It's that time of the year when you see Catholics wearing crosses on their foreheads, a symbol of the beginning of what many know as Lent. Now, even if you aren't Catholic, I'm sure you've heard of others taking part in the 40 days of Lent, where you decide to give up, or sacrifice, one thing that you will not do for that time period. For many, that involves not eating meat for the entirety of lent, or even not watching television. Though those things are good to give up, this Lent season, think about how your sacrifice can help improve your life. Here is a list of BLANK things that you can give up and work for during Lent to make your life a little better.

1. Avoiding Things

I know that it's easier to avoid our problems instead of facing them head on. This Lent, don't avoid things. Solve your problems, or at least attempt to, as soon as you face them. Don't pretend your problems aren't there because you're afraid of confrontation, the best thing to do is talk about things now, relieving you of that unnecessary but very likely anchor in your chest.

2. Talking to Toxic People

I know that everyone has certain people in their lives who aren't good for them. I have some too. These are people who bring you down, are a bad influence, or even people who stress you out in terms of constant bickering. We reach a certain point in our lives where we need to be kind to ourselves and let go of the people who aren't good to us. Even if that's a close friend or maybe even a relative, in the end, taking care of ourselves is most important.

3. Doing Things We Don't Want To Do

Now, I don't mean missing work just because we feel like it, because let's face it, that's not a very good idea. What I mean by this is only participating in things we want and having the power to say no. Say no to going out when you're too tired and say no to events you'd normally say yes to, simply because you're too nice. It's okay to be a little selfish and do things for yourself. Say no, and only do things that you want to do, not things others want you to do.

4. Our cellphones

We need to go back to a time where we spend more time in reality and not on our phones. I say this lightly because I struggle with constantly being on my phone, but it's important to inject ourselves into real life. Spend time focusing more on doing other things that have less to do with technology. This will not only give you new hobbies, but will give you that breath of fresh air you need. Being on your phone can be entertaining, but the natural world is a view no screen will ever replace

If you can hold out until April without having a setback with your sacrifice, I applaud you. But what many people forget, is that Lent isn't about who can last the longest without touching their phone for the 40 days, but who commits and why they committed. It's about strengthening your relationship with God, but also using these 40 days to heal and finding little things to brighten your life. We have now until April, and many more Lents to come, to improve our lives.