14. Stability

Our inner stability affects many areas of life, such as relationships, work and even sport activities, as well as psychological processes (e.g. reasoning, learning, decision-making, moods, sleep etc.). Stability is also essential for being in control (of yourself) and for dealing with unpredictable or challenging situations. It is not surprising then that it has a huge effect on our mental and physical well-being. We will suggest some methods to help achieve and maintain stability, but let’s start by clarifying first what it is.

 

The neutral position

Although you can sense whether you are stable or not, stability is not an emotion – in a way, it is beyond emotions. It can be best described as being in a neutral position. Knowing that this neutral position exists can help you with the emotional roller coaster and release you from the pressure to be in a good mood all the time. If you don’t feel great (and nobody always feels great), you don’t need to feel bad – you can be in this neutral position instead. This is not to say that stability makes you more passive. On the contrary, it enables a more active life as instability is energy-consuming. Intense experiences, too, are compatible with stability. Like in the eye of the storm, there can be stillness in your centre even when everything around you is racing. The main challenges to stability are actually inner conflicts, which we covered in Harmonisation, and also (unnecessary) tension, nervousness, and impulsiveness. We will suggest how to address these three here.

 

Progressive relaxation consists of first contracting (making tense) and then relaxing each set of muscles in sequence, starting from your feet and ending with the top of your head. You can memorise these instructions or record them to guide you through the process.

Get comfortable and close your eyes…

• Focus on your toes, curl them up as much as you can and then let them completely relax.
• Make your calves tense… and now let the tension go.
• Make your thighs tense… and let them relax.
• Focus on your pelvic area, make it tense… and let go.
• Pull your tummy in… and now let it relax.
• Breathe in slowly and hold your breath for a while… breathe out and let your lungs relax.
• Lift your shoulders, hold them up… let them drop.
• Make your fists tight… and let your hands relax.
• Make your neck and lower jaw tense… and let it go.
• Tense your face, frown… now let your forehead, eyes and mouth relax.
• Pull your ears and scalp back and then let them relax.
• Scan your body and let go of any remaining tension.

Slowly, in your own time, open your eyes.

Grounding: focus on the parts of your body that are in contact with something solid (e.g. chair you are sitting on); if standing, focus on your feet touching the ground (you can even imagine that you are holding the Earth with your feet). This can help you feel more grounded and stable.

Meditation

The greatest challenge to stability is our impulsive reactions. How many times a day you just can’t help swearing or shouting? For that, we need something quite special. You have almost certainly heard of meditation and might already be practising it. If the latter and you are happy with it, carry on with what you are already doing. Otherwise, you may try the exercise described below. There are many ways to meditate; this one is suggested as it is suitable for beginners and easy to do and remember.

Meditation should last around 20 minutes. It is often associated with sitting cross-legged but this is not necessary. Just sit comfortably (or even lie down), relax and close your eyes. In a nutshell, meditation is about observing your mental processes without engaging with them. Allow any thoughts, images, feelings and other sensations that enter your mind to pass by without interfering or letting yourself be carried away by them (as if they are passing trains). To anchor yourself, keep the focus on your breathing (but don’t attempt to change it). Alternatively, you can choose a sound or word to repeat (such a sound or word is called a mantra and it does not need to have a meaning). If some pressing or interesting thoughts appear, make a mental note to come back to them later and gently focus on breathing or your mantra again. Do not pressurise yourself in any way or try to block your thoughts forcefully. Meditation works only if the process is not forced.

This area is not about changing your job, wallpaper, country or partner – it is about changing yourself; in other words, your habitual cognitive, emotional and behavioural patterns.

What do you want to change?

Being able to make a personal change is essential. So this chapter will be very practical and to get the most out of it, it may be a good idea to start by thinking about something that you would like to change. Choose something small because this increases your chances of success and confidence. Define what you want to achieve in simple, clear and positive terms (for example, rather than aiming to lose weight, aim to be fit or to look good).

Prerequisites for successful change

‘I can’, ‘I want’ and ‘I like’ are three conditions for successful change. If all three are present, you can hardly fail!

‘I can’: we are all capable of both failing and succeeding. If you believe that you can’t change, it is true; if you believe that you can, it is also true. To strengthen 'I can', think about successful changes that you have made in the past. If you can’t remember any, just consider that if others can change, you can change too.

‘I want’: you need to believe that the change is worth your time and effort. Filling in this table can help you make it clear:

Old pattern		New pattern
Advantages	Disadvantages	Advantages	Disadvantages

However, if wanting to change is only in your head, it may not be sufficient – the resolution needs to come from your gut. A half- hearted attempt is unlikely to succeed, so make sure that you really want to make a change. The stronger and deeper the feelings associated with the change are, the more profound the change will be. The following interventions can help in this respect.

Wanting change: imagine what your life will look like (in a few days, months or years) if you continue in the same direction. Then imagine vividly that you have changed. What will it look like? How will you feel? Which one is better? Nurture a sense that you can live well without the old habit by seeing life after the change in a positive light.

‘I like’: We can learn to like and dislike something. Nobody likes their first cigarette or first glass of vodka but some persist and learn to like it. If we can learn to like what is not good for us, we can learn to like what is. We can do so by associating a change with a good experience. For example, rather than forcing yourself to eat healthily, find a way to enjoy it: prepare a nice meal and/or add to it something that you already like (e.g. bacon bits, grated cheese, good company, or nice music – be creative!). You can combine this with growing a dislike for the old habit: associate it with unpleasant feelings. 'But', you may ask, 'what can I like if I just want to give up something (e.g. smoking)?' You can like being in charge and free (from the old habit); the benefits of the new (e.g. smelling good, breathing well); the company of likeminded people; yourself, your body, your mind, your life!

The stages of change

It is widely accepted that there are several stages of change(1). Here are some suggestions for each of them:

Learn about your habit

• Its causes: to examine the causes or reasons why you have a particular habit, imagine that you no longer do what you usually do – how do you feel? How can you address the underlying feeling that causes your habit?
• Its triggers: to locate its triggers, observe your habit without any interference. A trigger can be your state of mind, other people or certain events. Consider how they can be neutralised –what else could you do in a trigger situation?

Prepare

• Set an achievable, realistic goal. Bear in mind that a small change is better than a big failure.
• If you have succeeded in making a change in the past, recall what helped you then – the same or similar may help you now.
• Your old habit may be part of a larger picture (e.g. staying out late may be a part of your social life). In this case, you may need to do something about other parts too (e.g. friends who encourage you to stay out late).
• Be prepared for the fact that some people around you may not be supportive: think about who may want (perhaps unconsciously) to sabotage the change and what you can do about it. By the same token, consider who you can talk to or rely on if you are in danger of relapsing.
• Go back to the above table that compares the old pattern and the new one, and consider how you can compensate for the advantages of the former and the disadvantages of the latter.
• Decide if you will make a change gradually or in one go.
• Consider the timing (e.g. if you are taking exams next week, it may be better to make your change after that) and set the date.
• Attempt to make a change only when you feel ready. Are you 100% ready? If you are not, go back to the prerequisites.

Go for it

• Announce your intentions and ask others to support you.
• Stop negotiating with yourself (or you will lose it). Just do it!
• Dis-identify with what needs to be changed and identify with the new (e.g. if you wish to be more outgoing, stop thinking about yourself as a shy person). You can even mentally identify with an image that symbolises the change (e.g. a rock if you want to be more firm with your choices).

Persist

Persistence is essential in this process because old patterns tend to return out of habit. This may be the hardest part (as somebody once said: ‘It's easy to stop smoking, I do it twenty times a day’). However, persevering is worthwhile: in addition to the specific benefits, every successful change also increases your sense of personal power and control. This can help you to persist:

• Use a tempting situation as a reminder to stick to your goal.
• Catch yourself when tempted, acknowledge your feelings and thoughts, and then remember the consequences of backsliding (e.g. how you will feel tomorrow).
• It is much easier to relapse when excited, so be especially vigilant if you notice that you are getting keyed up.
• Use your imagination to put yourself off a temptation (e.g. imagine slime dripping on and covering a cake you fancy).
• Enjoy the new as well as its benefits, and appreciate your achievement (no false modesty, making a change is a big deal!)

If you relapse

If you experience a relapse, accept it as a temporary setback – you are defeated only if you give up! Be aware of what is going on though, as this may help you in the future. Establish why it has happened and develop a strategy for similar situations in the future. For example, if you had a cigarette because you were annoyed, think about what you will do instead the next time you get annoyed. A frequent reason for relapse is forgetting what you have decided. So, remember to remember!

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(1) Prochaska, J., Norcross, J. & Diclemente, C. (1994) Changing for Good. New York: Collins.