Procrastination and dairy: Here’s what Lancs students are giving up for Lent

The excitement of Pancake Day has been and gone, and we are currently in the period of Lent meaning Easter (and more importantly, the end of term two) is in sight. If you’ve already failed or given up your New Year’s resolution, Lent is the perfect opportunity for redemption. Rather than committing to a New Year’s resolution for a whole year, Lent only requires you to give something up for the 40 days leading up to Easter, which I think we can agree is more manageable.

Giving something up for Lent should be easy, right? We’ve all had plenty of experience giving things up in the past year thanks to COVID-19. Maybe that should be a reason not to participate in Lent this year? We asked Lancs students what they’re giving up for Lent this year and whether they think they’ll be able to stick to it.

Chocolate

Many students told us that they are giving up chocolate for Lent. Ex-student, Laura, told us she gives chocolate up for Lent almost every year so she can enjoy her Easter eggs. When asked whether she thinks she will be able to go the whole of Lent without chocolate Laura said: “Yes, I do usually manage the whole of Lent as I give stuff up each year”. 

Elliott, a third-year Bowland student has admitted to “binge eating chocolate” and told us that he wants to “shed that habit and get in better shape”. He hopes he can manage the whole of Lent without chocolate but said “I’m already wanting to bake something with chocolate in it, and when drunk, I cannot always stick to my resolutions”. 

Alex, a second-year student from Lonsdale College is also giving up chocolate claiming to “binge it sometimes”. She thinks she’ll be able to go the whole of Lent without chocolate, saying, “It’s not hard for me to cut food out of my diet”. 

Meat and dairy

Mekseb, a second-year student from Pendle College told us she was raised as an Orthodox Christian so is generally expected to give up meat and dairy for Lent. In addition to this, she told us that she is doing it because “fasting strengthens spirituality and veganism has lots of health benefits”. When asked whether she thinks she will be able to give up meat and dairy for the whole of Lent, Mekseb was optimistic and told us that she had done it once before, but she acknowledged that it would be more difficult this time as she’s not at home so would have to cook her own meals. As a result of this, she did confess: “there’s a possibility I will give up”. 

Procrastination

We are all guilty of procrastinating from time to time, and I’m certain that if we could give it up, we would. Margaret, a first-year student from Pendle College has decided to take on the challenge of giving up procrastination for Lent this year. Margaret said: “giving up procrastination will disturb my current mental stability in the short term”, and she recognised that “although it’s toxic, it’s still a coping mechanism”.

Margaret hopes that giving up procrastination will improve her physical and mental health in the long term and believes that “good changes are difficult but very much needed”. Margaret revealed that she might not cut procrastination out of her life completely, but instead will “plan a time for it” as she is going to start getting into a better routine.

If Margaret or anyone else manages to resolve their procrastination problem or go the whole of Lent without it, please help us out and let us know what we’re doing wrong!

Online shopping and over-spending

With all non-essential shops currently closed due to the national lockdown, online shopping is our only option when it comes to satisfying our retail therapy needs. Occasionally, we can all make some bizarre, unnecessary purchases and spend a bit too much money while  shopping online, however, several students told us that for Lent this year they are giving up online shopping and reckless spending. 

Courtney, a first-year student from Grizedale college said: “I waste a lot of money on such small things like coffees, sweets when I am out and also have a really bad tendency to spend money on clothes and shoes when I’m bored”. Despite thinking she will struggle to give up her shopping habits for the whole of Lent, Courtney told us that she is a stubborn person and that each year she participates in Lent, she always sticks to it. She is hoping that throughout the Lent period, instead of wasting money, she will be able to “pick up the better habit of saving”.

Katherine, a second-year student, also from Grizedale, changed her mind last minute and decided to give up online shopping rather than chocolate, saying it will be “harder and more beneficial” to do. Katherine told us that she has been online shopping out of boredom and that she doesn’t actually need anything. She hopes that by giving up online shopping, she will get better at managing her money and will “have more to enjoy when everything opens again”.

Not giving up anything

Some students told us they’re not participating in Lent this year, and therefore aren’t giving anything up. As an alternative, they are choosing not to miss out on any opportunity that comes their way. We have all already had to give so much in the past year, so this decision is completely understandable.

On behalf The Lancaster Tab, good luck to everyone who is giving something up for Lent. We are looking forward to hearing how you get on!

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