Stages
Stage One:
PreContemplation
Someone in the "maintenance stage" is:
Maintaining the behavior change
If you find yourself in "maintenance" or continued commitment to keeping new behavior, these are techniques you can use:
There is a person named Marilyn who is obsessed with playing Roblox. When she wakes up, the first thing she does is hop on the computer and logs into her Roblox account. She plays all day and all night and she hasn't slept in 736252 days. When people bring it up to her, she says young people phrases like: "I'm built different" and "sounds like a skill issue." She hasn't seen the sun in weeks; only the 3rd person view of her avatar from her gaming computer. What stage is Marilyn in?
Precontemplation
Relapse is defined as
returning to old behaviors
Stage Two:
Contemplation
Someone in the "action/willpower" stage is:
Changing behavior
If you find yourself in "action" or practicing new behavior for 3-6 months, these are techniques you can use:
Katalie's family were a bunch of musicians. People respected her family's ability to play the triangle but, for some reason, Katalie did not have the same triangle talent as they did. Tired of living life as a mid triangle player, Katalie's watched a bunch of Youtube videos on how to properly play the triangle and asked her family members how to bang out a lit triangle solo. What stage is Katalie in?
Preparation/Determination
When in the "relapse stage", techniques to move forward includes:
Stage Three:
Preparation/Determination
Someone in the "precontemplation stage" is:
Not yet acknowledging that there is a problem behavior that needs to be changed
If you find yourself in "preparation" or having some experience with change and are trying to change, these are techniques you can use:
Jerry had begun their journey on no longer saying, "fire" whenever something cool had happened. Their friends had sat them down and said, "No one says fire anymore. It's not cool. It's giving old." And Jerry had agreed that enough was enough and that it was time to change their lingo. Every time Jerry felt the urge to say "fire" when they got great news, they took a deep breath, remembered that they were a cool individual, and said "bro" instead. Jerry felt proud of themself. Totally swag bro.
Action/Willpower
True or False: Relapsing or returning to old behaviors while on the path to recovery only happens to people who aren't trying hard enough and they should just give up.
FALSE.
Relapsing can happen to anyone and is not a measurement of your character or self-worth! Some days are harder than others and all we can do is try our best to be the person we want to be. <3
Stage Four:
Action/Willpower
Someone in the "contemplation stage" is:
Acknowledging that there is a problem but not yet ready, sure of wanting, or lacks confidence to make a change
If you find yourself in "contemplation" or not considering change within the next month, these are techniques you can use:
Lanton was allergic to high fives. He would find himself compulsively reenacting the entirety of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series if someone even high-fived next to him. Lanton's bestie Miles loved giving high-fives and gave Lanton high-fives whenever they saw them. Lanton hated it. Lanton wanted to speak up but didn't want to rain on Miles' parade and so he decided it was better to be subjected to a life of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series performances than be a hater. What stage is Lanton in?
Contemplation
If you relapse, who or what can you turn to?
Friends
Family
Your religious group
A trusted adult
Your providers (doctors, dietician, psychiatrist, therapist, etc.,)
Stage Five:
Maintenance
Someone in the "preparation/determination" stage is:
Getting ready to change
If you find yourself in "pre-contemplation", or not considering change at all, these are techniques to use to progress:
Charlie had begun a routine of writing poetry about gas stations before going to bed and she was proud of it. She's had a five-month streak going so far. Before she turns out the light, she'd write a 50-stanza poem about the florescent lighting and the vacant stare that can be found in the cashier's eyes at 3am. What stage is Charlie in?
Maintenance
Explain the concept of "Upward Spiral"
An upward spiral is to learn from each relapse. It's also recognizing potential behaviors, triggers, and making an effort to not abandon new changes learned.