Last Monday, we looked at the stages we go through when changing a habit. Today, we’ll see what’s useful at each stage, to help yourself make a change. After you find what stage you’re in, you’ll learn how to help yourself in your particular stage.
This info can be used for any habit you’re starting or stopping. The example I’ll use to illustrate the stages is using pain management techniques.
Stage 1: Precontemplation
In this stage, you’re not really even thinking about using pain management techniques to help yourself.
What should you do at this stage? Write down what you’ve got to lose if you don’t try new exercises to help with pain. You don’t need to make any commitment to do anything different – just explore your options.
Stage 2: Contemplation
In contemplation, you’re considering pain management techniques, but have not yet tried them.
What should you do at this stage? Write down the pros and cons of trying some pain management skills. What prevents you from trying some? What’s the best outcome for you if they work?
Stage 3: Preparation
In this stage, you’ve decided to start using pain management exercises, but haven’t yet done so.
What should you do at this stage? Write down what exercises you’d like to try. Where will you learn some? (When we get to specific exercises in this series of articles, you’ll get lots of help!) When will you practice them? Write out your plan of action, being as specific as possible.
Stage 4: Action
You’ve started to actively use pain management techniques. Good for you!!
What should you do at this stage? First, give yourself a cheer! Then, write down what’s working for you, and what problems you’re running into. Continue to work to incorporate regularly doing exercises into your life.
Remember, it takes about 1 month for a new habit to take hold, so take extra care to keep practicing during this time!
Stage 5: Maintenance
You’re regularly practicing exercises.
What should you do at this stage? Motivation is the key, here. Figure out how to motivate yourself to continue using pain management skills. Reward yourself regularly, and give yourself pats on the back. Also, look at the times you don’t practice exercises as regularly as usual, and identify ways to keep going.
Stage 6: Relapse
If you relapse, you go back to not practicing your skills regularly.
What should you do at this stage? First, don’t see it as a failure, but rather as an opportunity to learn. You’re human… be kind to yourself. Second, figure out where you are now in the stages, and start again as soon as possible. And lastly, take some time to figure out how you lost your footing, and identify ways to avoid it happening again.
So those are the stages, but we’re not done quite yet…
Your challenge right now? Identify:
- what stage you’re in
- what specific way to help yourself, depending on what stage you’re in
Questions? Comments? Leave them below.
Next Monday, we’ll kick off a contest to help motivate you to make a change, no matter what stage you’re in right now!
Each Monday, we’ll look at ways to cope well with pain, and how to get yourself to use helpful techniques regularly. It’s your at-home pain management class! Other articles in this series:
- How to change a habit, part 1
- Breathing exercises, part 1
- Relaxation exercise
- How to succeed with your new habit
- Breathing exercises, part 2
- 6 great ideas so you succeed with your new habit
- Cats succeeding at their New Year’s resolution
- Visualization
- Guided imagery, part 1
- Guided imagery, part 2
- Stress management, part 1
- Stress management, part 2
- Why people with pain can’t sleep
- 9 tips to get better sleep
2 other great websites that address habit change:
2 responses so far ↓
Barbara K. // Jan 15, 2008 at 8:30 am
I have found that my pain prompts me into action. I’ll do anything to get the pain level down. So I have tended to skip your first three steps and get to doing something quickly. Sometimes just the act of doing something different, that requires a different kind of attention, distracts me from pain. Then the lower pain level provides enough motivation to stick with it. That’s how I started doing yoga seven years ago - and am still doing it, and loving it.
How to Cope with Pain // Jan 15, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Barbara, thanks for your comment. It bring to mind a couple of things…
First, I wanted to clarify that you don’t need to start at #1. If you’re interested in changing something, (doing pain-management techniques, or any thing else), just find out where you are currently in this list. Then start there. Also…
1. It’s often better to prevent pain, rather than do something to help after the pain starts. So I wonder what you think about doing “pre-emptive” techniques?
2. You might already have a whole bunch of techniques to use when pain flares, that work well for you, so you don’t need to change anything.
3. One problem with the spur-of-the-moment change of habit, is that often it doesn’t stick. But you’ve shown that that isn’t a problem for you with yoga, for example. So again, you may not need to change anything. Believe me, if something’s working, don’t change it!
One question that I’d have for you is, Is there any panic/anxiety to the “I’ll do anything to get the pain level down” ? Sometimes people, understandably, get into a cycle of pain–panic–change, pain settles, they stop the change, then pain–panic… etc. So I work with them to make the change they need to make last.
I’ll be interested in your thoughts!
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