Lent has a way of arriving quietly. One day it’s New Year’s, the next it’s Ash Wednesday and I’m thinking about what to give up for Lent in a life built almost entirely on convenience. So this year, that means online shopping and Uber Eats, and DoorDash. Not out of guilt or financial panic, but because both have become frictionless defaults. And Lent, at its best, is about interrupting whatever feels most automatic.

What Lent Is Actually About (At Least in the Catholic Tradition)

In the Catholic faith, Lent is the 40-day period leading up to Easter, modeled after Jesus spending 40 days in the desert. Traditionally, it centers on fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. The point was never performative suffering. It was discipline. Attention. A reset. Things we could all improve upon.

Over time, giving something up became the most accessible way to participate in that reset. Less indulgence. More awareness.

Why I’m Giving Up Online Shopping for Lent

I don’t impulse-buy nonsense as much these days. I’m older now, which means I research. I wait. I buy things I actually want when the price finally makes sense.

Yet somehow, I still own way more clothes than I could ever need.

The issue isn’t spending. It’s the mental bandwidth. The scrolling. The quiet preoccupation with what’s on sale and what could be improved. Giving up online shopping for Lent isn’t about money. It’s about opting out of the low-grade persistent tug of consumption that never really turns off no matter how intentional you believe yourself to be.

Why I’m Also Giving Up Uber Eats and DoorDash

Uber Eats and DoorDash are efficient. That’s exactly why they’re hard to notice.

Long day? Order.
No meal plan? Order.
Don’t feel like engaging with life for the next half hour? Order.

Cooking requires a decision. It slows things down. It forces a little presence, even if dinner is minimal. It’s intentional. Mindful. Annoying, but beautiful.

This Isn’t My First Lent Reset

In previous years, I’ve given up everything from social media to alcohol for Lent. It went well. Every time.

Better sleep. Clearer head. And what always stands out is how much better things feel after Lent ends. It’s remarkable how quickly things improve when you remove something that was quietly running the show.

That’s why I trust the process, and let go and let God. I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s so true.

What I’m Adding Instead: Gratitude and Mindfulness

This Lent, I also want to practice gratitude and mindfulness every day.

Not in a curated morning-routine way. No aesthetic journals. Just consistency.

A few minutes of paying attention. Writing things down. Letting the day be what it is without immediately trying to optimize it.

For me, this upcoming Lent isn’t about deprivation. It’s about attention, discipline, and noticing how small habits shape daily life.

What I Hope This Lent Teaches Me

For me, Lent has become less about rules and more about honesty, and noticing where convenience replaces intention. Where consumption fills space it doesn’t need to. Where ease becomes avoidance.

Giving up online shopping and food delivery is small, but it’s specific. And specificity is usually where change actually happens.

Forty days. Fewer distractions. That’s it.