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.