Habits

One thing I never thought would happen during this year of reflection, contemplation, discovery, change, and anticipation, is that I would start a new habit. Granted, the act of daily writing itself can be viewed as a habit, as well.

It is generally concluded that habits form in 21-28 days. When my daughter, Lily, got into the habit of waking up every night between 11pm and midnight, asking to come and sleep in our room, we challenged her. We told her that it took 21 days to form or break a habit. We promised her that if she was able to stay in her room for 30 days without waking up and requesting to sleep with us, she would win a prize. To make the "game" more worthwhile, we initially gave her small prizes. When she reached a milestone of five consecutive days, she got some gum or a piece of candy. However, if she was in between a milestone and happened to "slip," she was pushed back down to the corresponding fifth day. Wen she slipped and woke up/came out of her room on day 13, she had to go back down to day 10. Simple enough. We also made sure that if she was sick or there was an emergency, she knew she could come get us.

Each day she made it through the night, her self esteem rose. She'd wake up with a big smile on her face and announce what day it was.

"Good morning, daddy." she would say, with her tiny high-pitched voice, "17!"

As the 30th day came near, she wished aloud what her prize would be.

"I hope I can get a whole bag of Tootsie Pops," she said, "And I can eat as many as I want on the first day."

Simple enough. The habit changing exercise began in early September, and concluded just after Halloween. Worked like a charm, albeit in longer than 30 days.

My son, Frederic, has been taking Melatonin for the past several years. He was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome when he was five, and his pediatric neurologist suggested it as a sleep aid. We wanted to avoid taking any kind of medication to manage the Tourette's, and have been able to keep to this goal. Melatonin is a natural supplement that helps reduce the time it takes a person to get to sleep. Before the diagnosis, before we knew what was really going on, Frederic would lay in bed and think. He would think about math problems, he would think about his day, he would think about the next day. He would think. The doctor suggested a low dosage of Melatonin to help relax him enough to fall asleep. We started with 1mg and worked our way up to 3mg.

Thus the habit began. Which I was fearful of. I didn't want him to have trouble with sleeping the rest of his life. Over the course of four years, Frederic ingested between 1mg-3mg of Melatonin, nightly. He knew that it concerned me; he had concerns himself.

Once he saw the "game" we played with Lily, he asked for the same deal. We were running low on his supply and were discussing running to the GNC to buy another bottle.

"Don't buy any more," he said. "I know it takes 21-28 days to start or stop a habit. I want to stop taking Melatonin."

And so it began. Frederic's quest to stop an old and start a new. He made it 30 days without a slip, and has not asked for Melatonin since. His prize was just as simple as Lily's: a pack of Pokemon cards.

I've had habits before. I chewed tobacco for the better part of 15 years. I used steroids for two. I smoked as a pre-teen, in college, and after. Some how or some way, I broke them all. I used to think I had an addictive personality. But I haven't had a habit in years. I do now.

My name is Cory Fosco, and I chew gum.

It started when I embarked on the ChaLEAN Extreme challenge. In between meals, I'd chew a piece of gum. One piece became two, two became three. Do you know how much gum I have chewed since March? A lot. I crave it. I think about it. I have a routine to it. Just like smoking, and chewing tobacco.

And now it's my turn to take 30 days. I'll follow the same rules as the kids. Not sure what my reward will be. Maybe I'll leave that up to Cyndi and the kids.

Just as soon as these two packs are gone...