Eve Coker, PhD, LCMHC
Feb 3, 20231 min
Did you know that when it comes to changes, we normally don't just go from thinking about it straight into action?
And that's for sustainable changes. We might go straight into action, but it will be harder to keep it up over a longer period of time.
For example, so many clients want to get better at working out. They might go from relaxing or working all day to suddenly pushing themselves for 1-2 hours at the gym. That's great, but then it's difficult for them to keep it up.
More sustainable change is backed up by thinking about it, preparing for it, doing it, and then maintaining the habit.
Check out the image here - it's the Transtheoretical Model of Change. It basically says that for sustainable change, we first think about thinking about the change. After we think about it, we can then prepare to take action. Once we take action, it's important to maintain the habit. After enough time, the action becomes so integrated into our lifestyle that it's often difficult to change.
Image from https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Specific-intervention-strategies-for-each-stage-of-the-Transtheoretical-Model-of-Behavior_fig1_262402966 via Michela Ferron, PhD