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