Lent is approaching, and with it comes all the struggles of living your best life 40 days before Easter. What should you give up? Are you going to stick to it this year? And for the love of God, remember that you can’t eat meat on Fridays!

It’s enough to make any college kid go crazy (don’t forget that fasting means snacks—some people think you really cannot eat and that is just a bad idea when you have two exams and 20 blocks to walk to class). However, I have laid out five ways you can have a good Lenten season, complete with ideas on what to give up and how to combat those Friday burger cravings.

1. Don’t GIVE up something. OFFER it.

I have always been confused as to what I should give up for Lent ever since I was a little girl. A lot of people give up desserts because they want to kill two birds with one stone and lose weight, but it doesn’t do much for God, does it? Then again, you could say that you’re working on loving yourself and want to make that effort for God, and the first way to accomplish this is by giving up a food item you enjoy in order to get healthy and be your best self. See? It’s all in how you word it.

For that reason, think of what you want to offer God for Lent. For example, you could be addicted to caffeine and know that Starbucks drains your wallet. Consider giving up your morning cup of coffee for the next 40 days and donating that money you would have spent to a charity. Not only are you almsgiving, but you’re holding back on having something you love to someone else. (And the bonus is that you may get into the habit of donating money or kick your addiction in the butt in the process.)

For the strong, I recommend giving up something harder to help you recognize how lucky you are. Meat is one example, or perhaps Netflix/television. Giving up meat will help you realize that there are people in the world who don’t get a choice of what they eat for dinner because they just want to eat something. Giving up television may force you to make time for God in the time you used to watch two hours of television. Remember, it’s supposed to be difficult.

2. Make time for God.

College is hectic and life is hectic and if you have a job on top of all that, it’s even more hectic. It’s hard to go to church every Sunday, especially when your mom and dad aren’t dragging you out of bed or pestering you to get dressed. If it’s 5:50pm on a Sunday night and you’re still at your dorm trying to decide if you want to go to the last mass of the week, then Lent is the perfect season to make time for God.

Think of it as a weekly offering. You take the time out of your day to spend an hour of your life with God each week. Here is when you can think by yourself, pray, sing, and do whatever you need to do to feel close to Him. Maybe you’ll have to miss seeing a movie with your friends every now and then, or maybe you’re super behind on your homework and need to get it done before 9:30 Monday morning, but making the time to go to Mass can help you settle your doubts, calm down, and breathe.

If you already go to Mass each week, try making another commitment. Go to adoration every week or pray the Rosary. Make an effort.

3. Give back.

It can get easy to miss the people sitting on the street, asking for change, when you see them everyday as you rush to class. They’re part of the fabric of your life now, and sometimes that means they blend into the background. If you find yourself turning your music up to tune them out of looking straight ahead so you don’t have to make eye contact, then this Lenten season you should try to give back to those who need help.

If it’s easier to blend it into your Lenten offering, then get cash from the ATM so that when you bypass Starbucks in the morning, you can give your $5 bill to someone who hasn’t eaten in a while. Or maybe there’s a charity that you really admire for their human rights work, but they’re struggling to get funds to finish the project they’re working on. Sign yourself up for a weekly donation!

Even if you yourself are a struggling college kid with nothing else to spare, consider giving up something every week in order to give back to those who are worse off than you. You’ve skipped a meal before, haven’t you? Save that money. Or don’t buy that package of Fuji Instax paper and give the money you would have spent to someone in need.

Honestly, there is no right way to “do” Lent. Every person needs to create their personal journey based on the things they want to work on. (Hopefully this list got you thinking, though!)