Navigating Your Journey the Right Way: How Understanding Your Stage of Change Can Propel You Forward

Imagine grasping the reins of your relationship with food and body, effectively navigating your journey through change. That's exactly what we're offering in this episode. We'll guide you in comprehending where you stand in your change journey, and how understanding your stage of change is crucial for success. We explore tailoring your approach, setting realistic expectations, and how personal insight plays a role in heightening motivation and commitment.

Delving into the five stages of change, we provide insightful questions to help you identify your current stage and discuss the significance of each stage as a tool for behavioral modification. Beyond that, we shed light on how to anticipate challenges, develop coping mechanisms, and commemorate your progress through the stages. Moreover, we highlight the importance of self-acceptance, acknowledging that it's natural to oscillate between stages and stressing on the significance of awareness and reduction of obstacles prior to taking action. By the end of this captivating episode, you'll be armed with the knowledge to confidently traverse your own change journey.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Why is it so important to know where you are in the stages of change in the different areas that you are exploring and wanting to improve when it comes to your relationship with food and body? Understanding what stage of change you are in is crucial because it can significantly impact the success of your growth, of the behavior modification and achieving your goals. Today, we're going to talk about the importance of understanding your stage of change and what it can do for you, how it can set you up for success in those areas, and how it can set you up for less disappointment and help you to continue to hold hope and be patient for yourself along the journey. We're also going to talk about what are the stages of change and how do you know which stage of change you are in. And then, lastly, we're going to go through a few different questions that can help you to identify and assess where you are at and understand where you are at in your journey. And then, to close out, we're going to talk about where you should be putting your focus when you are in the different stages of change and why you should be putting your focus in those areas, because there's movement in all the areas of change. There's things we need to do in all the stages of change, but we need to make sure we're focusing on the right action steps and the right things that are actually going to help us to move to a higher stage of change, rather than spinning our wheels feeling like we're failing.

Speaker 1: 1:42

So, without further ado, let's get into it the importance of understanding your stage of change. Now, the first reason why it's so helpful is it helps you to create a tailored approach to what you're working on. So let's say you are working on your relationship with a certain food. It can allow you to tailor your approach and how you interact with that food and the goals you set with that food by understanding what stage of change you're at. This stage of change requires different strategies and interventions. So knowing your stage is going to help you and support. It's going to help you and it's also going to help your support system, like your therapist, your dietitian, your coach, to tailor the approach and support to match your specific needs at that time, at that particular point in the change process.

Speaker 1: 2:39

So let's go back to our example. If we're working on a relationship with Oreos, by knowing your stage of change you can have a tailored approach to how you go about creating more trust with that Oreo. If you are in an early stage of change, you might not be able to bring Oreos into the house and have them around. You might need to have a food exposure with your team where you are exploring Oreos, maybe setting up a goal to have an Oreo, two Oreos, where you're, and then you plan some coping afterwards so you can be in a very different place. And so if we say hey, we're just going to get a box of Oreos and we're going to have them at home, that's going to set you up to feel like you're failing if you're not quite ready for that and you end up binging and shaming yourself and then saying I'm never eating Oreos again and it's going to. It's going to kind of negatively affect you, right, because it may impact how you feel about wanting to move forward in the process. So we really want to make sure we understand our stage of change so we can tailor the approach to your journey.

Speaker 1: 3:53

The next reason for why it's so important to understand your stage of change is because we want to set realistic expectations for where you are. Recognizing your stage of change helps set realistic expectations. Change is very. It's a gradual process, and that is okay. That's how it's supposed to be, and being aware of where you are can prevent frustration and disappointment if progress is slower than you may have anticipated. Right, we really want to set ourselves up to be able to continue the process. Allow it to be slow, allow us to be where we need to be, and one of the ways we can do this is through realistic expectations and knowing where we are in our change process.

Speaker 1: 4:36

The next reason is personal insight. So the next reason why it's important to know your stage of change is personal insight. Understanding your stage of change is going to foster more self-awareness of the journey. It's going to allow you to explore the factors influencing your behavior and motivation, which can reveal underlying beliefs, underlying barriers that need to be addressed by understanding your stage of change. Let's give this an example Understanding where you're at in your stage of change, you can get some personal insight which will help you to move in the direction that you need to be going. So let's say you are in an early stage of change and you are wanting to conquer wearing a bathing suit again and not being super overwhelmed and super uncomfortable. Well, we might need to explore where we are there and it's going to be helpful to get that insight to if we can move forward with wearing a bathing suit and that's going to be most helpful or if there's other things we need to do first, like wear something that's less overwhelming or understand why it's so scary and maybe break down some of those beliefs we have in our body, or maybe process through some unprocessed things that are going to help open up the opportunity for us to be more accepting of our body and to practice wearing a bathing suit. So you need to have that personal insight, and knowing where you're at and why you are there is going to help you to move successfully in your journey and continue to feel hopeful and motivated right, which brings me to the next one, which is knowing your stage of change helps you with motivation and commitment.

Speaker 1: 6:27

Knowing the stage of change can help you bolster your motivation to change. It allows you to weigh the pros and cons of changing and reinforces your commitment to progress toward your goals. Let's do an example of motivation and commitment. If I understand that I'm in pre-contemplation and that's one of that, we'll go over here in a second with the stages of change. If I'm in this place where I'm kind of thinking about changing, but I'm not quite ready to change. If I'm aware of that, I have that awareness, so I'm not setting my expectations too high. But it will also help me to understand that I can be committed to this progress toward my goals by addressing this first area first, which is to think about it, understand the barriers and know that. That is going to help me to move to the second step, which is going to keep me motivated and keep me committed, because I know where I'm at and I know where I can go, and I know this is where I need to be first.

Speaker 1: 7:40

The next reason why we want to know where we are with the stages of change is for relapse prevention, with whatever behaviors we're struggling with. Awareness of the stage of change enables us to anticipate and plan for potential challenges and triggers that that specific stage of change brings. So this can help you develop effective coping strategies, prevent relapse and help you to be more grounded in understanding where you're at during the change process. And, lastly, knowing your stage of change is going to really help you to celebrate all the progress you're making throughout the stages of change and be able to see yourself walking through those, understanding that's a normal part of your journey. Recognizing your progress and achievements at each stage really encourages this positive mindset, this hope, and reinforces your ability to continue moving forward and it empowers you. It empowers you to take responsibility for your growth and your well-being and it puts you in the driver's seat More aware, more knowledgeable, more understanding and more grounded with where you are at in your change journey, empowered to move forward. So I probably should have walked through the stages of change first, but we're just going to go ahead and do that right now, and sorry if this was maybe needed to understand the importance of the stages of change.

Speaker 1: 9:10

Okay, so what are the different stages of change? There are five stages of change. The first one is pre-contemplation. So pre-contemplation is the stage of change where we don't have awareness of the need for change. So this is when we're not even comprehending or contemplating change because we are not there yet. We're not even in a place where we have any awareness that there might need to be a change, that might need to be made right. So let's say, if you are a chronic dieter and you're on to your next diet and someone is concerned for your well-being on these diets and they say, hey, I think this is harmful to you because you're very hyper focused on food, you're saying no to social outings and this is taking up all your energy and you're no longer doing the things that you love, right? Okay, someone in pre-contemplation would have no awareness of the need for change and they would say what? That's ridiculous, I don't have any problem. I don't have a problem, it's totally fine. In fact, this is a good thing. It's a good thing. I didn't like those hobbies anyways. This is important, right? Whatever it might be, whatever their response might be, but they're not going to have any awareness that there may be a need for change for themselves.

Speaker 1: 10:31

The next stage of change is contemplation. In contemplation, where is? Where you are recognizing the issue, you're able to recognize it as an issue and you're starting to maybe consider change, right? So that's the contemplation stage. You're not quite in the action and doing anything about it, but you're raising awareness, which is a really important step. That's awesome to be in contemplation, because you're able to recognize that there's an issue, and if you're not able to recognize it, you're not able to do anything about it. So this is going to create some momentum by recognizing that there's an issue and considering some change. So, going back to that example, if someone's in contemplation and they were to hear that someone's concerned about them and their relationship with food, they might be able to maybe not externally say it but internally say, yep, I do think there's an issue and I might need to consider doing something about it, but I'm too afraid right. So they might be starting to have those thoughts.

Speaker 1: 11:30

The next stage of change is preparation. So that's commitment to change and making those plans for change. So preparation is preparing to take action. They're committing themselves to change and are starting to make plans. So, let's say, going back to that example, that is the person who's saying I need help, I'm going to seek out help, I'm committed to taking the first step to change. And they might be making plans, like they might be looking up dieticians in the area to start working with, to help them with this, or therapists, right.

Speaker 1: 12:04

And the next stage of change is action. So that's where the implementation starts. That's where they start implementing these changes. They're actively seeing a support team or they're actively changing some behaviors or attempting to change some behaviors around food. They're creating those changes and the next phase is the maintenance phase of change. So, maintenance it's sustaining these new behaviors that were put into place. They're maintaining those new behaviors. They're practicing, practicing and they're able to continue it, and that doesn't mean they're not gonna have slip-ups, right, they're learning, they're growing, they're rewiring, but they're sustaining that new behavior for some time.

Speaker 1: 12:48

The next stage is termination, and this is where behavior change is fully integrated. Okay, so, where they are keeping up this behavior for a while, or these behaviors, and it's fully integrated into their life. So, going back to that example, it might be that individual who is no longer stressed around food. They're no longer using their behaviors, they don't think about those things anymore. It may feel like a distant memory. This may feel a bit just easier and part of their life now to have a healthier relationship with food and body.

Speaker 1: 13:21

All right, so next I want to ask you some questions so you can ask yourself these questions to identify what stage of change you are in. All right, now let's dive into these questions. Okay, these are gonna help you to understand which stage of change you're in, depending on how you answer them. So, okay, the first one Am I aware that there's a need for change or do I feel like there's a problem that requires my attention. Next question have I been considering making a change or taking specific actions to address the issue? Have I been considering making a change or taking specific actions to address this issue? If the answer is yes, you are in contemplation. You're at least in contemplation.

Speaker 1: 14:16

Next question what specific steps have I taken or am I planning to take to achieve my desired outcome or address the problem? What specific steps have I taken or am I planning to take to address this problem? If you're able to list specific steps and think of specific steps, or think of ones you're planning or able to even plan, you're in the preparation stage. Next question and am I currently implementing and actively working on my plan to bring about change? Am I implementing and actively working on things To change? If that answer is yes, you're in the action phase.

Speaker 1: 15:00

Next question how confident do I feel about maintaining the changes I've made and have I encountered any setbacks or challenges? So, how confident do I feel about maintaining some of the changes I've already made and have I encountered any setback or challenges, which is totally fine if you're encountering setbacks or challenges. If you have answered that, you're able to answer that, you are feeling confident or not confident, but you are maintaining changes but you're encountering some challenges. Then you're in the maintenance phase For all of these. It looks different for everyone, but that would be the maintenance phase. So really answering those questions honestly can help you to gain insights into your current stage of change and provide a clearer picture of where you are in the process of your growth and behavior modification. And remember that change is not always linear. It's normal to move back and forth between those stages. That is totally okay, and understanding your stage can guide you in setting appropriate goals and developing those strategies that's going to best support your progress. So remember you can move back and forth between the two.

Speaker 1: 16:14

Another really, really important thing that people miss with stages of change is when you're talking about relationship with food. You can't put your whole relationship with food into one stage of change. You have to break that up With your relationship with food. You may be in preparation with stopping diets, but you might be in pre-contemplation with even looking at body image work. And you might be in maintenance of having certain types of foods in or eating adequately, right, eating enough food, but you're still struggling with, maybe preparation for allowing yourself to have all foods. You might be eating enough food, but not all foods, so you can be in a lot of different stages of change with a lot of different behaviors. So when you're setting goals, it's important to kind of ask yourself well, with this specific goal, when it comes to my relationship with food or my relationship with body, where am I in the stage of change and how can I get to that next step? Okay, what will allow me to get to that next step? Then when do I need to be putting my focus? And that leads actually really nicely into that question of where do I focus on? What should I do in each stage of change, because there are specific things you need to do or can do and can address, depending on what stage of change you're in. So let's dive into those.

Speaker 1: 17:43

When you're in pre-contemplation, this is the area where you want to be building awareness. So this is where you are journaling, you're checking in with yourself, you're learning more about yourself, you're really building that awareness, because without awareness we cannot change. So in pre-contemplation, we're not yet ready to plan, we're not yet thinking of planning, but you're just building awareness around the need to change. So, for example, this is where you, in pre-contemplation, you just might start to think that, oh, maybe this is a problem or maybe this is something I need or want to change. So you're going to be just asking yourself why do I want to change? Let's make a pro and cons list. What is it impacting in my life? How is my relationship with food impacting my relationships? How do I feel about that? So you're asking yourself a ton of questions, you're tuning in, you're listening, you're trying to not avoid paying attention to those important things. You're really building a lot of awareness.

Speaker 1: 18:48

The next stage of change is contemplation and in this area, you're starting to increase your pros for change and decrease your cons. Okay. So contemplation let me say that again, contemplation is where you're able to. With the awareness you have built, you're able to see that there are more pros to change and the cons are more understood. So the balance is kind of turning to I might want. I think I should change for all of these reasons, or I want to change for these reasons. Okay.

Speaker 1: 19:26

The next one is preparation, and this is where, of course, you're preparing. This is where you should be committing and you should be planning and you should be preparing for the change to come right, whether that's getting a support team and actually drawing up a plan, learning more about a plan, researching, education, whatever that might be. And then action pretty self-explanatory. Here is where you're going to implement and revise, and revise and practice and implement something new, right? So that's the action phase, and you can be another side note you can be in these different areas for different amounts of time, so there's no right amount of time to be in each area. Okay, there's no right way of moving through these stages of change. All right. Anyways, back to it.

Speaker 1: 20:16

The last one, the last stage of change is maintenance, and this is where what you're doing, what you're focusing on, is integrating the change into your life cycle. So I'm going to give you an example here. So, for maintenance, let's say you are in eating disorder recovery and you go to get some help at a residential facility and you're building these behaviors where you're stopping body checking, you're eating consistently, you're eating all types of foods. Right, maintenance might be getting home and doing it in your own life. I would say that's kind of action too, because you're implementing it at home, you're taking these new actions. But yeah, that might be an example of what maintenance is All right. So I'm going to wrap it up with just a little bonus activity.

Speaker 1: 21:05

I want you to try and this is a pros and cons list. So, with whatever stage of change you're in, it would be helpful to make a pros and cons list for these different areas, specifically in the preparation and contemplation stages. Making a pros and cons list for your behavior change is going to be helpful because it brings more clarity and it creates more you can become more grounded and informs you of this decision making. What motivates your action. It can anticipate challenges and it provides a reality check right. It fosters the self-reflection and strengthens your commitment. It just does so much. It really can serve as a tool, a supportive tool, a decision-making tool to decide where are my pros and cons, where am I at here and what do I want to do, what's my next step, what's my next action step.

Speaker 1: 22:00

So create a list of pros of not changing your behavior and the cons of not changing your behavior. So the pros of not changing your behavior and the cons of not changing your behavior. You can also do the pros of changing behavior and the cons of changing behavior as well and then think of the short term and the long term as well. So don't just think short term and don't just think long term. I want you to really sort through short term and long term cons and pros of not changing your behavior. And this is going to be helpful because you might have a lot more pros in the area of not changing behavior in the short term but in the long term there's a lot more pros in changing your behavior in the long term. So it might satisfy you short term but not in long term. So you want to look at both of those when you're making a pros and cons list. That's very, very important to note, alrighty.

Speaker 1: 23:00

Well, that's kind of wrapping it up with stages of change.

Speaker 1: 23:03

I find this so, so helpful for my clients and students, because it really could cause a lot of distress and feelings of failure and lack of hope because someone is in a pre-contemplation or contemplation stage, trying to take action and feeling like why am I failing?

Speaker 1: 23:21

Why am I failing? Well, that's because we have to go back to the stage of change you're in, which is contemplation, and we need to increase those pros for change and decrease those cons and build more awareness before we can take action. And there's nothing wrong with that, that's just your skipping steps, right. We want to be careful that we're not skipping steps, because if you skip steps you're going to be pushed back. You're going to have to go back and move through the previous stages of change. If you're forced into a stage of change, you are not ready for Alrighty. So with that, I just want to say best of luck to you. I am so excited you are here. You should be very proud of yourself for being here. I'm sure proud of you. I will chat with you next time and until then, keep fighting for that relationship with the human body that you deserve.