Your Roadmap to Making Changes in the New Year

Image

One thing most people can agree on is that 2020 was an exceptionally difficult year. In addition to the devastating impact on individual and public health, the upheaval wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic triggered major life changes for people dealing with job loss and reduced paychecks, adjustments in childcare and education, and disruptions to relationships.

For those of us who look forward to the fresh start symbolized by changing the calendar, January may be a time to reflect on areas in our lives where we’re dissatisfied, plotting strategies for making improvements. But altering entrenched habits and routines can be challenging.

To guide people through this challenge, Leslie Bosch, PhD, administrative assistant at the University of Arizona Cancer Center and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach who trained at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, provided an overview of what the “roadmap to transformation” looks like, and how to recognize the landmarks along the journey to change.

Is making a change like flipping a switch, or is it a process?

According to four decades of research spearheaded by James O. Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente, we know that successful change unfolds over time and involves navigating five stages of change. These stages function like a map that helps us locate where someone is on their change journey. Once we identify what stage a person is in, then we can suggest research-based strategies that propel the individual forward until they arrive at their desired change destination. Knowing what to do to overcome the barriers associated with each stage is the real benefit offered by this rich program of research.

Image

In stage one, or pre-contemplation, people may be unaware that their behavior produces negative consequences, or may overestimate the cons of changing and underestimate the pros of changing, and don’t intend to change in the foreseeable future.

In stage two, or contemplation, people recognize their behavior may be problematic, but are caught between the pros and the cons of making a change. People in this stage are thinking about changing in the foreseeable future – but they often have great difficulty getting off the fence.

In stage three, or preparation, people are ready to take action in the near future. They start to take small steps toward the behavior change, and they believe changing their behavior can lead to a healthier life.

In stage four, or action, people have recently changed their behavior and intend to keep moving forward with that behavioral change.

Finally, in stage five, or maintenance, people have sustained their behavioral change for more than six months, and intend to maintain the change going forward. In this stage, people work to prevent relapse to earlier stages.

How do these steps apply to a real-life example, like stress management?

During pre-contemplation, someone struggling with stress management may not be willing to change because they’ve yet to recognize the connection between stress and inflammation and chronic disease. They may imagine there’s nothing to change because stress is just part of life.

Image

In the contemplation stage, the individual may, on the one hand, recognize that worrying is keeping them up at night, but, on the other hand, they just can’t imagine how they’ll take on one more commitment.

In the preparation stage, the individual will have decided that it’s time to do something, and will have started looking into possible solutions, such as taking a yoga class or a meditation class.

In the action stage, the individual will have begun taking a yoga or meditation class with plans to continue.

Finally, in the maintenance stage, the individual has been taking a yoga or meditation class for more than six months and plans to continue doing so indefinitely. If they miss a class, they get right back on track as soon as possible.

We’ve all heard that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. How long does it really take for a change to go from pre-contemplation up to maintenance?

Well, you could be grappling with a change for several years if you get stuck in stage one or stage two. But once people get into stage four and they actually start working their plan, research indicates that it takes about six months to establish a new habit.

So, with any change, gear up for six months of concerted effort. Remember, the old behavior is already well-established, so it’s going to take a while for the new behavior to gain traction and override the old behavior. But just stick with it. Eventually, you will succeed.

Although the road to transformation can be difficult and uncertain, as with any road trip, there’s a lot you can do to ensure that you successfully arrive at your desired destination.