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The 10 Stages of Lent

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Aberdeen chapter.

Lent is the time before Easter when Christians are encouraged to either fast or, more modernly, give up something they consider a ‘vice’ for 46 days. And well, it’s perhaps not as easy as it sounds… here are the 10 stages I go through during lent…

 

1 COMMITMENT

This involves convincing yourself that this is not the year to break tradition and try to decide what to give up. Since I eat my feelings and feel like I have an emotional bond with chocolate, crisps and fizzy juice I always choose these. Just to make my life hard.

Another chocolate pancake anyone?” – me on Shrove Tuesday.

 

2 DELUSION

You’ll tell yourself it’s going to be easy.

This is not for a diet. This is for self-reflection or feeling closer to God or remembering how lucky we are. I don’t even drink that much fizzy juice!”

 

3 TERROR

You’ll realise you were wrong.Every year I underestimate my very real reliance on all things sweet and sugary, fizzy juice in particular. I will spend the first week walking past the fizzy juice aisle very slowly and picking up Dr Pepper and then having to crawl back to swap it for a water.

 

4 SELF-JUDGEMENT

Why is this so hard? I didn’t think I was this weak!”

 

5 ANGER

Look at all those people drinking cola. I want cola.”

 

 

6 ACCEPTANCE

 You’ll think you’ve changed. I’ve got this. Hello H20 and carrot sticks.”

 

 

7 MORE DENIAL

I am so much happier this way. After Lent I’m staying away from all that sugar.” You’ll tell everyone this but even you won’t really believe it.

 

8 PRIDE

Yep, that’s been almost 46 days without it, not a crumb of chocolate.”

 

9 EXCITEMENT

Hello Easter Sunday and yummy yummy chocolate eggs. Might even treat myself to a can of….” 

 

10 REGRET

It is a week after Easter Sunday and I can’t go a day without fizzy juice and a packet of Smarties.”

 

Maybe I’ll do better next year.

4th Year Journalism student studying in Aberdeen.
Laura Rennie is currently a fifth year Diploma in Legal Practice student at the University of Aberdeen. After four years studying in the Granite City she couldn't quite drag herself away from it so decided to stick around for one more year. Previously a features writer and secretary of Her Campus Aberdeen when it was founded, she is now very excited to be captaining the little pink ship this year. She loves cups of tea, fairy lights, musicals, trashy TV and is a blogger and member of Her Campus Blogger Network in her spare time.