Hanging in There

Nobody said it was easy. Even with all the modern technology, professional guidance, medications, and help groups out there, ending a negative habit or addiction is hard, hard work. Most find that it gets tougher before it gets easier. We start missing our addiction. It starts screaming at us for attention. We are typically more on edge, more emotional, short-tempered, etc. The lifestyle changes it demands haven’t become second nature to us yet, and without well-honed self-soothing strategies, we start feeling deprived, lonely, misunderstood, and so begin doubting why we wanted to end the habit. Stresses build and those doubts morph into rationalizing why we really need to keep our habit after all. We’ve all been there.

That build-up of negativity in early through mid stages of changing is exactly why we included a “Personal support” section in all of our Willpwr apps to help you weather that storm. In Personal support, you can choose any of the following strategies which you tailor-make to fit exactly your circumstance:

Audio recordings you can make or play at any time. You can record a goal statement, a message, a pep-talk, a commitment to make it work this time when you are thinking clearly. Then you can listen to that statement whenever you are tempted to throw in the towel. When you hear yourself calmly and rationally imploring you to hang in there, we feel it helps you push back and make it through that urge. New research on an old concept called “cognitive dissonance”, applied to addictions, is showing how these types of strategies work. They work even better when you explain to others exactly why the change will make your life so much better. You can also use this recording feature to get statements of support from friends, therapists, family, etc. Listening to voices of reason when you are in a fog of craving can be a lifesaver.

Music of your choice you can play that inspires, motivates, relaxes. Music therapy is a growing field and there is much research showing the powerful role music can play for many who are fighting negative habits. Use this feature to better cope with boredom and stress. Use it to pick up your spirits. Listen to music that motivates and inspires you. Find something soothing to facilitate or substitute for meditation techniques or for distraction that our apps recommend. Don’t underestimate how important a tool music can be for you.

Photos of loved ones or of scenes that remind you why you want to lose the habit. You can have a gallery of photos within Willpwr apps to look at any time you need to motivate, inspire, and reinforce your commitment to fight through the urge.

Inspirational and/or spiritual quotations, poems, sayings, prayers. Review, add to or compose your own statements. Read them as frequently as you need. We’ve included some standards for you to get you started. You can add as many as you like.

Speed-dial friends. With a button press, you can be connected to support people in your life that you can talk to directly. Most users use a sponsor, a group member, a close friend or family member. You can have a list available right within the app.

So that’s what the Personal support section of the app is all about. Of course you can do all these things without the app as well, but we wanted these strategies at your fingertips, pre-loaded, so that you get that service-when-you-need-it assistance that just might make the difference for you. We don't want our users left hanging, after all.