Recently, I used Motivational Interviewing (MI) with Helen, a 34-year-old mother of two who was lacking self-esteem. On the surface she appeared successful and confident. She ran a small business, was devoted to her young family and provided essential support to her mother, who had been recently diagnosed with dementia.
Helen described herself as seemingly calm on the surface but paddling furiously to stay afloat. She had become stuck in a cycle of anxiety. She was reluctant to leave her house and ruminated about the safety of her family. She felt out of control and was increasing worried about her own general health and sedentary lifestyle. She later discussed how these issues had been aggravated by lockdown restrictions and concerns surrounding her own well-being.
MI is a powerful tool underpinned by a collaborative, non-judgemental philosophy to bring about positive behavioural changes that support better health. It relies on open questions, affirmation, and reflective listening.
Helen wanted to incorporate physical activity into her life, with the aim of improving her general health and well-being. She wanted to start running and believed it would positively influence her young family and help her maintain health into older age. The main obstacle here appeared to be addressing her self-belief in order to get there. She was concerned about her appearance and ability to start running.
Over the course of the sessions techniques were used to draw out Helen’s intrinsic values and use these to shape a pathway towards a positive outcome. We explored ways in which she was equipped to succeed and reinforced a positive self-image to promote her self-confidence.
Helen regained a sense of control over her situation and began to think about her long-term goals. Because the motivation and actions needed to achieve those goals originated from Helen, the chance for successful behaviour change was increased.
Helen completed the couch to 5k programme, joined a running group, improved her self image and is managing her mental health effectively through integrating regular exercise into her daily routine.
