Remembering Values

I wanted to say a little bit about values. They are a central tenet of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and I consider them in both my professional and personal life. Put simply, values are attributes that describe how you want to be, and the life you want to live. A life based on your values is the path to fulfilment, and a life that isn't causes despair.

There is a saying in ACT, 'where there is pain, there is a value'. It is the flip side of the coin. So if you aren't sure of what your values are, look at what causes you distress, as the distress is caused by something being important to you.

Once you have identified the values that matter to you, consider different areas of your life, and where you are acting in ways consistent to those values, and where you are not. Are there changes you could make to be more value-consistent? it might surprise you how even small changes can have a big impact.

In all of my work, thinking and discussing values will most likely occur at some point. Shaping those values into values based goals and moving towards them is what gives life its vitality.