The Just for Today Technique – Just for Now

“What you do today can improve all of your tomorrows” (Ralph Marston)

Hello friends!

Changing a behavior or a group of behaviors is not always easy. Some techniques work for one change, but they don’t always work for another type. An extremely simple and effective technique for many types of change is disseminated and worked on in self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, among others, and we might describe it as “just for today” or perhaps “just for now”. or “not now”.

In this text, I try to demonstrate how this small change in thinking can cause big changes in the long term, even if the focus of attention is the change in the now or today.

The Just for Today Technique

A lack of motivation to change often comes from thinking about the long term. So, the change would be difficult because behavior X has been present for many years or because the person cannot visualize maintaining a new act from now on and for the next few years.

For example, a person who has problems with the use of some type of chemical substance (such as the types listed in the DSM-5: alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, stimulants, sedatives, hallucinogens, inhalants, cannabis, opioids), can imagine how impossible do not use the substance never🇧🇷

And it is precisely to break through this type of difficulty created by the mind that the “just for today” technique is useful and effective. As if the technique brought tranquility by proposing the following: “you don’t need to think for the rest of your life. Just think about today and deny the habit of the behavior you want to change.”

That is, stopping using a particular substance, overeating, or any other group of behaviors that is harmful to yourself or others.

For someone looking to change, then, it is comforting to have just one day in mind. A single day goes by relatively quickly and, little by little, confidence grows that long-term change will be possible as well, but always considering one day at a time.

The technique Just for now

Another possibility, identical, is to think not about the day, but about the now since sometimes a day, although short, can seem excessively long. If we stop to think about it, isn’t that what we do when we put off some necessary but unpleasant activity?

I believe we all have certain activities that we need to do but don’t want to do. At least, we don’t want to do it now (or after now). So, we postpone and postpone until a month passes, two months to more than a year and we still haven’t done it.

Likewise, we can use this principle to stop doing something that harms us. For example, instead of criticizing yourself… why not leave the self-criticism for later? That is, think differently now: just for now I will praise myself. Then I criticize myself (but then it is not enough and the criticism ceases).

Doesn’t sound like a good idea?

the psychological time

As we know, we can only effect a change in the present. The past was as it was and the future is not yet here. If we leave a change for tomorrow, the change may not be carried out, like a promise at the end of the year that is left for next year…

Therefore, if you want to make a change – however big or small – you have to make the change in the present. Do different now, today.

A smoker who says he’s going to quit tomorrow or the day after obviously continues to smoke today. Tomorrow, when it’s today, there will be the same excuse. In this way, in the same way that we can postpone a change, we can postpone a behavior that we are wanting to no longer be present.

a little list

The ideal would always be to be able to focus on just one thing at a time, also when it comes to changing habits. Work on one habit first and extinguish it, then focus on another and then another. However, in many circumstances, it is useful to make a short list of everything you want to change.

A list, written on a piece of paper or notebook, in your own hand is one of the best methods, as when writing in your own hand, you feel as if you are signing under and committing yourself.

Another tip that can help is to work with pairs of opposites when possible. For example, if the desire is to stop complaining, to combat this habit, you can replace it with gratitude. Instead of smoking, going for a walk, etc.

Conclusion

Life happens now. And in the succession of “nows”, we can build or rebuild. We can leave old habits in the past and open the door to new and better behaviors. In some contexts, we must remember that sometimes it is necessary to ask for help or seek professional support – such as psychotherapy or medical treatment – ​​or through a help group, like so many that exist today based on the 12 steps (AA, NA, MADA – Women Who Love Too Much, Neurotics Anonymous, Weight Watchers), among others.

Questions, suggestions, comments, please write below!

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