In the year they’ve given up everything, what are Sussex students giving up for Lent?

As the fifth millionth hour of lockdown trawls on, University of Sussex students were asked in an online poll what they are giving up this year for Lent. Unlike beers at parties, some mid-February blues are being passed around amongst Sussex students. Read below to find out which lockdown Lent category you fall into, and hear some helpful tips and advice on how to go about giving up or taking up in this strange time.

‘I just can’t anymore’

 36 per cent of respondents claimed they were giving up the “will to live”, alongside “giving up on myself” and “university entirely”. Whether it be from the long and boring hours spend on Zoom, or the contradictory information you’ve been receiving from the university about rent and learning, if you’re feeling this way, just know you aren’t alone. Many other students are also feeling the mid-February lockdown blues, especially with spring, warmth, and better times just a touchable distance away.

If you fall into this Lent category you may want to try and rework your thinking around Lent. Instead of giving something up in the year when we’ve already given up everything, try taking something up for Lent. Whilst this may seem like a novel idea, taking up a hobby, especially during the lockdown, may help you rediscover that dormant motivation and, as well as giving you something to do, can help you grow and discover more about yourself as a person.

Why don’t you try one of these?

‘Men’

Giving up men for Lent is a bold yet completely understandable move. At the best of times, men are frustrating, and even more so during the Lent period. If the usual amount of mixed messages and emotional unavailability isn’t enough to make you want to give men up, the Valentine’s blues is.

With the day of love just having passed, and the reality of not receiving flowers and breakfast in bed every morning firmly back in place, my feminist superstars have it right when they say to give up men for Lent.

Even if you’re not in a relationship, the social media bombardment of “couple goals” married with the loneliness that lockdown can bring as a single person is enough to drive anyone person to give up men together.

If you find yourself in this Lent category, with men firmly out the window, why not use this Lent period to work on self-love? If you’re new to self-love and not sure where to start, why not start by trying to working these very basic self-love practices into your everyday routine this Lent.

‘It’s the new year… where’s the new me?’

Nearly two months into the new year, and giving up unhealthy habits has never been a harder new year’s resolution. With an upsurge in self-pity due to lockdown leading to an increase in binge-watching and junk food orientated activities, as well as a dramatic reduction of physical exercise due to the restrictions on outdoor time, finding it hard to motivate yourself to change is understandable.

However, some students at the University of Sussex have decided to use this time to reinvigorate the fire that fuelled them to make their new year’s decisions with 29 percent of respondents deciding to give up unhealthy habits for Lent this year. We received a range of unhealthy habits people are giving up from takeaways and smoking to engaging in courteous relations with an ex-partner. 

If you find yourself in this Lent category, whilst we fully support your efforts to better yourself, and commend you for seeing Lent as a great opportunity to get back on the self-improvement wagon, do remember that we are amid a global pandemic. So, if you need a cheeky ciggy or takeaway to help you through this somewhat daunting and unprecedented time, don’t feel too bad.

Whether you’re giving something up or not, try and use this Lent to reconnect and re-energise and remember: hang in and stay in because good times, sunshine, and bevvies are right around the corner.