is: How to Stop Snacking. 

2. T.V.

Television. Whilst I won't deny that it can offer some great entertainment and is nice to sit down to after a long arduous day...is also a massive time-waster. The amount of time some people waste watching t.v. is unbelievable and would definitely be better spent elsewhere. 

I do realise though how easy it is to lounge around on the couch. I myself went through a stage of watching large amounts of t.v. during the day, which had a couple of negative knock-on effects. I can remember never feeling positive after coming away from watching all those hours of t.v., but instead feeling down because I knew that yet another day had been wasted. Over time, this amount of t.v watching made me depressed and unhappy. I won't go too much into it here, but I don't watch that amount of t.v. nowadays, in fact I don't really watch it at all anymore. 

A post of mine that you may find interesting relating to this topic is: Is T.V. Wasting Your Time?

3. Smoking

Smoking is an addiction that many people are slaves to and are wanting to get rid of. The number of smokers is slowly being reduced but is still one of the 'big addictions' in this modern age. There is nothing beneficial about smoking, it has a lot of negatives, all of which are compelling enough reasons to stop. Smoking may be the perfect thing for you to give up for lent, yet I know that it is not an easy task to do. Two posts of mine that may be helpful or interesting if smoking is a part of your life are: How to Stop Smoking and Health Effects of Smoking. 

4. Alcohol

Alcohol is another great thing to give up for lent. Alcohol, whilst you may equate to having a good time, is poison to the body that has a lot of negatives from consumption. 
A post you may like to read that goes more into this subject is: 10 Health Effects of Alcohol Consumption. 

5. Swearing

In today's age, swearing is an all too common thing. You hear it pretty much wherever you go: public transport; on the street; in the workplace; when with friends or family; on the t.v.; on the Internet, etc. So with this constant bombardment of swearing, it's not surprising if you're prone to saying them too. You may want to change this though and stop altogether, if so, then maybe this is what you should give up for lent. 

6. Caffeine

Caffeine isn't something that gets you hooked quickly, but is an addiction that grows stronger over a longer period of time. Many people get their caffeine fix through coffee, and there are a few reasons why you may want to give it up. 
A post that may be useful if you're a big coffee drinker which goes more in depth about this is: How to give up coffee.

7. Facebook

Facebook, for some people, is their life. Whatever they do, whatever they think - it's posted on Facebook. They spend hours on the site every day, and it almost seems that Facebook, for these people, becomes more of their life than their actual life. Is it really that important if you don't find out what someone else was doing last night, or read about someone's opinion of somebody else, or show off what you had for lunch?  
So if this is you, then maybe giving up Facebook is the way to go. 

8. Twitter

Just like Facebook, Twitter is another giant among social media websites. And like Facebook, can be a massive time consumer. 

9. Music in Headphones

I know this sounds a little peculiar but with more and more people listening to music through headphones, hearing damage is becoming increasingly more common. You see people wear them when travelling/commuting, walking, exercising, at home, and more. I agree that it may help pass the time but your hearing is paying the price.

10. Make up 

This is more for the females out there. I know that it can be a hassle applying it (well, I don't know personally, haha) and then taking it off, and then reapplying it everyday. You may want to go for a more natural look?  

11. Phone 

Of course if you need to contact someone for something then having a mobile is going to be useful. If you're on it all the time though, then having some time away from it can only be a good thing. Modern phones have so many uses now that it's easy for your time to get sucked away and for you to be unproductive. As well as access to the Internet, phones have a whole host of things that can consume your time. 
If you would like a break from this, then you may decide to give up your phone. 

12. Fast Food

Like with giving up sweets, chocolates and the like, fast food is another great idea for you to give up for lent. Yes fast food is convenient, and yes it is relatively cheap and tasty, but it is also unhealthy for your body. If you are eating fast food regularly, then, although the reasons above may be compelling reasons for you to take a daily trip to McDonald's, it will be doing harm to your body - something that you may regret later on in life. If this is you, then fast food may be what you want to give up for lent?

13. Porn

This can actually become an addiction in itself and can cause you to develop damaging views of both women, men, and relationships - not a healthy mindset. 

14. Complaining 

Easier said than done this one. Complaining is very easy to do but not so easy to stop. Complaining will worsen the mood, can put people off from talking to you, and cause you to think negatively. Complaining basically translates to being discontent. 
If you do decide that stopping complaining is what you want to do, then this may be helpful: How to Stop Complaining.