Antecedents

Antecedents are defined as "the conditions under which behaviour occurs". The following are thought that I have which prevent me from meditating:

• "I could be using time spent meditating studying or doing something that's productive."
• "I don't need to meditate right now because I'm not stressed."
• "I don't know how to meditate properly - I will be too hard."

Behaviour change will involve changing the antecendents of my behaviour, which is referred to a "stimulus control". To prevent the above situations form occuring, I propose to:

• Rationalise that the more I meditate, the effective at reducing my stress levels I will become. This will in turn increase my concentration levels and my productivity.
• Think that I need to practice meditation so that I can do it effectively during the times that I am stressed, e.g. during exams!
• Read up on the internet and the books I currently possess about meditation techniques. By exploring different techniques over the course of the project, this should enable me to choose the techniques best suited to me and also stop me from becoming bored by repeating the same practice day in day out! If I start with easier techniques (such as using guide tapes), I can gradually increase my self efficacy until I feel confident attempting more challening techniques.