What Derails People When They Attempt To Make a Change? Example: Increased Restlessness

One of the most common things that happens when people make a change in their behaviour is that they feel more restless than usual.

Change = different

and often

different = feeling more restless than usual.

Why? Changes take time to become the new normal, and making a change often involves tolerating a period of increased uncertainty (e.g. tolerating the uncertainty of “will my plan work or not?”).

When people start to feel restless, they often give up and think that the solution is that they need a new, better plan that will involve them moving in their valued direction without having to experience temporarily sensations of increased restlessness.

Another way of looking at it is to try to identify what experiences you’ll need to be able to roll with in order to successfully keep going with your change?

What techniques could help you tolerate a temporary sense of increased restlessness while keeping moving in your valued direction? Trying mindfulness meditation is often a good option (does NOT have a religious component).