Make the change
image credit - Pinterest
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
- Maya Angelou
When I’m feeling down it’s easy to get weighed down by that negative voice inside my head. It’s even easier to get wrapped up in the feeling that I don’t have the power to change how I’m feeling or whatever it is that is making me feel that type of way. Recently I caught myself spiralling back into some unhealthy behaviour patterns, feeling helpless and unmotivated to get myself back on the right track. However, I needed a gentle reminder that whilst I won’t always feel like I have the power to change the things that can cause me unhappiness within my life I always have the power to change one thing; my mindset.
In order for a person to make a behavioural change, they need to have an appropriate combination of positive attitudes towards the behaviour, a view that important others in their life also see the behaviour change as positive and a sense of control over making the behaviour change. This theory developed by Ajzen and Fishbein (1967) essentially explains the interaction between a person’s beliefs and their intentions results in reasoned action to make a planned behavioural change.
Simply put if you don’t want to make the change, you won’t.
So when you do make the decision to make a change it doesn’t usually just happen like that overnight. Whether it’s deciding to make improvements to your lifestyle by quitting a bad habit or introducing exercise into your daily routine, making a change is a process. The likelihood is that you won’t just click your fingers and the next day it will happen like magic.
This process - otherwise known as the transtheoretical model (TTM) - consists of many different stages:
Pre-contemplation – not considering making a change
Contemplation – considering change within the next 6 months
Preparation – getting ready to make some changes
Action – change has started and been sustained for up to 6 months
Maintenance – change has been continued for more than 6 months
Termination – permanent change has been made
At any point during this process, a relapse is possible meaning that an individual will either take steps back within the model or return to pre-contemplation. Whilst this may not sound like a good thing, relapse is a normal part of the learning process and many people take multiple attempts at making a change before they become successful. Understanding which stage of the process you are in may help you to understand your attitudes towards the barriers you may be facing. It can also help you to focus on a stage-appropriate strategy using any support system you may have to help manage those expectations and potential setbacks.
Putting yourself in a position to make a positive change can be daunting and intimidating but it can never feel worse than being stuck stagnant in the same place feeling unhappy and like you have no control over your own life.
Take back the power and make the change.