Beyond Resolutions: Change Strategies That Work

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Beyond Resolutions Change Strategies That Work
Presented by Sharon K. Barrett Health and
Wellness Coach
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Beyond Resolutions Change Strategies That Work
PRESENTED TO
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Resolutions and Change

• What is a resolution?
• The state or quality of being resolute firm
  determination
• A resolving to do something
• A course of action determined or decided on

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Are You Ready?Assessing Motivation Stages of
Change
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Whats Your New Years Resolution?
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Resolutions and Habits

• Habits can be obstacles to behavior change
• Its easy to slip into habitual behaviors that
  lead us away from the new direction we want to
  take

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Habits Can Be Beneficial

• Habits allow us to perform complex tasks with
  less stress
• Habits express our character

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Habits and Awareness

• Habits do not require our full attention

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Habits and their Context
Habits are strongly rooted in the situations in
which they occur
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Why are Habits so Hard to Change?

• Habits are often unconsciously cued
• Before we even realize what were doing weve
  done it.

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Awareness Is The Key to Change

• Mindfulness can help us become aware of the
  habits we need to change

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How Does Mindfulness Help Us Identify Habits?

• When mindfulness is practiced throughout the day
• It may help you to notice patterns of thinking
  and behavior
• Once you become aware of these habits, you may
  decide to change them

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Mindfulness Meditation

• A way to practice entering a self-observant
  state.

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Suppressing Unwanted Behaviors

• A natural response to unwanted behaviors is
  trying to suppress them
• Breaking habits by suppressing them may lead to
  the opposite of the desired result.
• Inhibition can lead to habit binges.

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Focus on What You Want

• Instead of trying to suppress an unwanted
  behavior, focus on new, desired behaviors

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WOOP It Up In the New Year!

• Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan
• Wish your new years resolution
• Outcome the best outcome you can imagine for
  your resolution
• Obstacle what might get in the way?
• Plan make a plan to make it happen

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Wish and Outcome

1. Write down your wish, your new years resolution.
2. Write down all the great things that will happen
   when you succeed

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Obstacles

• Write down the obstacles you are likely to face
• Why do this?
• Its a reality check to make sure youre not
  biting off more than you can chew

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Plan For Success
Make a plan using implementation intentions

• Implementation intentions are simple if, then
  statements that allow you to insert new behaviors
  into existing routines

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Implementation IntentionsExample
If I go into the kitchen to grab a snack, then I
will ask myself if Im hungry
If Im not hungry, then I will have a glass of
water instead
If I am hungry, then I will eat a healthy meal
or snack
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How Long Does It Take to Form a New Habit?

• On average, it takes 66 days to form a new habit.

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Other Strategies That Can Help You Stay on Track
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Fellowship of the Resolution

• Join forces with others who are trying to achieve
  the same goal
• Look for people who will complement your
  strengths
• Quick starters, Fact finders, Those with Follow
  Through, Implementers

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Pre-commitment Strategies

• I want to break my habit of playing video games
  all weekend. I want to spend time with friends,
  but I know that when Friday comes, Ill just
  start playing and wont stop all weekend.

Ill bring my video game console over to my
mothers house on Thursday, then Ill call some
friends.
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Vicarious Victory

• Vicarious victory is when you join in on the
  success and optimism of others

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Changing the Environment or Context

• Changes to our environment dont need to be
  drastic in order to be effective in helping us
  break bad habits

• Move the alarm clock across the room
• Automatically shut down the internet
• Stop buying junk foods

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Mindful Habits

• Is it possible for habits, which often are
  automatic and cued by the unconscious to be
  mindful?

A habit is mindful when an automatically
initiated behavior is combined with a mindful,
continuously varying way of carrying it out.
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Habits That Lead to Happiness

• Practicing Gratitude
• Visualizing Your Best Possible Self
• Savor the Moment
• Committing acts of kindness

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Final Thought
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• Thank You!