Introduction
Health behavior is one of the most important aspects of a person’s life. This is due to the fact that adhering to proper healthy habits contributes to improving human well-being. Hence, they affect the improvement of the quality of the body’s work, help to limit the possibility of diseases, and improve mental health. For me, the central area of concern is the amount of sleep I get. Thus, I want to improve this healthy behavior, which implies setting specific goals for myself and creating a strategy for change. My goal is to get 8 hours of sleep every night. At the same time, it is necessary to keep in mind the factors that can affect the negative progress in achieving the goal, among which may be too high expectations, lack of understanding and input, and insufficient preparation. Another danger is the possibility of collapse, for which preventive measures must also be taken into account. Therefore, quality sleep is essential for our health, and in order to accomplish my goal, I will develop a strategy for change using cognitive-behavioral elements, a self-monitoring approach, and social support factors.
Cognitive Behavior Elements
First of all, part of my strategy to achieve a full eight-hour sleep will be the use of such an approach as cognitive-behavioral elements. They will be situations, thoughts, emotions, feelings, and actions that will help construct a strategy for change. The effectiveness of using the cognitive behavioral method is that it helps identify the problems that an individual has and finds solutions that will be optimal for a particular person. Thus, I will need an assessment of how my state of health is changing relative to normal and abnormal amounts of sleep. Moreover, special attention should be paid to such aspects as actions. For example, using a phone before going to bed can significantly affect the quality (Pacheco, 2022). Thus, cognitive-behavioral elements become one of the main aspects determining the approach to achieving full sleep.
Self-Monitoring
The next step that is valuable when drawing up a strategy is the use of a self-monitoring approach. Nauts and Kroese (2018) state that “sleep deprivation may impair self-control, but people also need to exert self-control in order to be able to engage in sleep-promoting behaviors” (p. 288). Cherry (2020) emphasizes that “self-awareness that is developed during self-monitoring is a critical skill for initiating and maintaining behavior change” (para. 21). Further, the main task within the framework of this approach is consistency and organization, which determines the receipt of a positive effect. The main procedure of self-monitoring is to record the hours of sleep and the state of the body and then compare it with the results of an eight-hour sleep. This is to provide an opportunity to gain awareness about the positive outcomes of the desired goal. Moreover, this aspect of the assist strategy in gaining self-control will be reflected in more responsible, healthy behavior.
Social Support
The last but no less important part of the strategy to achieve the goal of eight hours of sleep is to use social support to create a thriving environment for change. This aspect includes the help of family and close friends who will provide moral and mental assistance. Research underlined that “having strong social support can actually make you more able to cope with problems on your own, by improving your self-esteem and sense of autonomy” (“Manage stress: Strengthen your support network,” 2019, para. 5). Therefore, a change in sleep routine and health behavior can cause a stressful state. It is at this moment that help or advice from a loved one can provide confidence in the actions being performed. Moreover, social support can be expressed by the desire of one of the family members to follow the strategy of acquiring a new healthy habit.
At the same time, it should be remembered that such stumbling blocks as too big of expectations regarding the speed of achieving results, not well enough preparation for changes, lacking positive input and clarity, and why am I doing it. To limit the impact of these aspects, I must assume successful achievements and have confidence in my actions. Moreover, value should be given to the possibility of relapse. To prevent it, I have to get to know my trigger factors and avoid stress and over-scheduling. In addition, it is necessary to apply self-control, which will help you not to fall into old habits.
Conclusion
In conclusion, healthy habits are one of the main determinants of the well-being of the human body. Therefore, a full eight hours of sleep has a positive effect on a person’s mental and psychological health. This has become my main goal, which I plan to achieve through steps such as the use of cognitive behavioral elements, self-monitoring, and social support. Special attention when achieving the set health behavior becomes recognition of stumbling factors and the possibility of collapse. This step plays a valuable role in the preparation and implementation of changes in the order of life.
References
Cherry, K. (2020). What is self-monitoring? Very well mind. Web.
Manage stress: Strengthen your support network. (2019). American phycology association. Web.
Nauts, S., & Kroese, F. M. (2018). The role of self-control in sleep behavior. In The Routledge international handbook of self-control in health and well-being (pp. 288-299). Routledge.
Pacheco, D. (2022). How electronics affect sleep. Sleep foundation. Web.