Overview

A behavioural stretch is a commitment to an action that will take you out of your usual comfort zone. It can be a one-off challenge specifically to allow you to release a pattern, or the first step towards embracing an ongoing New Behaviour.

On the Process

Let’s start by acknowledging all the behavioural stretches you took simply by attending the Process, including registering for a place! During your small group sessions, you were asked to consider some behavioural stretches you could commit to in the days, weeks and months after going home. You might have made a note of these in your workbook or asked your ‘fun buddy’ to follow up on your progress after a set amount of time.

Using this tool Post-Process

If you completed the stretches you set for yourself on the Process, that’s great; the good news is that this a tool that keeps on giving. Once a stretch doesn’t feel like such a challenge any more, and it’s comfortably become part of your New Behaviour, it’s time to to move on to another.

• In choosing a behavioural stretch, remember to identify something that pushes you out of your comfort zone gently – not so far that it disturbs or frightens you, but just enough that you start to feel slightly uneasy at the thought of it.
• You could try combining this tool with an awareness tool like Pattern Tracing to see if you can unpick which patterns are driving your reluctance to undertake an activity, or a Quad Check to see if anything comes up as a specific request from one of your four aspects.
• It can be helpful to speak to a friend, maybe someone from your Process group, and see what suggestions they may offer for behavioural stretches too – often the people that know us well have good ideas of what would constitute a healthy stretch for us, and sharing an intention can help us maintain our commitment.
• You could try exploring some potential ideas by journalling, free writing or writing a letter to yourself. Grab a pen, a quiet space and let the words flow… Here are some prompts to start with:
  ‘If I was feeling brave I would…’
  ‘My emotional self wants to….’
  ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if….’
  ‘If I could treat myself to anything, I would…’
  ‘I wish I could…’
• If you can, write down six things you’d like to do that you have been putting off, or you’ve been letting fear get in the way of. Number them one to six. Throw a dice and commit to doing whichever number corresponds.
• Here’s a list of popular behavioural stretches, perhaps you’ll be inspired…
  – join a choir
  – sign up for an arts and crafts class
  – get a pet
  – go to the cinema by yourself
  – join an exercise or dance class
  – attend an Improv class
  – book a solo holiday
  – spend a day with your phone switched off
  – sign up for a dating app or speed dating class
  – give up alcohol/meat/social media/sugar for a month

Remember, once you have completed a behavioral stretch, be sure to make time for self-appreciation and to congratulate yourself!

‘Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” ~ Goethe

If you want to return to the Post Process homepage, click here.
To go back to the other Hoffman tools, click here.