Six Things You Can Do to Make the Most Out of Lent
As Lent approaches, it’s time to start thinking about what you want your Lenten promise to be. You think back to what you did last year and the year before that and realize you want to do something different. Something that doesn’t involve you having to give something up that makes you cave in within the first two weeks and saying to yourself, “better luck next year.”
Here is a list of six things you can do to make the most out of Lent:
Try Something New
Getting involved in your community, joining a new club, or finding a new restaurant to eat at, whatever it is, find something new to be a part of to challenge yourself and explore new interests.
Do a Social Media Cleanse
Instead of spending your time scrolling your thumbs through your news feed, take a little break and focus on your relationships outside the digital world. One thing that you could consider doing in exchange is writing an email or note every day to someone you appreciate in your life and tell them how much they mean to you.
Stop the Negative Chatter (external and internal)
It’s time to remove all things that bring toxicity into your life! Start by not gossiping about others and practice self-restraint, even when it seems nearly impossible to hold back a comment. It can be very tricky when it is so much easier to talk about others and gossip and judge someone, but try to focus on encouraging people. This also helps contribute to a positive mindset about the way you think about others and yourself as a whole. Focus on the good in yourself to work on the parts of you that might need a little for positivity and confidence.
Talk to Strangers
This might seem like an easy thing to do, but it actually is very tricky. Start conversations with people in your classes you haven’t talked to before. Ask people on your bus ride home how their day has been. You can learn so much about other people and can make their day just by saying hello and having a little chat. This challenges you to step outside your comfort zone and practice communicating with people you think you have nothing in common with.
Set a Goal
For 40 days, work toward a goal that you want to accomplish. Whether that’s making sure you pass your midterm exam or running a half-marathon. Set a goal for yourself your future self with thank you for.
Be Kind to Your Body
2018 has been the year about drinking more water. All of the memes on Facebook are promoting it so that can be your daily reminder to hydrate and treat your body well. Throughout college, your body shape and size might have changed and that is perfectly okay! But it can be so hard to accept the way you are now because of the mental image in your head telling you to look like your freshman year self. Be good to yourself. You are capable of amazing things with the body you had then and with the body you have now.