Are you a Smoker?

James_Bergin

Then stop!

I've just started the long road to quitting this expensive, irrational, and dangerous habit and I've had a few epiphanies; but first some background. If you don't want to read my blah blah, skip to the "Summary".

I finished my undergrad last year and during the course of that I took a major in psych and architecture. Stress was the norm more than the exception, and particularly in architecture, I somehow convinced myself that smoking on my studio breaks was an acceptable way to blow off steam and, incredulously, help myself get a new perspective on the problem. I'm fairly career/goal oriented, so the reason I'm bringing this up is because I feel for to which this apply who are on MFP, they are probably driven as well, and like me, may even be using smoking as some kind of mental crutch.

Anyway, moving on, I was quite ill over the weekend, and wasn't able to go to the gym, or smoke! I finally made it in today, sans flu and nicotine, and guess what. My running time had radically improvement (of course in the incremental way running times improve but still). Furthermore my whole day had been a bit more productive than usual, and I began to reflect on the thought that smoking had actually not helped me get more out my breaks, be more creative, or done anything more than harm me and my wallet (unfortunately for my wallet it can't recover, but at least I can). The breaks were just that, distractions - expensive distractions which came when I got stuck, and which rather than improving my focus or given me new insight, actually just broke my work flow and concentration.

Summary

If the people who get into MFP are as goal oriented as I suspect, then for those of you who smoke the take home message is this. Its bad for you and your wallet. Importantly, a lot of smokers, myself included, use it as a stress aid which is unhealthy and counterproductive. Stop smoking for a few days and you'll see just how much better you do and feel after a bout at the gym, and how much more you get out of your days work wise!

Cheers