There's something about humankind that I find very curious. Why is it that we keep doing the same things over and over, even when we get negative results? The fear of change is recognized as a universal human truth and many of us only agree to make a change when we are faced with some sort of crisis. We aren’t really all that brave. Without a shake-up of some kind we can easily cruise through life on autopilot no matter how much we know about what we “should” be doing to achieve our best health.
There’s a theory I learned in nursing school that says the three stages of change can be called “unfreezing, change and refreezing”. A person needs to be enabled to let go of old patterns of behavior that don’t serve them well. But in this change model, behavior is defined as “a dynamic balance of forces working in opposite directions”. Typical! It seems it’s just part of human nature to resist the big thaw and hold on tight to those old habits. There has to be a tipping point, (can we say “cattle prod”?), the light has to dawn before prior learning is rejected and replaced by something else. How often have we said, “Well...maybe”, I might ‘try it’ “? Not exactly jumping in with both feet!
I believe that in order to let the old stuff go we need to learn what the new behavior can bring to the table (“what have you done for me lately?!”). I guess it really is a lot to ask that we jump into the abyss without a light! That’s where education, information and support can play a crucial role. If we can be convinced that it’s worth giving something a try, and supported while we take a few steps forward; the positive results we see will be a huge motivator to push us out of old habits. Feeling better, even a little bit at a time can be the catalyst that moves us into new ways of thinking and doing. With the right help we can end up embracing a change that allows us to “refreeze” into habits that lead us down the path to better health!