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