Overview
For this assignment, you will create a behavior change plan focused on any health behavior you would like to change. Your response must use college-level writing and be at least 300 words.
Use the outline below to guide your plan:
- What specifically are you planning to change?
- How will you measure your progress?
- How will you know when you have accomplished your goal?
Make sure your goal is specific. For example, saying, “I want to be healthy” is not specific enough. A stronger goal might be: “I want to stop drinking soda,” “I want to eat fruits and vegetables with each meal,” “I want to exercise three times a week for 30 minutes,” or “Instead of smoking one pack of cigarettes a day, I want to reduce it to five cigarettes a day.” These are only examples, but they show the level of detail expected.
Use the last page of the SMART Goals paper you read to help you develop your goal.
Developing Skills for Change: Creating a Personalized Plan
- Monitor Your Behavior and Gather Data
Keep careful records of the behavior you want to change. - Analyze the Data and Identify Patterns
Identify what events, times, emotions, people, or situations trigger the unhealthy behavior. - Be “SMART” About Setting Goals
Your goals should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time frame-specific. - Devise a Plan of Action
Develop techniques that will support your daily efforts toward behavior change.a. Get What You Need: Identify resources that can help you practice the new behavior.
b. Modify Your Environment:Avoid cues that trigger the unhealthy behavior and create cues that support the new behavior.
c. Control Related Habits: Modify habits that contribute to your target behavior.
d. Reward Yourself: Plan rewards for reaching subgoals in your plan.
e. Involve the People Around You:Tell family and friends about your plan and ask for their support.
f. Plan for Challenges: Identify people or situations that could derail your plan and develop coping strategies. - Make a Personal Contract
A serious personal contract can help motivate you to follow through on your plan. Include a starting date, steps to measure progress, strategies to promote change, and a date to complete the goal.
Putting Your Plan into Action
This step requires commitment, even when temptations or challenges occur. Use the strategies you created to help make your plan work, and remember to recognize your progress along the way.
Staying with It
You may run into obstacles, and you may need to make changes to your plan. Possible barriers include:
a. Social Influences: Is your support group helping you, or are they joining you in the behavior you are trying to change? b. Levels of Motivation and Commitment: Are you truly committed, and have you found an inner drive that will help you stay focused? c. Choice of Techniques and Level of Effort: Is your plan working as well as you expected? Are you willing to adjust techniques that are not effective or push yourself a little harder? d. Stress Barrier: If you “hit the wall,” consider the stressors in your life and how reducing them may support your success. e. Procrastinating, Rationalizing, and Blaming: Be aware of excuses or self-defeating patterns, and try to address them before they become major distractions to your success.