Have you noticed all the new people at your fitness center or aquatic class? It looks like a lot of folks decided to get in shape this year. Great! Glad to see them. But there are lots of other New Year’s resolutions that don’t involve losing weight. Quit drinking alcohol. Cut down on video games. Call home every week. Stop smoking. Take French lessons. The list goes on and on. And they’re mostly about stopping or starting something. But statistics indicate that most of those resolutions are abandoned by January 18. Good Intentions often go astray.

Why do people give up so easily? They wanted to do something to improve their lives or happiness. And yet, they lacked the to follow through on their good intentions. Now, they feel a little bit disappointed in themselves. The truth is, they probably would have wound up in a much better frame of mind if only they’d had a little more of that good old stick- to-it-iveness.

GOOD INTENTIONS OFTEN GO ASTRAY. By the end of Jan, most have given up — Good Intentions Often Go Astray. Most New Years’ Resolutions are given up by January 18.

The strategies for stopping or starting a habit are completely different. Psychologists tend to focus on the stop issue, because the undesirable habit often involves some type of addiction, which is difficult to overcome. There are long lists of suggestions : join a support group, avoid triggers, etc. etc. Alcoholics should not go places where they serve beer, or keep it in their frig. Smokers should not have a pack of cigarettes in their purse or hang out with other smokers. But the truth is, most addictions are a reaction to stress and anxiety, and it’s hard to quit a bad job or stop worrying about your rebellious teenager.

Starting a new habit calls for an entirely different set of mental muscles. You go to the gym for one class and then never go back. Why? It was too much trouble changing clothes. Walking a treadmill is boring. Whatever. You signed up for French lessons and you couldn’t even speak a whole sentence after the first class. It’s way too challenging and when are you going to Paris, anyway? But what if you hadn’t given up so easily? By summer, you might not mind putting on a bathing suit. Or, you could decide to vacation on the French Rivera instead of going to Vegas.

However, there’s one approach that works for both kinds of resolutions : Mindfulness meditation. I know, it sounds kind of new age and hokey. But it works. And it’s really quite simple. Before you decide to re start a bad habit lean back in your chair and take a few, cleansing deep breaths. Next, acknowledge and accept your feelings, without judgement.” I really need that fix from nicotine or alcohol because I’m feeling stressed about my …job…marriage….. I can feel it in my bones.” Stop, breathe some more. The stressful situation won’t last forever. You can do this. More deep breaths. The urge has come and gone

Use the same technique if you’re tempted to quit the new, desirable behavior. Deep breaths. Walking the treadmill is boring. Going to the gym is too much trouble. I’m not seeing any immediate results. Breathe in, breath out. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones. You know you will feel much better after a few workouts. Keep going.

Getting started with mindfulness is simple in this high tech world of ours. There are apps like Calm which can be downloaded for free or for a small fee. Mindfulness meditation should be your best New Years resolution. Good intentions often go astray. Don’t let that happen in this Happy New Year of 2023.

While driving home from the mall on a winding road, I came to a stop behind a school bus as a young girl disembarked. Since I was several cars back, I could see the child running up the hill toward a house at the top. A gray haired man coming from the opposite direction came to greet her. A tender moment, yes? Except, he was surrounded by a vaporous cloud coming from his right hand. I’m not sure if he was her grandpa or another relative, but it seemed like a bad thing to do. Should a vaping grandpa greet the school bus?

Grandparents who vape grew up when it was commen to smoke around children

SHOULD A VAPING GRANDPA DITCH HIS E-CIGARETTE WHEN HIS GRANDCHILD IS AROUND?

When I was a child, most adults smoked—including my parents. Consequently, I started smoking as a teenager. That was the tobacco industry’s heyday. No one connected smoking with cancer. Cigarette ads featured movie stars who made it seem glamorous. On college campuses, free cigarettes were passed out to encourage smokers to start smoking particular brands. It took me 20 years to stop smoking.

Fast forward to the 21^st century. Exposing children to secondhand smoke is considered child abuse. Parents who smoke go outside and hide behind the garage to vape. For their own sake, I wish they could quit, but at least they are trying to protect their children.

Let’s go back to Grandpa, and give him some credit. Maybe he’s turned to vaping as an attempt to reduce his addiction to nicotine. Perhaps he was outside with the idea of having a smoke before his granddaughter got home from school. Maybe she arrived earlier than expected. But still, he had to have seen her running up the hill. Why didn’t he ditch the e cigarette the moment he spotted her? He’s obviously a caring person who loves the little girl. She isn’t a latchkey kid. She has someone waiting for her to get off the school bus. So, he’s doing a good thing, there. But, in a few years, she will be a teenager, and she will know exactly how to vape.

According to statistics compiled from 2011 to 1015, vaping is the most popular form of tobacco use among teens. In the US, e-cigarette use rose by 900 percent among high school students..

By 2016, over two million middle and high school students had tried e cigarettes. 40 percent of vapers from age 18 to 24 had not been smokers before.

A growing body of research suggests that that vaping is dangerous for teens.

https://www.yalemedicine.org/stories/teen-vaping/

Stop vaping, Grandpa!

Tag: ADDICTION

GOOD INTENTIONS OFTEN GO ASTRAY

VAPING GRANDPA GREETS SCHOOL BUS

Fast forward to the 21^st century. Exposing children to secondhand smoke is considered child abuse. Parents who smoke go outside and hide behind the garage to vape. For their own sake, I wish they could quit, but at least they are trying to protect their children.

A growing body of research suggests that that vaping is dangerous for teens.

Fast forward to the 21st century. Exposing children to secondhand smoke is considered child abuse. Parents who smoke go outside and hide behind the garage to vape. For their own sake, I wish they could quit, but at least they are trying to protect their children.

A growing body of research suggests that that vaping is dangerous for teens.

Fast forward to the 21^st century. Exposing children to secondhand smoke is considered child abuse. Parents who smoke go outside and hide behind the garage to vape. For their own sake, I wish they could quit, but at least they are trying to protect their children.