Whether we’re trying to lose weight, stop smoking, or improve our health, we move through a series of steps as we take action. The thought of change can really make us absolutely freeze with panic and fear. It’s amazing how one word can cause such a strong reaction. But truth be told, many of us don’t like change. The reality is, change is all around us and doesn’t happen in a straight line. Whether we realize it or not, things change every moment.

This concept of stages of change was originally developed in the 1970’s while doctors analyzed the experiences of smokers who quit smoking on their own versus those who needed additional intervention. They wanted to understand why some people were able to quit on their own while others needed more help.

Why is it even important to know about the stages of change? We’ll need to progress through these stages to have lifelong success. Each step of the way, we will make intentional changes on the road towards accomplishing our goal. Along my journey, I realized I went through the stages in the original model, but recognized some missing steps.

7 Stages of Change – For Lasting Results.

1. Denial – I don’t need to change. Known as the Pre-contemplation Stage. I was in this phase many times throughout my lifetime. Not only did I think everything was ok, but I would be very defensive about my weight and eating habits. As large as I was, I didn’t even discuss my weight issue at all. It’s as if it didn’t exist.
2. I should really do something. Known as the Contemplation Stage. Here we begin to recognize and are aware of the consequences of our behavior and bad habits. Yet, we aren’t making any changes. We’re “thinking about it,” at this point.
3. I’m ready to do it, Planning. Known as the Preparation Stage. During this stage, we now get the motivation to look at ways to fix our problem. We’ve decided, “YES” and are now researching the best way to conquer our bad habits.
4. I make it happen, Time to Roll, Time to Roll,  Put the plan into action.  Known as Action Stage. During this stage, we put the plan into action and take the necessary steps to change our bad habits. We use many strategies and techniques to help us make those changes.
5. I’m living my new life. Following our plan long-term, new habits, and activities. The Maintenance Stage. Here we’ve accomplished our goal and are continuing to use those strategies and techniques that helped. We’ve replaced those old habits with a new set of behaviors.
6. I’ve gotten off track. Relapse Stage. We’ve lost our way and have allowed some of those old bad habits to creep back into our lives. At this stage, we will either revert back to stage 1 or decide to get back to stage 3 and 4 to re-start
7. My long-term goal accomplished. Old behaviors not returning and not tempted by old behaviors.  Recession Stage which I call this the FREEDOM stage. Being able to consistently maintain our new behaviors without any signs of old patterns and habits returning. We’ve developed the confidence and trust in ourselves and recognize we’re able to overcome our old bad habits without relapse.