Part III - Self Sabotage: Interrupting the Pattern: Immediate Strategies to Redirect and Refocus

 Part III - Self Sabotage: Interrupting the Pattern: Immediate Strategies to Redirect and Refocus

L. T. Force, Ph.D.                                                                                             Gerontologist

The recognition of behavior patterns that aren’t working for you….must lead to action. You know who you are and what you are doing….better than anyone else. If you are engaged in a compulsive or addictive behavior-chain that’s not working - you have the ability to  change it….

Think of change like medication:Some effects build over time.Others begin immediately.

The reduction of self-sabotage requires both.

Immediate Strategies:

1. Name it: “This is self-sabotage….I know what it is that I’m doing….and this is not working”. 2. Act quickly: Take one decisive action immediately.

3. Action Shift: Change it before you feel ready.(If you are waiting for the ‘right-time to change’ - it might be like: “waiting for Godot: - and Godot never shows up).

4. There is no better time then the present - to change: Act within 10 minutes….and continue to build upon these ….and please ready to feel the small powerful “spurts of accomplishments”  (regardless of how small they are: “change requires practice….and you build upon it”).

For Compulsive Behaviors:

Start with the internal conversation: “This is not working. I’m not having a good time with this anymore….and I know it….and I have the capability to stop engaging in this repetitive ridiculous behavior….and stop being consumed by it…and change my behavior….Now!”. For some, the change is abstinence. For others, the change is moderation. For others, it’s a combination-cycle of both.  Whatever works for you.

Pause the cycle.Interrupt the urge.

Replace with action.

These are not small acts—they are decisive interventions.

Build Over Time:

Daily alignment.

Consistent micro-actions.

Reflective awareness.

Small changes create significant changes in identity.  If you feel, or have an interest in changing….then you need to act like your do.

You are not fixing something broken—you are transitioning into something wonderful and  powerful….you begin to “Age Loudly!”* (at any age or stage of life) means refusing to be the obstacle….but rather be part of the solution….because it is only you that can do this..

And choose action—again and again. By doing this, the internal conversation will change….and the external behavior patterns and engagement will change….and you will change….and you will know….you can do this as you begin to recognize and identify the patterns (see image above).

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*   AgeLoudly! a philosophy of thought and action that applies at every stage of life and development.  AgeLoudly! is about living intentionally, visibly, and with purpose. It is the belief that each stage of life presents an opportunity to grow, to contribute, and to refine the person we are becoming.When individuals adopt an AgeLoudly! mindset, they begin to see their experiences — both successes and failures — as material for growth rather than evidence of limitation. This shift can be profoundly empowering. It reframes challenges as invitations, transitions as opportunities, and life itself as a process of continued expansion rather than decline.                                                 

“AgeLoudly!: Age Like it Matters….Because it Does!”.