March 3, 2014 - Written by: Cas Sutherland

Give Up Giving Up: Take on a New Challenge for Lent

Tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday – more fondly known as pancake day – which in turn means that Lent starts on Wednesday. I think there’s something interesting about a society of people who, although the majority of whom would not call themselves Christian, let alone Catholic*, still see it necessary to consider giving something up for seven weeks of their lives. British culture seems bent on the idea that self-denial is a positive thing. Discipline is an admirable character trait, yes, but we’re punishing ourselves for no reason. Isn’t this modern obsession due in part to a remnant of catholic guilt – the idea we’re inherently impure – mixed in with our social anxiety about how we look?

Giving something up (for Lent or otherwise) sets you up to fail. It’s 46 days – that’s almost 7 weeks – and you only get a “well done” and a pat on the back when it’s over. Day-to-day, you don’t feel like you’ve achieved anything, so you don’t feel motivated. It simply makes life harder than it already is. Two years ago, I gave up tea for Lent (big deal for me, as I drank an average of 8 cups a day). It gave me headaches for the first fortnight and made it really difficult to hang out with friends because all my socialising involved a hot beverage of some kind. It was the “healthy” thing to do, but I didn’t want to stop my tea-drinking habit permanently, so I just went back to my old ways after a tea splurge over Easter weekend.

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Lent is only a challenge when we don’t actually want to give up chocolate, or tea, or whatever it is. A concern for our health is not really the root of it – that’s a by-product, an excuse – because, if we were truly concerned about our health, we’d change our ways and never look back. Eg. if you were told you would only live for six months unless you gave up smoking today, you wouldn’t think twice. Instead, we put ourselves on a path of self-punishment for a while and then reward ourselves by gorging at Easter and going quickly back to our old habits.

Surely, it’s a waste of our energies. We spend time and brain power concentrating on not doing small things that will hardly have a long-term impact on our lives – doesn’t talking yourself out of eating that chocolate bar take up more brain power than it’s worth? – which distracts us from the bigger picture.

Better, surely, to set some goals that will develop you as a person. If we want to revolutionise our lives, developing and nurturing a skill or interest might make more of a difference than taking something away. You might opt to start language classes, to learn how to salsa dance, take up gardening or painting. Rather than punishing yourself and cutting things out, making life bleaker, why not make a change that will make life more rewarding, enriching and colourful?

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You could simply vow to go for a walk in your local park at the weekend, aim to see an exhibition at your favourite gallery, go to the theatre more often or read a book at least once a month. You could learn to cook a new dish every week, try a new cuisine, or watch a film in with subtitles next time you go out. If you’re interested in changing your lifestyle, in the long run, Lent is probably not the time to begin. If you set more of an achievable goal for yourself, you’re far more likely to actually manage it, which could do wonders for your state of mind. And if that task is something that you might actually enjoy (god forbid), then you’re more likely to get something out of the experience.

What I am encouraging you (and myself) to do is, rather than refusing yourself things you enjoy, say “yes!” to new things, engage with the possibilities that surround you, and reward yourself for trying new things. Don’t take my word for it, why not try it and let us know what you find out about yourself?

* According to the 2009 BSA survey 2009: Church of England = 19.9% and Roman Catholic = 8.6% while in the 2011 Census 59.9% stated their religion as Christianity.

Tags: achievable goals challenge colourful enriching Lent new things rewarding self-denial self-punishment