Have you been thinking of making a change for whatever reason? Or are others telling you something needs to change for your mental health and emotional well-being?
Change is hard. Period. Changing behaviors or habits takes dedication to ensure these adjustments stick. Ask yourself these questions to evaluate how ready you are to work toward a change. You can use this same line of questioning for a range of issues, so remember to come back when needed.
Be thoughtful and brief, without overthinking it:
- What about your current situation would you like to be different?
- What makes you think you need to change?
- What might happen if you don’t change?
- Suppose you don’t change, what is the WORST thing that might happen?
- What is the BEST thing you could imagine that could result from changing?
Now, rate the next two questions on a scale from 1-10 (1 = not interested or confident, 10 = super interested and super confident).
How important do you think making a change is to you right now?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
How confident are you in believing that change is possible?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Assigning a concrete value to something complex, like change, is a way to build a baseline. A baseline defines your starting point for whatever you are trying to measure.
- What would it take to increase the confidence number you identified to a higher number?
- How would your life be different if you increased this number?
Use the questions above to help you identify specific actions you can take, and how you feel mentally and emotionally about starting that process.
In about two weeks from now, ask yourself the same two questions again and compare your answers.
How important do you think making a change is to you right now?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
How confident are you in believing that change is possible?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Has anything shifted? In what direction? Why might that be?
Consider this data about yourself. Use it to understand yourself, your world, your patterns, etc., to shape who you want to be. Making changes takes work, just like anything worthwhile in this world. But it’s possible. And bringing others in and having discussions about it can be invaluable – not just for you, but also them. If you need someone to talk to and help you with the process of change, reach out to one of our licensed mental health counselors at Diversus Health.