Progress and Change

There is this thing called “change’’...we’ve all been there, wanted to change something about ourselves; wanted to change the way we act, we behave, etc.  Have you ever sat down and thought about what goes on when working through a behavior change or better yet how to make a change more attainable?  Today I am going to talk to you about a theory of change that I find most relevant and useful.

There are many different theories of changing behaviours, the one I am going to talk about today is the Transtheoretical Model or just Stages of Change.  According to this model there are 6 steps a person goes through to change their habits and behaviours and integrate these changes into their lives.  With a better understanding of how we go through change we can ultimately better understand our own barriers and enablers to change and the influence our behaviours have. 

Step One: Precontemplation

-> Not interested in change, no intention of change

-> Tend to avoid information, discussion, or thought about change

-> Resistant to change, unmotivated

Step Two: Contemplation

-> Awareness of problem and need to change

-> Starting to thing about making some changes, recognizing problem and should do something to make lives better

-> Weighing the pros and cons 

Step Three: Preparation

-> Motivation to make a change

-> Change is about to happen, decision or commitment to change has been made

-> Gathering information, making plans

Step Four: Action

-> Initial adoption of new activity or behaviour

-> Real and over changes or lifestyle modifications have been made

-> Relapse and temptation may be strong

-> “Willpower” stage, benefits from short-term rewards to sustain motivation

Step Five: Maintenance

-> Working to consolidate any changes in their behaviour by maintaining and preventing relapse or temptation

-> Maintenance of new activity and integration into lifestyle

-> Coping strategies put in place and working

->Important to remind oneself of progress already made

Step Six: Transcendence

-> Former behaviours are no longer desirable

-> Can have element of advocacy

This theory can be applied to a wide variety of behaviours and situations.  For example, to name a few: stress management, depression prevention, weight management, smoking cessation, and exercise program initiation.

So now that you’ve read through and have somewhat of an understanding of the stages of change…try and incorporate a change you’ve made to your life through these stages.  Maybe you are motivated and wanting to make a change, so try to track your progress through each of the stages.

“Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change – this is the rhythm of living.  Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope.  And out of hope, progress.” – Bruce Barton

Cheers, 

Lindsay