Читать книгу Anxiety For Dummies - W. Doyle Gentry, Laura L. Smith - Страница 68

Many psychologists have conducted extensive research on how people make important changes, such as quitting smoking, losing weight, and overcoming emotional difficulties. They found that change isn’t a straightforward process. It includes a number of stages:

 Precontemplation: In this stage, people haven’t even given a thought to doing anything about their problem. They may deny having any difficulty at all. They’re unconcerned about possible negative effects anxiety may exert on their health or day-to-day ability to function well.

 Contemplation: Here, people begin to think about tackling their problem. They have a glimmer of an idea that anxiety is getting in the way of their own happiness. But in this stage, it feels a little out of their reach to do anything about it.

 Preparation: In the preparation stage, people develop a plan for change. They gather their resources and make resolutions. They may read books like this one, talk to friends about their problems, and possibly check out getting a referral to a mental health professional.

 Action: The real work begins, and the plan goes into action. Whether it’s through support groups, individual therapy, or self-help, those in the action phase begin doing something active about their anxiety. They remain in this stage until goals are mostly met.

 Maintenance: Now is the time to hold one’s ground. People must hang tough to prevent sliding back. During this phase, one wants to develop a plan for dealing with both expected and unexpected problematic events.

 Termination: The change has become habit, so much so that relapse is less likely, and further work isn’t particularly necessary. Not exactly everyone reaches the full stage of termination. Most people continue to struggle from time to time. That’s normal and rather expected.

These stages look like a straight line from precontemplation to termination, but what these psychologists found is that people bounce around the stages in various ways. They may go from contemplation to action without having made adequate preparation. Others may reach the maintenance stage and give up on their efforts, slipping back to the precontemplation stage.

Many successful changers bounce back and forth in these stages a number of times before finally achieving their goals. So, don’t get discouraged if that happens to you. Keep your goal in mind, and restart your efforts if you slip. Yep. Try, try, and try again.