The Stages of Change
Behavior change is hard. If you have ever tried to make any sort of change in your life, I am sure you will agree with that fact. Whether it is eating healthier, starting a workout routine, or meditating regularly, it can be very difficult to actually make a change.
The Stages of Change Model can help you understand which stage of change you are in and how you can use it to your advantage as you work to implement changes in your life.
1. Pre-Contemplation. Aka denial. In this stage, you are not even considering a change or aware that your behavior is a problem. You can either be uninformed about the downsides of your current behavior or not even recognize that your behavior is an issue. You don’t want to change. Someone in this stage might say something like, “I don’t need to eat healthier, it isn’t affecting my life in a negative way.”
If you are in this stage, you can look at some of your behaviors that might be having negative consequences on your life and think about what your life would be like if you did make a change.
2. Contemplation. You become aware of the positive effects of changing your current behaviors and become open to changing them. However, you are also usually very aware of any negative costs that come with changing that behavior. For example, you might recognize that eating healthier can help you feel better, but it will mean you have to stop eating french fries every day.
This is a stage that a lot of people can get stuck in. If you are in this stage, focus on all the positives that come with making the change and picture the bigger goal, instead of focusing on everything you have to give up.
3. Preparation. This stage is all about planning and getting ready for action. You have moved past contemplation and are ready to make the change. You start researching healthy recipes and workout regimes. You enlist a supportive friend or coach to help you make the change.
This can be a tricky stage. It is tempting to skip this stage altogether and go right from contemplation to action, however some planning is necessary in order to ensure success. On the other hand, it can be tempting to get stuck in this stage and be endlessly planning. It feels like you are taking action, but you are actually not. If you are in this stage, do just enough planning to feel ready, but then move on to taking action. You do not need to have a perfect plan, just a plan.
4. Action. The just do it stage. We are finally taking action after identifying we want to change our behavior, committing to that change, and adequately preparing for that change. In this stage, you are taking direct action to accomplish your goals. You have started cooking your meals and cutting out sugar. You are working out regularly.
This is the most exciting stage. If you are in this stage of change, congratulate yourself on the positive steps you have taken, and remain focused on your bigger goals and motivations.
5. Maintenance. After the excitement of taking action, we now have to maintain those new behaviors. In this stage, that new behavior continues and we begin to make tweaks in order to continue to challenge ourselves. We become confident that we will be able to maintain this behavior and begin to see some of the positive effects of changing.
In this stage, it is important to maintain your motivation after the novelty has worn off. Remember your goals and motivations and continue to adapt in order to challenge yourself. And as you will see in the next stage, do not give up when things inevitably go wrong.
6. Relapse. You have implemented your new behavior change and are even seeing positive results, yet something pushes you back into your old behaviors. Relapses are inevitable and having a plan and not completely giving up when they occur will allow you to continue with your positive behavior change.
If you experience a setback, do not immediately throw in the towel. Identify what caused you to fall back into old patterns and as quickly as you can, start back with your new, positive behaviors. The key to long lasting behavior change is quickly dealing with setbacks and not letting them derail everything you have worked hard for.
Hopefully understanding these six stages of behavior change can help you the next time you want to make a positive change in your life!
