What is it that you care about? And what do you want your life to stand for?
These are pretty typical questions asked when you are engaged in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
The choices and actions we take, deliberately, mindfully, as life directions, can provide meaning and purpose… even when we are faced with unwanted and troubling feelings, thoughts and urges.
Recently on the ACT for Professionals mailing list, Jason Luoma (Portland Psychotherapy Clinic) shared a great set of links to online values exercises.
Jason stated that he had been searching for resources that focused mainly on values, and were totally self contained/ self explanatory (rather than needing a therapist or trainer to guide you through them).
Below is the list of resources, along with a few additions of my own (including some video links).
- An accessible post about values – by Rachel Collis on the excellent “Working with ACT” blog
- An online values card sort
- Values clarification worksheets and instructions on how to use them
- A post on values and compassion by Jenna LeJeune, and a related post on the relationship between pain and values.
- An exercise in taking a perspective: Imagine Your 80th Birthday
- Another perspective: Looking back on 5 years of acting on your values
In this video, David Gillanders (University of Edinburgh) describes values as chosen life directions, and the choices and actions we can take through practicing willingness and mindfulness:
And finally… Russ Harris has been busy, producing new videos for his online training venture. Here are a couple: 1) about the difference between a life focused on values vs one focused on goals, and 2) the Choice Point, a way of noticing moments where you can take valued actions.
What values exercises have you found useful? Do you know of other online resources that help with values work?
Please feel free to comment below!
