Values clarification — identifying what matters most to you at the deepest level — is a cornerstone of ACT therapy for affective forecasting and provides direction when affective forecasting removes other navigational tools.
Why Values Matter for Affective Forecasting
Affective Forecasting often disconnects us from our values through avoidance, withdrawal, and reduced capacity. Reconnecting with values provides:
- Direction when affective forecasting has eliminated other motivation
- Meaning that persists even through difficult affective forecasting periods
- A basis for action independent of how affective forecasting makes you feel
Clarifying Your Values with Affective Forecasting
Ask yourself: 'If my affective forecasting were less present, what would I be doing more of? What kind of person would I be?'
Values are not goals (achievable and done) but ongoing directions: being a present parent, creating beauty, contributing to others.
Values-Based Action in Affective Forecasting
ACT therapy teaches: act according to values even when affective forecasting is present. Small values-aligned actions, despite affective forecasting, are more sustainable than waiting for affective forecasting to lift first.