Values clarification — identifying what matters most to you at the deepest level — is a cornerstone of ACT therapy for body image and provides direction when body image removes other navigational tools.
Why Values Matter for Body Image
Body Image often disconnects us from our values through avoidance, withdrawal, and reduced capacity. Reconnecting with values provides:
- Direction when body image has eliminated other motivation
- Meaning that persists even through difficult body image periods
- A basis for action independent of how body image makes you feel
Clarifying Your Values with Body Image
Ask yourself: 'If my body image 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 Body Image
ACT therapy teaches: act according to values even when body image is present. Small values-aligned actions, despite body image, are more sustainable than waiting for body image to lift first.