Conditioned Like a Dog

Quitting smoking is still surprisingly easy for me, and yet I have to actively stop myself from the automatic urge to jump out of my chair after finishing a task, a meeting, or some other "achievement" and go outside for a cigarette. The conditioning is truly intense. I feel like a dog dancing to the whistle.

I'm still trying to distract myself and instead walk around the office a bit, drink water, talk to colleagues, eat a piece of fruit, or read something. Of the three pillars of my project, quitting smoking currently has the highest priority — it's also marked as such in the overview on the home page. That will probably stay that way for a few more weeks, or at least until I can manage without the nicotine replacement.

I'm trying not to neglect the other points — nutrition and exercise — but they're not the main focus right now. For example, things didn't go according to plan with nutrition today. Everything was fine until just after work, but then the cravings hit in the evening at home. Cravings are always a big problem, especially in the evening.

I'm currently trying to track my sense of fullness and blood sugar so I can better recognize when I'm entering one of those phases and react early enough. That will also be a learning process that takes time. It's important to listen to your own body so you can act accordingly. Tomorrow is a new day where I can put these insights to use.