How to Maintain Life Change
How to Maintain Life Change
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Committing to a change in your life is not the only difficult part. It is also difficult to sustain the change, to integrate it into your life. Along the way, you will encounter obstacles, disappointments, doubts and even failures. It can be hard to not get discouraged and give up. Not to mention that you can find your day-to-day life getting in the way. Many things can come up that distract us from focusing on the change that we have committed to make.
In order to make the change that we have chosen a part of our lives, we need to act consistently in this new way, whether we feel motivated or not. So how can we maintain change?
The best way to stay on target is to put systems in place that will help you. There are four main systems that you can use:
Self awareness and self talk. Become aware of the language that you use when you are talking to yourself or to others about the change. Using negative language such as, "I do not know how I'm going to keep this up," can make adapting to the change that much more difficult. Switching to more positive language and using affirmations such as, "I am creating the life I want to live," can significantly improve your ability to stay on task and to keep going when things get tough.
You can also use reframing techniques. Find a new way to look at the set-backs and disappointments that occurs. Take some time to find the learning experience in the obstacle. Change your expectations about your behavior-don't expect perfection. Recognize that some of these set-backs are inevitable and that the mistakes that we make are part of the learning process. Forgive yourself and re-establish your commitment to the change.
Do not allow yourself to make excuses or to blame outside influences for these disappointments. Blaming and excuses allow us to drop into a "victim mentality" and not take responsibility. The problem is not with an occasional lapse in motivation, but in not recognizing it and allowing ourselves to believe that something outside us is responsible. Accept the lapses as part of being human and keep moving forward.
Personal accountability. There are several strategies you can use to hold yourself accounting for maintaining the change you have implemented. The first of these strategies is the simplest: create a mantra-a short, simple reminder of what you are trying to accomplish. For example, if you are creating a change around your eating habits, you might create a mantra that says, "Healthy habits create a healthy heart." Repeat this phrase often and especially whenever you feel yourself slipping into an old habit.
Another technique is to write your commitment down and review it regularly. This is the concept behind a vision board. Commit your vision (or your change) to paper and look at it every day. You can post written commitments in strategic places to help keep you focused. For example, a sign on the refrigerator can help with those healthy eating habits or a note on your mirror can remind you of your commitment.
Goal-setting is another way to create personal accountability for your actions. Break your change down into small steps and keep track of your progress. Be sure to celebrate the accomplishment of each small step. It will build confidence and create awareness of each part of the change.
Self Renewal. It is difficult to maintain the focus and energy needed to sustain change when you let yourself get run down. Discouragement is an easy way to drain ourselves and lose sight of our commitment. So it is important to plan activities that can re-charge you and help you recover.
These activities are different for each person, so you need to be aware of what you do to take care of yourself. Some people have found a retreat into nature, writing in a journal or physical activity helpful activities for renewal.
While you can create activities that will help you recover from setbacks, it may also be useful to have self-renewal habits that can prevent that feeling of being run down. Creating habits such as a meditation practice or regular exercise can help you recharge before you even realize you need to.
Your support team. Sometimes you need other people to help you stay on target. You can create a team to support you in your change in two ways.
The first is to create a group with joint accountability. This is the concept behind Weight Watchers or a 12-step program. Sharing a commitment with others who have similar goals can help you stay committed. The others on the team can keep you focused and even push you when you feel that lack of motivation or when you slip back a bit. Having a forum to discuss the feelings, the obstacles and self-doubts with others who understand can make it easier to get past those obstacles.
You can also create your own team of supporters by making a "public commitment." You do not need to have to send it to the world, but you can share your goals with friends and family members who believe in you and will support you when things get difficult. Talking to these supporters can help you get unstuck. They can encourage you to stick with it.
It's important when implementing a significant change in your life to have patience. Change takes time and may involve temporary set-backs and lack of motivation. Accept that and find ways to be at peace, knowing that the change you are creating is for the better. And above all, practice gratitude for what you have and for the power you have that allows you to create your future.
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Source by Sherry Dawson
Committing to a change in your life is not the only difficult part. It is also difficult to sustain the change, to integrate it into your life. Along the way, you will encounter obstacles, disappointments, doubts and even failures. It can be hard to not get discouraged and give up. Not to mention that you can find your day-to-day life getting in the way. Many things can come up that distract us from focusing on the change that we have committed to make.
In order to make the change that we have chosen a part of our lives, we need to act consistently in this new way, whether we feel motivated or not. So how can we maintain change?
The best way to stay on target is to put systems in place that will help you. There are four main systems that you can use:
- Self awareness and self talk
- Personal accountability
- Self renewal
- Your support team
Self awareness and self talk. Become aware of the language that you use when you are talking to yourself or to others about the change. Using negative language such as, "I do not know how I'm going to keep this up," can make adapting to the change that much more difficult. Switching to more positive language and using affirmations such as, "I am creating the life I want to live," can significantly improve your ability to stay on task and to keep going when things get tough.
You can also use reframing techniques. Find a new way to look at the set-backs and disappointments that occurs. Take some time to find the learning experience in the obstacle. Change your expectations about your behavior-don't expect perfection. Recognize that some of these set-backs are inevitable and that the mistakes that we make are part of the learning process. Forgive yourself and re-establish your commitment to the change.
Do not allow yourself to make excuses or to blame outside influences for these disappointments. Blaming and excuses allow us to drop into a "victim mentality" and not take responsibility. The problem is not with an occasional lapse in motivation, but in not recognizing it and allowing ourselves to believe that something outside us is responsible. Accept the lapses as part of being human and keep moving forward.
Personal accountability. There are several strategies you can use to hold yourself accounting for maintaining the change you have implemented. The first of these strategies is the simplest: create a mantra-a short, simple reminder of what you are trying to accomplish. For example, if you are creating a change around your eating habits, you might create a mantra that says, "Healthy habits create a healthy heart." Repeat this phrase often and especially whenever you feel yourself slipping into an old habit.
Another technique is to write your commitment down and review it regularly. This is the concept behind a vision board. Commit your vision (or your change) to paper and look at it every day. You can post written commitments in strategic places to help keep you focused. For example, a sign on the refrigerator can help with those healthy eating habits or a note on your mirror can remind you of your commitment.
Goal-setting is another way to create personal accountability for your actions. Break your change down into small steps and keep track of your progress. Be sure to celebrate the accomplishment of each small step. It will build confidence and create awareness of each part of the change.
Self Renewal. It is difficult to maintain the focus and energy needed to sustain change when you let yourself get run down. Discouragement is an easy way to drain ourselves and lose sight of our commitment. So it is important to plan activities that can re-charge you and help you recover.
These activities are different for each person, so you need to be aware of what you do to take care of yourself. Some people have found a retreat into nature, writing in a journal or physical activity helpful activities for renewal.
While you can create activities that will help you recover from setbacks, it may also be useful to have self-renewal habits that can prevent that feeling of being run down. Creating habits such as a meditation practice or regular exercise can help you recharge before you even realize you need to.
Your support team. Sometimes you need other people to help you stay on target. You can create a team to support you in your change in two ways.
The first is to create a group with joint accountability. This is the concept behind Weight Watchers or a 12-step program. Sharing a commitment with others who have similar goals can help you stay committed. The others on the team can keep you focused and even push you when you feel that lack of motivation or when you slip back a bit. Having a forum to discuss the feelings, the obstacles and self-doubts with others who understand can make it easier to get past those obstacles.
You can also create your own team of supporters by making a "public commitment." You do not need to have to send it to the world, but you can share your goals with friends and family members who believe in you and will support you when things get difficult. Talking to these supporters can help you get unstuck. They can encourage you to stick with it.
It's important when implementing a significant change in your life to have patience. Change takes time and may involve temporary set-backs and lack of motivation. Accept that and find ways to be at peace, knowing that the change you are creating is for the better. And above all, practice gratitude for what you have and for the power you have that allows you to create your future.
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Source by Sherry Dawson
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