Maintenance

This is the stage where you should want to stay the longest. You have developed the new habit or changed the behavior and now it's all about keeping the status quo (and maybe improving even more). During the Maintenance stage, you should be vigilant about possible triggers, especially early on, in order to avoid them and keep from relapsing too quickly. This is also the stage where when you have been here a while you can become complacent in avoiding triggers and those could lead to a relapse. Rewards are just as important during this stage as they are during Action. So be sure to reward yourself for being able to stick to your habits, goals, or changes.

Characteristics:

• Plan for Continued/Follow Up Support
• Reinforce the Internal Rewards of the New Behavior
• Set a Plan for Coping with Relapse
  
  

Strategies:

• Maintaining New Behavior
• Avoiding Temptations or engaging with old behaviors or people who kept you stuck in the problem behavior
• Set and enforce boundaries with family, friends and others around what is tolerated, won't be accepted or required in order to be in your life 
• Continuing the Commitment to New Behavior

Your Turn:

Can you identify when you were in this stage for the specific situation you thought of earlier? What do you imagine you were you thinking about during this stage?

Notes:

This is where coaching with a professional can come in handy. We provide accountability for you to meet your goals and get you out of your own way; as well as provide resources that you may not have otherwise found or known about to make your actions sustainable. At this level, having reminders for self-coaching and another person who has witnessed your growth and change is a key element of lasting change. We could all use a pep talk or reminder of "You've got this!" from an outside source.