Long-term health behaviors
HLT515 Social Behavior and Cultural Factor in Public Health
GCU HLT 515 Full Course Week 5 Discussion
DQ1
Present a basic case in which an individual would wish to change a long-term health behavior? For example, a 39-year-old female wishes to stop her two-pack-a-day smoking habit which she has had for 10 years. Using various models and theories of behavioral change help create strategies for modifying the patient’s behaviors. Explain the process/methods that could be used to accomplish this goal. Predict how long this may take and what challenges may present themselves? Review three peers’ postings and provide constructive feedback on additional changes which could be beneficial as well as additional insight.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
Long-term health behaviors
Introduction
We all have habits, whether we’re aware of them or not. Some may be good for us and some bad. The problem is that we can’t always tell which ones are which at first glance. That’s why it’s important to think about how our behaviors affect us over time and how they might change in the future if we make a change now.
What bad routine do you wish to break?
What bad routine do you wish to break?
Why do you want to break it?
What are the possible consequences of your bad habit?
Who will be affected by your behavior change?
Why do you want to break it?
If you’re wondering why it is that you want to break long-term health behaviors, there are several common reasons.
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The cost of not changing: For many people, the cost of not changing can be measured in dollars and cents or loss of productivity at work. For example, if your annual medical bill for treating diabetes is $20,000 and if a change would reduce this amount by 10%, then breaking the habit saves money—and sometimes lives!
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The benefits of changing: Many people find that their quality of life improves when certain long-term habits are changed. For example, someone who has been smoking for 20 years but quit smoking completely has more energy than someone who’s been smoking since college—even though both have Type 2 diabetes!
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How will feel when you have changed? Breaking old habits may also bring with it feelings such as guilt over having done something wrong; shame at being less motivated than before; dreading what may happen next if we don’t act now; despair over how much time we’ve wasted on bad choices; anger toward others who aren’t willing or able to help us make better choices today (or ever). All these feelings can lead us back into our old ways—and sometimes even worse ones!
What are the possible consequences of your bad habit?
Bad habits are often the result of a lack of self-awareness. You may be aware of the effects your bad habit has on your situation, but you’re not always able to stop yourself from doing it in the first place. If this is true for you, consider how your behavior might affect others:
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Health problems—Bad habits can lead to physical conditions like heart disease and cancer. They also raise blood pressure and increase stress levels that can make it harder for your body to fight off illness.
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Financial problems—If you have an addiction or another issue with spending money that makes it hard for you to save money or avoid debt (like payday loans), then this habit could cause serious financial issues down the road if left unchecked.
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Relationship problems—Your partner may become frustrated with how much time they spend dealing with household duties while their partner spends their life away from home working late nights or weekends at an office job instead of being a spouse who supports them through thick and thin when times get tough during those long winters alone together which leads us into our next point…
Who will be affected by your behavior change?
Who will be affected by your behavior change?
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How will it affect the people in your life?
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How does this new behavior impact the people around you, both positively and negatively, on a daily basis?
What will you do when you are faced with a situation that may trigger your bad habit?
When you are faced with a situation that may trigger your bad habit, it is important to avoid avoidance. Avoidance is not a good strategy because it can lead to anxiety and stress. You will likely feel worse when you avoid the situation than if you just go through it and deal with whatever comes up.
When people have trouble managing their emotions, they often use alcohol or drugs as an emotional outlet, which then makes them more vulnerable to addiction in the future. It’s also common for people who have depression or anxiety disorders (such as OCD) to turn to overeating as an emotional coping mechanism—and this can lead them into serious weight problems down the road!
Avoiding peer pressure is another way of avoiding dealing with difficult situations head-on; instead of facing them directly (which could make things worse), we simply try our best not be around those who might tempt us into acting out against our better judgment! We may think “I don’t want anyone seeing me do this” but really what we mean is “I don’t want anyone seeing me do anything bad.” And while this works sometimes…it usually doesn’t work long term since eventually everyone will see how miserable your life has become without any meaningful support system in place (which makes living alone even more isolating).
What is a plan for avoiding situations that trigger your bad habit?
It is important to focus on one bad habit at a time. Avoid situations that trigger your bad habits and prepare for them if you can’t avoid them.
For example, if you smoke cigarettes and have trouble quitting, then focus on getting rid of the cigarettes instead of trying to quit cold turkey. This will help you avoid the stress associated with trying not to smoke when there are others around who want their own cigarette fix (and who might pressure you into giving in). If this doesn’t work out, consider making a plan for what will happen if someone tries again: “I’ll tell him I’m allergic.” Or “I’ll ask her if she wants another drink.” You may also use some other strategies such as: “I’ll see how long it takes before he stops asking me questions about my health”; or “She’ll get bored soon enough.”
Think about your habits and how they affect you.
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Think about your habits and how they affect you.
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Be honest with yourself. Ask yourself: Will I be happier, healthier and more productive if I change my behavior? If not, then what’s the point of even trying?
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Think about the people who will be affected by your behavior change. Are they close friends or family members who care about you deeply? Or are they strangers whose opinions don’t matter much in this decision-making process (or maybe just one person.)
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Consider how you’ll handle situations that trigger your bad habit—for example: If someone says something rude while driving them home from work every night after spending two hours at their desk writing reports instead of going out for dinner with friends or family—how will this impact their life overall? What would happen if they stopped doing whatever it was that triggered this cycle of bad habits in the first place (like drinking too much coffee)? This could lead us into a whole new world where our lives are free from stressors such as these ones!
Conclusion
Thinking about your bad habits and how they affect you can be very helpful in breaking them. The more you know yourself, the better off you will be when it comes time for a change.
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