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Northern Wyoming Mental Health Center Inc.

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Stages of Change

Personal Growth

As is the case with many lifestyle changes, fully committing to an ongoing exercise program is not something most people do instantly. Rather, most people tend to go through a series of engagement stages during which they learn about and evaluate how exercise will affect them. These engagement stages tend to go something like this:

Challenge. Inactive people usually begin to exercise as a result of being challenged by a moment of realization of how out of shape they have become. That moment might occur when someone finds themselves winded after climbing a flight of stairs or moving furniture, or when they realize they have gained back all the weight they lost. It is very common to become challenged by reading about the health risks of a inactive life (as you are doing now). In the challenge stage a person moves from not thinking about exercise to considering making a change. They may not know how it all works, but they become willing to give it a try.

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Fast Facts: Learn! Fast!

What areas of life and relationships could I improve or grow in?

  • When you are faced with a situation that provokes your anger, learn to stop and reflect before responding.
  • Healthy partners communicate the positive feelings of trust and affection towards each other via words and gestures in a cyclical manner that breeds more positive communication.
  • Compassionate, empathetic people are able to really listen to and understand the experiences that other people describe.
  • Some problems caused by a lack of knowledge or skill are purely personal in nature and can be pursued independently by way of self-study.
  • Making time to engage in activities that are enjoyable, either because they are absorbing and fun, or because they are relaxing is a very important, and yet frequently overlooked component of taking good care of yourself.
  • Low self-esteem keeps you from enjoying life, doing the things you want to do, and working toward personal goals.
  • Though relationships are a vital and necessary part of the human condition, it is frequently quite painful to need other people.
  • Stress can be defined then as the reaction we have to difficult, demanding or challenging events.
  • Many of us do know that when said with conviction, including the congruence between one's words and one's nonverbal communication, a clear "No" is a vital tool for being assertive and effective across an array of work and home battlefronts.
  • If you would like to quit smoking, you should plan not only the method or methods you will use to assist you in quitting, but also how you are going to change your environment and your habits to help ward off cravings.
  • A reducing diet should encourage sensible weight loss, and encourage healthy eating and exercise habits both during and after 'dieting' is complete.


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