Commitments

For the few people that follow my blog, you may have noticed that my posts have become more and more infrequent. I don't feel it's necessary that I justify not writing, but I would like to merely say that it's not because I don't enjoy it.

That's the thing... I really do like writing on here... that is.. when I have topics to write about. Also, the fact that very few people even notice if I put up a new post gives me justification for putting off writing. For something like a blog, it is easy to procrastinate to the point of not writing at all.

Why have I not been writing? Do I even enjoy it? I'm not doing this for anybody else...

I haven't been writing because there are often other things that are bigger priorities. These include... well most things actually. Working out, working, seeing friends, sleeping, eating, reading, and even watching tv are all higher on my "to do" list than blogging. I do enjoy it, and if I were writing for other people's enjoyment, I would be more likely to write more often.

I would say part of this comes down to commitment issues. I spent a huge amount of high school battling with whether or not I wanted commitments (other than school work) in my life. Since I am a perfectionist, I often worry about overcrowding my schedule or doing too many things because I don't want to get stressed out. What I've learned is that, in fact, I do better with a lot on my agenda. I don't mean that I like every minute scheduled, but I would rather have an extracurricular activity than an hour in its place to watch trashy television.

Back to blogging, I guess I really just need to commit to it to do it. Part of me doesn't want to commit, though.
AGH.

Does it make me happy? Sort of...

Chewing gum

Hi, I'm Julia, and I'm a chewaholic. Since middle school, I have been (on and off) addicted to gum. I'm not quite sure how my addiction started, but it's been strong enough to prevail through six or seven years of my life. I have actually become a gum connoisseur; I have tried countless brands and flavors of sugarless gum out there, and I have a strong opinion about every single one. Just for kicks, my current gum of choice for the past few months has been the Apple Pineapple trident layers.

A sugarless gum addiction seems like no big deal; after all, I could be hooked on cigarettes, right? Well, here's the conundrum; is the trident doing enough good things for me to outweigh the negatives (and yes, there are negatives)? I think I will make a pros and cons list.

Pros of chewing:

-It cleans my teeth

-It tastes delicious

-It relieves my anxiety

-It keeps me awake, for example, during a boring class.

-It is a better addiction to have than most other addictions (I'm not sure if this is a pro or just an excuse to keep chewing :/)

NOW, the CONS:

- There are many issues I have regarding oral fixation habits... Mainly I think they block the body's natural signals of hunger and fullness.

- Gum causes bloating

- A gum habit like mine adds up in expenses.

- The gum has probably increased my tolerance for sweetness and therefore makes me crave more sweets.

- Gum causes acid reflux

- Gum can cause lock jaw

...

I am sure there are more, but that's really enough cons for me to say that I should stop chewing so much gum.

As this relates to happiness, if gum makes me less happy than I would be without it, I should stop chewing it. I think that this relates to any other addiction. If it causes more harm than good, stopping is the best option.

But then there's the actual stopping part...

Easier said than done.

I guess we'll just have to see if I have the will power and motivation to truly stop chewing!