Day 245 of 365 - What Will It Take?
Most of us probably realize that there are changes we could make in different areas, which would improve our health and our quality of life. We struggle with pushing ourselves versus remaining in our comfort zones.
When we want to stay with our comfortable habits, there could be elements of denial or fear involved. We might want to deny the impact of, say, an eating habit on our health. Thinking about the consequences of eating too much sugar, for example, could lead to fear about diabetes and heart disease, as well as fear about how your life would change if you altered that habit.
If you find yourself in the category of people resisting change, you are not alone. According to research, less than 20% of a population who have identified risks like high blood sugar, are actually ready to take positive action. Studies about overcoming bad habits and achieving health have described six stages of change, which are helpful to be aware of.
1. You are in denial. At this stage, you don't recognize a problem in yourself. You might be able to see the same issue in other people, but it's not on your own personal radar. No amount of coaxing is going to budge you into action. Others are wasting their breath trying to convince you.
2. You are thinking about it. At this stage, something or someone has awakened your awareness of the problem, and you are considering what to do about it. A health scare might have happened in you, or in someone close to you, or a problem behavior has gotten you into trouble in some way. You can no longer deny the lab results in front of you. Or, maybe you can't deny that you crashed the car while drinking and driving. If you are forced into action at this stage, it probably won't stick.
3. You are getting ready. At this point, you might start telling people you want to make a change, and start looking at your options. In this phase, you're working on overcoming your fear and anxiety about change, whether you can admit that or not. At least you are asking yourself questions and thinking about what approach might work for you.
4. You are making a change. Now you have taken action, by starting to exercise, going on a diet or attending a support group. If you have gotten yourself through the first three stages to get here, you are really ready and more likely to succeed.
5. You are keeping it going. You see results. You feel better. But, you know you will relapse if you don't maintain the new strategies. This is the stage where people tend to 'fall off the wagon'. To maintain the benefits of change, the actions you have taken and will continue with, need to be sustainable. You might have lost X number of pounds by fasting or doing a juice cleanse, but unless you develop healthier eating habits which satisfy you, and that you can maintain, you'll gain those pounds back in short order. At this stage, it's important to keep asking yourself questions about why you want to maintain those benefits and what kinds of supports will help you.
6. You're done? Many people are never done with working on maintenance. For others, once the new habits are a consistent part of their daily lifestyle, they may feel confident about not relapsing.
There might be, and probably is, more than one area of your life where making a change would be beneficial to your health. But, if you are not emotionally ready, you need to go slowly, only pushing yourself a little at a time. That's where knowledge of these stages of change comes in handy. You can take responsibility for making better choices, one at a time, one day at a time, taking safe steps towards change. You could be at different stages for different issues and that's part of being human.
So, be willing to ask yourself questions like, 'what will it take?' to guide you on your path to better health and vitality.
When we want to stay with our comfortable habits, there could be elements of denial or fear involved. We might want to deny the impact of, say, an eating habit on our health. Thinking about the consequences of eating too much sugar, for example, could lead to fear about diabetes and heart disease, as well as fear about how your life would change if you altered that habit.
If you find yourself in the category of people resisting change, you are not alone. According to research, less than 20% of a population who have identified risks like high blood sugar, are actually ready to take positive action. Studies about overcoming bad habits and achieving health have described six stages of change, which are helpful to be aware of.
1. You are in denial. At this stage, you don't recognize a problem in yourself. You might be able to see the same issue in other people, but it's not on your own personal radar. No amount of coaxing is going to budge you into action. Others are wasting their breath trying to convince you.
2. You are thinking about it. At this stage, something or someone has awakened your awareness of the problem, and you are considering what to do about it. A health scare might have happened in you, or in someone close to you, or a problem behavior has gotten you into trouble in some way. You can no longer deny the lab results in front of you. Or, maybe you can't deny that you crashed the car while drinking and driving. If you are forced into action at this stage, it probably won't stick.
3. You are getting ready. At this point, you might start telling people you want to make a change, and start looking at your options. In this phase, you're working on overcoming your fear and anxiety about change, whether you can admit that or not. At least you are asking yourself questions and thinking about what approach might work for you.
4. You are making a change. Now you have taken action, by starting to exercise, going on a diet or attending a support group. If you have gotten yourself through the first three stages to get here, you are really ready and more likely to succeed.
5. You are keeping it going. You see results. You feel better. But, you know you will relapse if you don't maintain the new strategies. This is the stage where people tend to 'fall off the wagon'. To maintain the benefits of change, the actions you have taken and will continue with, need to be sustainable. You might have lost X number of pounds by fasting or doing a juice cleanse, but unless you develop healthier eating habits which satisfy you, and that you can maintain, you'll gain those pounds back in short order. At this stage, it's important to keep asking yourself questions about why you want to maintain those benefits and what kinds of supports will help you.
6. You're done? Many people are never done with working on maintenance. For others, once the new habits are a consistent part of their daily lifestyle, they may feel confident about not relapsing.
There might be, and probably is, more than one area of your life where making a change would be beneficial to your health. But, if you are not emotionally ready, you need to go slowly, only pushing yourself a little at a time. That's where knowledge of these stages of change comes in handy. You can take responsibility for making better choices, one at a time, one day at a time, taking safe steps towards change. You could be at different stages for different issues and that's part of being human.
So, be willing to ask yourself questions like, 'what will it take?' to guide you on your path to better health and vitality.
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