The majority of individuals seen in my practice would like to make changes. Changes in the way they respond to others in personal and professional environments. Using avoidance as a way of coping with life may have become habitual. Utilizing food, spending, drugs/alcohol or other coping mechanisms are ways in which we avoid issues.
I like to refer to the 5 stages of change. Precontemplation, which is when a behavior is not seen as a problem. If we have previously attempted to change we have stopped. Contemplation, is when we are not sure if we want to change. Although, we understand that our behavior(s) are problematic, we continue behaving in the same way. Preparation, is seen as deciding to change. We may embark on making some changes. However, our behavior has not stopped. Action, we begin to ask for help and avoid identified triggers. Lastly, maintenance is when we may continue to have difficulty, but we are mostly able to sustain our changed behavior.
Anytime we make behavioral changes there is a risk of relapse. However, there is always hope!