Have you ever thought about what caused you to make certain decisions? Perhaps you have found yourself in an unhealthy thought process and struggle to address those negative thoughts. Understanding the stages of change can help you no matter where you are at in your recovery journey.
As you continue to heal and change during your recovery, it can be easy to forget the things you learned in treatment. This blog post can serve as a reminder of the stages of change. You will also learn more about the many tools that The Guest House can offer you as an alumnus.
Does My Behavior Have to Change in the Stages of Change?
Any person who has ever made a New Year’s resolution understands that behaviors have to change to achieve new results. Making lasting changes is not always easy. A lot of effort is needed to create effective change. As everyone is different, you will have your own answers on how to get there. What’s more, you will change at your pace, not at a pace designated by others.
It will be easier to change your behavior when you recognize the stages of change. Examining the changes you’ve made and how you want to proceed in the future is up to you. However, it is important to note that to make any kind of change, the behavior behind that action must be altered.
What Do I Need to Get Started With the Stages of Change?
The most basic way to understand the stages of change is that you start with the desire to make a change. Let’s face it, most people struggle with change in life, and it can be challenging to create new habits and face the unfamiliar. To understand your readiness level, you will need to ask yourself the following:
- Are you ready to make a change? Do you have the necessary resources lined up to help you succeed with your recovery?
- Are there any barriers preventing you from changing?
- What do you anticipate may trigger you to return to your former behavior?
The Stages of Change in Recovery
One of the most known forms of behavior change is called the transtheoretical model (TTM). In this model of behavior change, change is gradual and relapses often happen based on thinking errors. Most people struggle with the early stages of change. However, it helps if you can recognize the thoughts behind the behaviors. The TTM model asserts that sobriety can be difficult; however, when the correct tools are in place, relapse is less common.
Stage 1: Pre-Contemplation
When you are in this stage of change, you often deny that a problem is occurring. This is the first of the five stages of change. In this stage, you are not aware that an issue exists. You may offer excuses for the behavior and not even consider a change. If you are in this stage, you may believe that you have no control and are powerless in your journey.
Stage 2: Contemplation
In this stage of change, awareness is present that there may be a problem. You may view the change as giving something up rather than taking control of the problem behavior. Often, people stay in this stage of change for a while due to feeling like they have no choice. If you or someone you know is in the contemplation stage of change, reaching out to The Guest House can be beneficial for determining whether pursuing treatment could be helpful for you.
Stage 3: Preparation
Stage three brings experimentation with small changes. You may have already made small changes and see results from that. Therefore, exploration becomes a staple in your recovery. If you find yourself in the preparation stage of change, gathering all the information about the change or writing down your goals can be beneficial as you continue envisioning areas of change in your recovery.
Stage 4: Action
In this stage of change, you are putting all your effort forward and starting to accomplish goals. Creating goals prevents sabotage in recovery. When you’re in the action stage, your good feelings are usually bolstered and you may find that smiles are more frequent. If you are taking action toward a goal, take a moment and congratulate yourself for a job well done.
Stage 5: Maintenance
If you are trying to maintain a new behavior, look for ways to avoid temptation. This stage of change is aimed at maintaining the new behavior. Take into consideration all the work you have put into this new version of yourself. Reward yourself and be proud of how far you have come. You are learning how to show yourself love in recovery.
What Do My Thoughts Have to Do With the Stages of Change?
How you see yourself is a reflection of the behavior change you decided to make. Your thoughts are powerful and determine your actions. According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a treatment called cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can be helpful. This therapy emphasizes that “negative thought patterns can have a profound effect on our physical and mental well-being.”
The way you perceive daily situations can lead to enormous amounts of stress. Negative thinking can decrease your ability to create change in your recovery. When your thoughts tend to be more on the negative side, they will spiral and before you know it, you have created scenarios of failure before trying to engage in the stages of change. Therefore, it’s important to seek out ways to frame life situations more positively. This can be accomplished during CBT sessions, one-on-one therapy sessions, art therapy, cinema therapy, breathwork, and much more. The Guest House is here for you as you work to maintain a positive mindset that contributes to healthy changes.
Understanding your thoughts and how they relate to stage of change can be helpful during recovery. Many times, it is easy to get caught up and not recognize how your behaviors have changed based on your thought processes. In recovery, you may find that you self-sabotage due to lack of self-awareness. The stages of change model a beneficial tool that can guide you to create greater healing and many desired changes. If you are struggling with making positive changes and need help with negative thought processes, please do not hesitate to give The Guest House a call at (855) 483-7800. We want to be here for you as you reach for a more positive future.