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Holy week is upon us. For Catholics, the season heralds a significant time for self-renewal. During the week, devotees commemorate the Passion of Christ through different practices, some even dating back centuries. More than just following tradition, the spirit of Lent is also about taking some time off to think. Think about it, how often do we get the chance reflect on ourselves? Of course, it also means that you get two extra days off, which may or may not be more important to you depending on your level of devotion.

Read more: What the Bible Says About Money

We are free to use this time to do whatever we wish to do–whether it’s to detox from the city grind, to stay in the city while watching cars scramble on the streets, or to go on your own spritual journey. Here are some ideas for a practical and productive Holy Week.

For those that don’t want to bother with the frenetic retreat of people to the provinces, you can do the laziest and yet–probably–the most peaceful option: to stay put. Not only does staying in the city save you valuable travel time, it also saves you from the physical, emotional, and monetary toll of Holy Week travel, a pursuit that’s often contrasted to the peaceful nature of the season. In other words, you save your sanity while saving money.

Think about it, you can drive along the empty streets of EDSA and C5, walk the peaceful streets of BGC and Makati while visiting the old churches Manila to satiate your religious needs. To name a few, you can visit the Nuestra Senora de Gracia Church at Viejo, Makati, the San Agustin Church at Intramuros, Manila, (or any church in Intramuros for that matter), or the Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz (popularly known as Binondo Church).

By staying in the Metro, you can maintain your normal weekend flow, while getting two days to relax and catch up to your Binge backlog (We recommend 13 Reasons Why and the OA). You also save yourself from the hassle of going back to the Metro which, depending on your province, could be more hellish than the retreat.

For those who are more serious in practicing fasting and abstinence, waning off meat may be quite the challenge. Of course, fasting isn’t only about food, it’s also about avoiding your normal guilty pleasures (some of which we already enumerated above). Think of it as respite from the busy lives we live, a chance to renew the spirit and to strengthen faith.

While we can’t give any advice for you to enjoy yourselves while avoiding earthly pleasures, we can help you with food.

For our sweet-toothed brethren limiting their dairy intake for lent, here’s a dairy-free chocolate cake you can make to satisfy that craving without the guilt.

Lenten Chocolate Cake Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Flour
• 2 tsp Baking Soda
• 6 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 cups Sugar
• 3 tbsp Vinegar
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• ¾ cup Cooking Oil
• 2 cups Cold Water

Directions:

1. Sift the flour, baking soda, cocoa, salt and sugar together in a large bowl.
2. Add the vinegar, vanilla, oil, and water to the dry ingredients and mix well. Because of the soda and vinegar combination you’ll see some bubbles and that’s normal.
3. Pour batter in a greased 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
4. You may make a butter cream frosting using margarine instead of butter if you like (to keep the cake dairy-free) or dust with powdered sugar to serve.

Easter Sunday, a day of joy and celebration, entails a more festive atmosphere filled with colorful Easter eggs, decadent breads, and mains like ham, lamb, and roast chicken. Feel free to get back to the meat-zone but keep in mind the lessons you learned from the season. Some discipline to cut back the excess goes a long way and is good for the heart, literally and figuratively.

A Lenten tradition embraced by Filipinos, The Seven Churches Visitation is a pilgrimage that embodies the solemn atmosphere of the season by being the channel for meditation, reflection, and prayer. The faithful are tasked to go on a spiritual journey to seven different churches of their choosing, with each stop being a different experience – a feast for the eyes and the soul. It is also said that a completed round of seven churches grants the person a fulfilled wish or an answered prayer. While that may sound superstitious for the standard skeptic, your dedication in finishing this tradition is–in itself–a testament to your faith.

When it comes to Visita Iglesia, you have two options. You either go to the province and visit more secluded churches as you reconnect with friends and family or you stay in Manila for a historical tour of its most iconic houses of prayer. Deciding is a matter of how much effort you plan to exert and your willingness to visit new places. In a nutshell, if you’re looking for quick and accessible spiritual satisfaction, you should give the Manila churches a try. But if you want to visit new, more serene and, perhaps, more exotic places, then going on a provincial Visita Iglesia might just be your cup of tea.

Those seeking some much-needed time off from their daily routine can find a lot of affordable staycation spots here in the Metro and nearby provinces. You can rent a hotel for a family getaway, go hiking with friends, go glamping (glamorous camping), and–most importantly–be together with the people you cherish the most.

Before you know it, you’ll already be back to your everyday grind. What did you get from this short vacation? Did you find peace that you were looking for? Good. Not really? Well, don’t worry, there’s always the next year.