Appendix 1P; Stages of Sustained Change
Researcher Michael Ungar applied Psychologist Kurt Lewin’s theory on change. He said that to maintain new habits, you need the skill of resiliency and concluded that the key to sustaining your desired personal change is a
supportive social environment. (The motivation to kick start the change was psychological, but the lasting sustainability comes with a supportive social group.) Unger agreed with fellow researcher Lewin when he said, “how a people behave is a function of their interaction with their environments” (2008 p 8).
Apply this personally, think about your own experience - when awareness broke into your addictive behavior and you made the decision to "unfreeze" (change a bad habit) by attending a recovery center to learn a new way of thinking. By freely entering into an environment that shared common goals, your motivation to break old patterns of thought and learn new ways of being and doing life was supported by a community of all like-minded people. After successfully completing the required rehabilitation program, the next phase of your change process takes place, as you enter a new environment. To be successful in making change stick, you need to master the art of self-discipline in public. This is when you consciously take what you know and put it into action - in public- without feeling anxious. This transitional phase of your recovery is the subject of the material in the tab, "Manage Self in a Social World". The purpose in introducing it here is to see the connections between private and public change.
The picture below is another way to look at the "push-pull reality" of change, explained in Appendix 1N. Another explanation, from a scientific view, is found at https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-organizationalbehavior/chapter/models-of-change-management/ which further explains the freeze/unfreeze impact of behavioral change.
The "refreeze" stage becomes most successful when your new healthy habits are implemented in public in a supportive social environment. Practicing new skills around other people who do not share your beliefs can either dismantle your goals or encourage them, depending on their values or the norms and values of their group.
Your attitude towards change
determines your energy level.
This is the difference between you being able to thrive in life verses trying to survive in life.
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Attitudes are generated from expectations. Applying your faith to your attitude will help you gain positive momentum during the change process so you can persevere. The more you know and believe that you will achieve what God has prepared for those who love/trust Him, the more your attitude will show hope (Romans 8:26-29, 12:1-3, 13:14). For example, think of your exit from a recovery center as entering your next phase of training, rather than thinking of it as the completion of the rehab program. This change in expectations, allows you to relax and continue to learn to shape your habits among a diversity of social groups.
Even as a Christian, you can still use your free-will to make decisions. You can choose what and where to practice but when you act in sync with God's power in you, the Holy Spirit, you'll show the force of your faith (Ephesians 3:20, Luke 1:37, Romans 8:6-7, Psalms 44:3, Hebrews 11:32-34, Ephesians 6:12, Philippians 3:13-14). If you are a willing vessel, God uses you to display His "Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:5, 2 Corinthians 4:6-7, 5:7). Choosing a like-minded social group will impact you because it will encourage you to express rather than grieve the Holy Spirit of God. In a supportive environment, your practice is reinforced so you are encouraged to be resilient and confident as you experience the high's and low's of skill building. Choose to endure the process as you replace your old habits for developing and refreezing new ones so you'll be productive and efficient in your faith (2 Peter 1:8-9). Avoid the temptation to go back to your old comfort zone (don't let your knowledge of God dissipate) but instead use your faith!
Use your faith to reach your potential - that's now possible with God. The journey to transformation begins when you choose to give up your old identity and put on your new Spiritual identity - (a decision to accept/incorporate God's Holy principles into your personality; thinking and acting in ways that demonstrates consistency between your spirit, body and soul (Ephesians 1:13-14, Colossians 3:1, Ephesians 5:22-23, Colossians 3:9,10,12, 1 Thessalonians 5:19, 5:23). This is the attitude that perpetuates Christian behavior. The freedom you have in Christ is that you maintain control or the free choice to choose which habits to incorporate into your new normal.
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Will you decide to turn, and face the strain of learning new habits and be pulled up to Christian Cognitive consistency or will you retreat and be pushed back, into old, familiar habits that will cause friction with the new you?
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Read more on grieving the holy spirit in Appendix 1L; Turning a Spiritual Reality into the Physical.
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Take the self-quizzes in Section 3 (Capture your Vision) on "Pleasing or Grieving the Holy Spirit"?
It takes time and a lot of practice to develop new skills/behaviors so you can make what is true in your spirit and soul also true in your physical actions. Think of the workings of the Holy Spirit as a relationship in which both parties give 100%. You do only what you can and then, because of your humble reliance on the Holy Spirit, trust God for the rest. This attitude helps you sustain change, relieve cognitive dissonance, and balance the psycho-social equation. When you choose to give up unhealthy lifestyle habits and you surround yourself with people who have similar beliefs and values, you’ll ShinE Christian Cognitive consistency; actions that show your hope, trust and awe of God as you display Holy Spirit empowered behavior, D(ABC), both in private and public, without hesitation (1 Samuel 15:22, 2 Corinthians 5:15, Hebrews 13:20-21, 1 Peter 2:24). This continuity between spirit, soul and body* will bring you cognitive consistency and peace which is what will drive you to complete your desired change to healthy living.
Learning to live with Christian cognitive consistency is a life-long journey called sanctification (aligning your body and soul to your new "Holy" spirit) and is quiet different from the Christians’ justification process (which happens immediately with heartfelt confession and repentance--turning to Christ and away from sin). This life-long journey of sanctification is the physical transformation process; learning to practice holy and righteous behaviors so they become ingrained habits in your life. The process of sanctification naturally follows justification when you realize and appreciate God's love and your new potential in Christ. This motivates your willingness to exchange your old A, B, C's for Christian behavior that exudes the Holy Spirit power (D) in you to thrive and achieve Eternal Excellency (E ) on earth as it is in heaven. Intentionally choosing to align with God before man; see Isaiah 60:15, Mark 8:35, Galatians 5:24, Ephesians 5:1, Hebrews 12:14, Romans 8:29-30, John 12:24).
Let the force of the Holy Spirit in you pull you forward to your new normal.
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