What are Values?
- Values are what truly matters to you. They are the ‘why’ in your life.
- Values are life directions based on your personally held beliefs about what is important.
How are Values Different from Goals?
A goal is a future achievement that you work towards.
You never achieve a value, but you might work towards goals related to your value.
Focusing on values rather than goals allows you to do what matters most to you even if your goals have to shift significantly.
You can think of values as a life direction and goals as the stops along the way.
Why are values important for coping with my GI condition?
- Values help you take action towards what is important to you rather than being controlled by your GI condition.
- Values provide motivation to persist and tolerate discomfort.
Regardless of your abilities or circumstances, you can find ways to live consistently with your values.
Let’s look at an example…
A person who runs marathons may be limited in their activity if they develop a health issue, like irritable bowel disease.
- If they are attached to the idea of being a marathon runner, then this will likely lead to getting stuck in unhelpful thoughts and feelings if their health gets in the way of distance running.
- By connecting their behaviors to the value of fitness, and persistence rather than the goal of running a marathon, then activities like stretching and short walks during a flare can be seen as a positive step towards what matters.
- Values could also help someone to push past fear of having incontinence when working back up to running, because living consistently with the values of fitness and persistence is more motivating than the fear of incontinence.
What are your values?
When we are caught up in trying to escape pain and illness, sometimes we lose sight of our values. If you are unsure of what you value, try these activities to clarify your values:
Values clarification worksheet
How to live your values with your GI condition
- Identify ways that your GI condition has taken you away from living your values
- Identify a goal that is consistent with these values
- Make a plan!
Use this worksheet to guide you through planning values guided goals