Reference no: EM133041511

BIO-1156 Wellness and Health Issues - Lethbridge College

Behaviour Change Assignment

Research has indicated that it takes at least 21 days of consistent daily effort to form a new habit and make it part of your daily routine (FI Informer, 2007). The key of course, is to first identify the habit that you would like to change and then focus on that habit for 21 consecutive days. The hope is to identify, experience, and see some improvement in your overall wellness. Recognize that changing your habits, and thus behaviours, is not universal and will look different from person to person. This assignment will have you create better habits in pursuit of behaviour change.

Section 1: IDENTIFYING YOUR BEHAVIOUR

Step 1- to assist you in identifying a suitable target behaviour to change/initiate for this assignment, you must determine what your daily habits are. Use the "Habits Scorecard" to identify your daily habits. Be sure to indicate if these habits are positive, negative, or neutral.

Step 2 - to assist you in identifying a suitable target behaviour to change/initiate for this assignment, select at least three (3) habits from your Habit Scorecard that you engage in and wish to change. Track these habits for seven (7) days using the "Habit Tracker" to begin identifying the frequency with which you engage in undesirable habits.

Step 3- Now that you've tracked these habits, it's time to identify what you wish to change. Will you eliminate an undesirable habit or initiate a new habit that serves your identity? Consider the impact that this change will have (weigh the risk vs. reward of continuing with this habit or making the change), your self-efficacy, and your readiness for change. Why is it important that you make this change, and why now?

Introduce your behavior change. Detail what behaviour you will be working to change, your readiness for change and why this is important.

PART 1: 2-4 pages double spaced

To guide your discussion, consider:
• Have you ever considered changing this behaviour? Why? If not, why now?
• If yes, what was your experience? What challenges did you face? What successes did you experience?
• What stage of change are you currently in regarding making this behaviour change? Does this support your decision to proceed with making change?
• Discuss the health implications of continuing with or initiating this habit, the benefits to your quality of life once you make the change, influences on your relationships, etc. Include three (3) scholarly articles that support your rationale for this behaviour change.
• Discuss why you would like to make this healthy change. Include any personal insights and observations that you have about your reason for wanting to change or initiate this behaviour. You might want to answer questions such as What are the consequences or impacts of this behaviour? How will my life be improved/different if I change/initiate this behaviour?

Section 2: YOUR PLAN

Part 2a: Four (4) Laws of Behaviour Change

You are now informed of the risks associated with continuing your as well as the health benefits associated with changing your behaviour. Using this information, evaluate the four (4) laws of behaviour change (Clear, 2018) - make it obvious (cue), make it attractive (craving), make it easy (response), and make it satisfying (reward). Clearly indicate what triggers you to participate in the behaviour, what motivates your behaviour (habit), the actual behaviour (habit) you engage in, and the reward of your behaviour. This will set the stage for part 2b, where you will identify a plan to break/initiate the behaviour.

Part 2b: Creating a Plan for Changing your Behaviour
You are now ready to plan for your behaviour change. You will not change your behaviour overnight - it will require small, progressive steps over a period of time. Using your baseline (the starting point identified in part 1- step 2), and your "Atomic Habits" analysis from part 2a, create a plan to change this behaviour. This plan will form the template you follow as you begin making the behaviour change, so be specific. A clear plan will set you up for success as you work to make change!

Your plan needs to:
• Be three weeks (21 days) long
• Progressively challenge you to meet your outcome goal
• example: your goal is to reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke from 10 - 0 in 21 days. In week one you may have a goal to smoke between 7-10 cigarettes per day. This number should reduce in week two. Your goal may be to smoke between 3-7 cigarettes per day. In week three you should be near meeting your goal. Example, week three: 0-1 cigarettes per day.
• Include one to two process goals each week that will assist you in reaching your outcome goal (habit stacking from week-to-week).
• Clearly identify the habit you wish to build each week and how you plan to increase your success in doing so. In your plan, include an implementation intention statement (__) and a habit stacking statement (After ________________ I will _________________).

Include at least one strategy, why you chose it and HOW you will implement it to build habits and initiate behaviour change. Be VERY specific. Include an implementation intention statement, ways you will increase/decrease exposure to habits you are building/reducing, how you will reinforce your habit, etc.

Section 3: Keep Track of your Progress

You will record five (5) days per week for three (3) weeks. Follow the template below to create your journal and be honest. Tracking successes and barriers during the process of behaviour change are equally important. We often learn more about ourselves when we struggle versus when we experience success with ease.

Section 4: Reflect

1. Week One Write-Up: Now that you have started trying to change your behaviour, discuss your experience. How has the initiation of this change impacted you? Has it been easier or harder than you expected? Explain; identify the successes and challenges that you've faced this week.

Knowing that each week of behaviour change is dynamic, and often gets harder before it gets easier, elaborate on your strategy for ensuring that you experience success while habit stacking. What is your plan for ensuring that challenges you faced this week aren't encountered again next week?

2. Week Two Write-Up: This week marked the mid-point of your behaviour change initiation. Has it become any easier or harder to change? Identify the successes and challenges you faced this week.

Set five (5) "if-then" statements to assist you with anticipated challenges in week three (base these statements off the challenges and successes you faced this week). Remember that you'll be habit stacking again this week. Elaborate on your strategy to prevent relapse in week three.

3. Week Three Write- Up: Congratulations! You have completed the first 21 days of behaviour change. How did three weeks of intentionally working towards behaviour change impact you? Be detailed.
Looking back over the last three weeks, what were the most consistent challenges you faced? How did you overcome these challenges? What were your top three successes? When discussing your challenges and successes, include how implementation intentions, habit stacking, temptation bundling, and "if-then" statements impacted your experience with behaviour change.

4. Influence: Refer to the habit tracking document you completed in part one. What were the top factors and/or strategies that influenced your engagement in your selected habit? Think about your social circle - family, friends, co-workers, peers, etc., the tools presented in class such as temptation bundling, two-minute rule, or implementation intention. Identify several different ways your behaviour(s) have been influenced (considering social environment, physical environment, personal cues such as stress, etc.) Provide supporting evidence from two scholarly references as to how these factors can influence a person's behaviour.

5. Did your experience align with the health implications explored in part 1? Explain. Is this something that you now consider to be integral to maintaining or improving your health? What, if anything, changed between the start of this assignment and today?

6. Future Plan: After intentionally working towards making habit changes, it's hard to think that you may relapse back into your past behaviours. That said, maintaining motivation for change is challenging. Remember, as habits become routine, they are less interesting, and we can get bored. When this happens, the likelihood of relapse increases. At the end of this initial phase of behaviour change, reflect by answering the following three questions:
1. What went well?
2. What didn't go well?
3. What did I learn?

Finally, Imagine yourself six to twelve months from now. How will you adapt your habits to meet your current ability at that time? Create your own Integrity Report by answering the following three questions:
• What are the core values that drive my life and work (your identity)?
• How am I living and working with integrity right now?
• How can I set a higher standard in the future?

If you find yourself struggling with your behaviour change in the future, look back to your Integrity Report and reassess. Are you still living and working in alignment with your values and your identity? If not, it's time to review your habits and adjust.

Attachment:- Wellness and Health Issues.rar