There’s no perfect way to change a negative behaviour into a healthier more positive one. The tried and tested models/theories below have been used to develop the NoWorriesApp for self-changers who want to worry less and be happier.
The important thing in behaviour change is to keep yourself moving forward, so you’ll need to learn what works for you. If things go wrong, it doesn’t matter, you’ll move forward by learning from failure as you start again. The key is to persevere and stay motivated.
By making a small easily achievable change to your behaviour, your success (in achieving it) will make you feel good and you’ll get a dopamine hit.
Dopamine is a chemical that is released in the brain that allows you to feel pleasure and stay motivated. A small successful change will trigger a dopamine reward and you’ll keep coming back for more.
“Life gives you plenty of time to do whatever you want to do if you stay in the present moment.”
Being present. It's just another way of saying focus. It's a way of clearing your mind so you can make a good decision.
So find a quiet place away from distractions and learn to be in the moment. So you can make a good decision, how to manage your worry.
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The TTM or Stages of Change Model has been used in many public health interventions by self-changes to manage and ease a negative behaviour. Like all models it has its limitations, but broadly speaking the six stages and nine processes enable self-changers to make a permanent positive change.
The current version of the NoWorriesApp focuses on the Contemplation to Action Stages of the model and the processes relevant to those stages for Contemplators of Worry Management. However, the methods that you use to manage and ease your worry to feel happier will be personal to you.
An ‘influencer’ on the design of the NoWorriesApp, this model beautifully simplifies the strategies that facilitate decision making for behaviour change.
To manage my worry. I come to places like this.
It helps to put things into perspective.
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Nudge theory can be used to influence the thinking and decision making process; this may eventually affect how you decide to behave. The NoWorriesApp uses the juxtaposition of questions about how you feel with and without worry, to nudge you to deliberate over your choices and decide what to do to manage and ease a worry to feel happier.
CBT is a type of Talking Therapy that focuses on the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviour. The NoWorriesApp uses a CBT framework of questions that you can ask yourself to recognise, manage and ease a worry to feel happier.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is one of the most prominent theories used to explain motivations and drivers of behaviour. He proposed that people are motivated to behave in certain ways by their needs. Recognising what you need to be happy is only something you can answer. You may want to consider what you need to be happy as opposed to what you want, which may unattainable and causing you to be unhappy. The theory has limitations but the idea of self-actualization or how to be happy is interesting to consider in the Digital Age.
To change a behaviour you’ll need a Growth Mindset or in other words “if you think you can, you can” versus a Fixed Mindset, “if you think you can’t, you can’t”.
And when things do go wrong, learn from failure. Failure is an opportunity to begin again.
To really know what someone is thinking you have to ask the right questions. The NoWorriesApp asks you the right questions so you can deliberate and decide how to manage a worry.
Moving forward and learning how to self-manage your worry will be a progressive process. You won’t suddenly be happy or have all the answers. Use the Happiness Tracker and Worry Hack to make small changes to how you think, feel or behave to manage your worry.
Learning a new more positive thinking habit is going to take time and practise, practise, practise. Even the most basic things in life take practise, this is no exception.
The NoWorriesApp is your self-help guide on your journey to discovering what works for you to manage and ease a worry.
Be curious to learn new methods to manage your worry. Get to know yourself, get below the surface of your worry and use the Worry Log to look back at your worry objectively.
TPS is all about collaborative learning, where you work with others to unravel a problem (worry) and find a solution (be happier).