My article in the Jersey Evening Post looks at Lent and what to do if giving up something (whether it is for Lent or not) is difficult to do – and a really good tip at the end 🙂

Lent Laments & Love

How’s Lent going for you, then? Have you given up anything for the period? Religious matters and reasons aside, I find people fall into two main camps: those who find ‘giving up something for Lent’ a great incentive to ditch the chocolate, booze, cigarettes, over-spending, etc, or to give up being unfit and start a good exercise regime…

… and those who, when faced with ‘you should’ immediately default to an internal argument and the whole thing becomes too difficult very quickly.

For the first set, that’s great! Run with it.

If you need help overcoming cravings, try: not having the trigger item around; having distraction contingencies in place; using hypnotherapy or tapping*; or simply practising square breathing:

– breathe in for the count of four
– hold for four
– exhale for four
– hold for four
– and repeat once or twice.

For the second set, here are a few tips:

if you do want to give up something, it’s easier to choose another time to do it, and not necessarily let anyone know what you’re up to.

Instead of thinking you are losing something, concentrate on what you are gaining (better sleep, a sense of well-being, etc).

Your subconscious believes what you tell it, so say, “I’m choosing to do this; I’m enjoying the process; I am loving feeling better”; this will become true for you quite quickly.

Most of you probably know willpower alone is often not enough to overcome an addiction and regularly find yourself unconsciously reaching for the object of your desire.

Sometimes you are aware and one part of your brain is saying “STOP!” and the other, stronger, part says, “Ach, stuff it! I’m going to have it anyway!”

If that’s you, then finding out what’s buried in your subconscious that’s thwarting your intentions is important; hypnotherapy (especially through RTT or Rapid Transformational Therapy) or talking therapies can help here.

Have I given up anything for Lent? Yes. Not chocolate or wine, but worrying about my ever-increasing wrinkles, what other people think of my photographs, and my (quite poor) fitness.

Instead, I’m allowing myself to know I’m good enough, because I am.

And you are, too.

So, how about this? Instead of, or as well as, giving up chocolate, wine or whatever for Lent, give up “I’m not enough” and replace it with “I am enough”; write it on your mirror and your screen savers…and, when Lent is over, carry on thinking and knowing the same.

*’Tapping’ includes TFT (which I do to diagnostic level) and EFT, an off-shoot of TFT.

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Jacqui Carrel is Rapid Transformational hypnotherapist who helps people overcome addictions. You can find out more at jacquicarrel.co.uk/help-with/.