“Change Unhealthy Habits”
Two-thirds of our everyday behaviors are habits.
You hold movement, power and possibility!
Habits are typically formed through the repetition of an intended behavior.
Habit change is a process, not a personality trait! You are not stuck because you are lazy. You are not lazy because you lack motivation. You may be feeling dread over a decision that you know you need to make. You may simply be standing in a different stage of change than you realize.
Habit change is a “sleeper” transition life change. These types of transitions go unnoticed until significant change has already occurred in your life and then you realize it's time to improve, grow, and stop neglecting important personal routines.
Our habitual moment-to-moment activities over the course of a week often include:
Employment
Education
Volunteer duties
Domestic or childcare activities
Screen time
Eating or drinking
Exercise
When you feel immovable, you may assume you need more discipline. Instead; you may need clarity. Maybe you need confidence. Maybe you need a plan. Maybe you need accountability.
What belief is influencing your decision?
What would become possible if you stopped waiting for certainty?
What is one action that aligns with the future you want to create?
One of the most important distinctions in habit change is understanding that wanting something to change and being ready to change it are not always the same thing. And… Trying to push someone else into action before they are ready can create resistance rather than momentum.
You can want a different career and still feel terrified about leaving the one you have.
You can know a relationship no longer works and still not know what comes next.
You can say, "I need to take better care of myself," while simultaneously feeling overwhelmed by the thought of changing your routines.
You can have a very clear vision for your life and still struggle to turn that vision into action.
This is where the Transtheoretical Model of Change, often called TTM or the Stages of Change Model, offers a useful evidence-based lens. Developed by psychologists James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente, the model describes behavior change as a process rather than a single event. Research has examined the model across a wide range of behaviors and populations. Its central idea is simple but powerful:
The Five Stages of Change: TTM traditionally describes five stages: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. Think of them like steps on a staircase and as steps you may reach during a life transition.
1. Precontemplation: "I'm Not Ready"
At this stage, you may not see a need for habit change, or you may recognize the problem without feeling ready to address the habit. (This stage can easily be misunderstood. From the outside, someone may look unmotivated). You might hear yourself saying: "It's fine." "I'm in control." "I don't have a habit problem here." "I don’t have a problem with addiction."
2. Contemplation: "Something Needs to Change"
Now the internal conversation begins. You recognize that something needs to change, but you may feel conflicted. Part of you wants the new possibility. Another part wants the security of what you already know. This is where many people become stuck. They mistake ambivalence for indecision.
3. Preparation: "I'm Ready to Begin"
Preparation is where possibility begins turning into intention. This is where “preparation meets opportunity.” You may start researching. You may create a plan. You may establish boundaries. You may update your résumé. You may identify resources. You may schedule the appointment. You may finally say, "This is what I am going to do."
4. Action: "I'm Doing It"
This is where change becomes visible. You take the action. You begin behaving in alignment with the person you are becoming. But action is not the finish line. Starting new habits and sustaining them are different challenges. You need a bridge between insight and action. That bridge might include:
Clarifying the desired outcome
Identifying obstacles
Creating achievable steps
Building accountability
Increasing confidence
Identifying resources
Establishing measurable commitments
5. Maintenance: "This Is Becoming Who I Am"
Maintenance involves sustaining a behavior over time, at least six months. You are no longer simply trying something new. You are integrating it into your life through new rituals, new people, new activities, new thought. Your new behavior begins to feel less like an experiment and more like part of your identity.
You can be highly motivated and still not be ready for a particular change. Readiness matters. Research has found meaningful associations between readiness for change and relapse.
As an example… "For people who want to break their bad habits, simply telling them to ‘try harder’ isn't enough…To create lasting change, we must incorporate strategies to help people recognize and disrupt their unwanted habits and ideally form positive new ones in their place." ~ Benjamin Gardner, a psychology professor at the University of Surrey.
Habit Data:
Grace Vincent, a sleep science associate professor at Central Queensland University’s Appleton Institute and a co-author on the study mentioned here says… “Our study shows that two-thirds of what people do each day is sparked by habit, and the majority of the time those habits are intentional”. Grace further explains, “This means that if we set out to create a positive habit, whether that’s around better sleep hygiene, or nutrition, or general wellbeing improvements, we can rely on an internal ‘autopilot’ to take over and help us maintain those habits”.
A setback or a relapse is not automatically a failure. A setback can be information. As you identify the problem underneath the habit setback, find the right support and begin anew with the resolution to your sustainable new experiences. If you are curious about substance abuse and habit change… Across nearly all substances, the risk of relapse drops precipitously the longer an individual remains abstinent:
First 12 Months: The most vulnerable period; over 85% of those who will relapse do so within the first year.
Year 2: The risk of a return to old patterns drops to roughly 40%.
Year 5 and Beyond: The risk drops significantly to approximately 15%, indicating that habits stabilize firmly after long-term behavioral maintenance.
Your Next Step
If you feel stuck right now, resist the temptation to immediately ask: "What's wrong with me?"
Instead, ask: "What stage of habit change am I actually in?"
Am I truly not ready?
Am I only thinking about changing this habit?
Am I preparing?
Am I in action?
Am I trying to sustain a change I have already made?
Change rarely begins with having every answer. It often begins with becoming willing to ask yourself an even better, deeper question.
Habit change is challenging and change is growth. Ask these more powerful questions to yourself:
Maybe I have not yet connected enough meaning, possibility, or personal ownership to the habit change?
What is the smallest meaningful action I can take that moves me toward the life I say I want?
What matters enough to me that requires my daily habit(s) to change?
What can I learn about myself from taking this action?
What are my intuitive “inner truth” feelings teaching me about what I need now?
What do I need at this stage to move forward?
“Change begins the moment you become willing to see what is possible,
and become brave enough to take the next step.”
~ Jessica Hartwig, PCC
Sources:
University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health Research
