What’s Influencing You?
This month in the Collective we’ve been covering Simple Steps to Mental Wellness.
Here at True Core Health, we are well aware that the term “simple” doesn’t always have the most charismatic connotations. While everything inside of us might want to make the most dramatic changes/goals/resolutions/etc. to precipitate change, we are firm proponents of simplicity.
Yes, this may sound boring. But it actually works.
You see, True Core Collective was built on the idea that it is the small practices we do each day to change our state that actually cause growth to happen in our lives.
Small steps over a gradual period of time will cause the most development.
Even now, simply notice how your body responds to this statement. How do you feel when you think about “big” changes versus “smaller” changes?
Is some pressure released?
Is there more hope you can hold for yourself?
This is our goal.
Thus far, our focus on simple steps to mental wellness has looked like this:
We’ve seen how the simplest shift in our cell phone usage in the morning can lead to healthier changes in our sleep cycle rhythm, cognitions, and emotions.
We’ve also covered why we tend to overcomplicate our wellness by looking at our brain’s natural response to change.
Today, we’re breaking down the concept of change by looking at the five stages it is comprised of. It is our hope that this education will shed new light on your approach to simple change.
Prochaska and DiClemente's (1983) Stages of Change Model describes five stages that people go through on their way to change: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance:
Precontemplation is the stage where there is no intent to change behavior in the foreseeable future. Many individuals in this stage are altogether unaware that a problem even exists. This is sometimes called the "ignorance is bliss" stage.
Contemplation is the stage where individuals are aware of a problem’s existence and are seriously thinking about overcoming it but have not yet committed. Individuals in this stage are highly ambivalent – part of them wants to commit to change, but an equally compelling part of them wishes to remain the same.
Preparation is the stage where an individual decides to commit to change and therefore must discern how to do so. Individuals in this stage gather information and create a plan. According to Prochaska, 50% of individuals who attempt behavior change and skip this stage will relapse within 21 days.
Action is the stage where individuals begin acting on the plans developed in the previous stage. Individuals are consciously choosing a different path than they would have in the past, which requires substantial energy. As a result, they are developing new skills and gaining deeper self-awareness.
Maintenance is the stage where individuals work to maintain the change they have made.