The Complexity of Behavioral Change

New year, new you. This is a common phrase at this time of year, often leading to frustration and disappointment. This phrase insinuates many maladaptive characteristics about change: your current you isn’t good enough, you need an upgrade; change must be radical and must be now, you could change if you really wanted to. The list goes on. But be honest, change is hard. Various factors support our current behaviors, as well as others that inhibit change. Recognizing these factors is important in adaptively supporting behavioral change.

We do things for a reason, and that’s important to acknowledge. First, our current strategies likely provide a sense of comfort and predictability, and if used often, are easy to implement. Second, trying something new may require additional resources, and a willingness to be uncomfortable in some manner. Giving yourself credit for being willing to forgo comfort, predictability, and ease in the hope of a favorable outcome with a new strategy takes courage, so give yourself some credit. If we can acknowledge what is being lost through behavioral change, we can more effectively support behavioral change.

Consider a common goal: Exercise. It’s important to recognize what has inhibited the pursuit of this goal in the past. It may have been a lack of time, energy, weather, motivation, dislike of exercise, negative emotions such as shame or guilt, mental health, or access to supportive resources. Acknowledging these barriers can serve as a form of validation, in place of negative self-talk, particularly when viewed objectively. (For example, No wonder it was difficult to exercise during a busy work season. I didn’t have time or energy to spare.)

Start Small
Next, use this information to plan more effectively to support goal pursuit. Start small. Continuing with the example of increasing exercise, reframing the goal to focus on increasing movement can be a helpful start. Reframing the goal in this manner increases the opportunity for goal achievement. Thinking about moving during work breaks, as opposed to setting aside time for “exercise” may be more feasible, especially if time was a barrier to pursuing this goal in the past.

Build on what you’re already doing. Do you take a mid-morning coffee break? Consider adding a brief stretch after you sip. Plan on taking your dog for a walk? Maybe extend your walk a block to get in a little extra movement. Change doesn’t have to be radical. These subtle variations help to establish a new routine, which supports your goal of behavioral change.

Incorporating goal-relevant cues in your environment is an often-overlooked strategy to support goals of behavioral change. Often, our brains forget about our goals when we’re following a routine. To support the goal of increased movement, set out movement-friendly clothes at night for the next day. Similarly, placing movement shoes in the way of your morning routine may also support readiness and attention to movement goals. If available, blocking one’s work schedule to support movement, or envisioning opportunities for movement while caring for a child (for example, dancing together for one song), can help support attention to opportunities to support the goal of behavioral change.

See How It Goes
As fear of the unknown associated with change can negatively impact one’s ability to change, consider goal pursuit as an experiment. Try something and see how it goes. Revise your plan based on the data you collected. You may plan to go for an extended dog walk midday, but find that work is too busy midday to support that. Not a problem, maybe try the extended dog walk before or after the work day. See how that works. If you change your goal or plan it doesn’t mean you were wrong, you didn’t have all the data yet.

Change is difficult but doable. Recognizing the factors that support your current behaviors, as well as those that inhibit change, is important to consider when pursuing a goal. Set small goals, incorporate small additions to what you’re already doing, experiment with your approach, and give yourself credit for trying something different. And remember: new year, same awesome you.