Your values are the core beliefs and principles that guide your behaviours, decisions, and actions. Unique to you, your values might change over time and with different life experiences.
When you’re living in a way that aligns with your values, you may notice you feel calmer, happier, and more purposeful. If you’re feeling stuck or out of sorts with what you’re doing in life, it could be that your actions and choices aren’t aligning with your values.
Read on for tips on identifying your values and taking small steps towards living a values-aligned life.
3 Steps to Get in Touch with Your Values
1. What value areas are important to you?
There are a lot of ways to break down value categories. We’re going to use our Building Blocks as a guide.
Health: physical health, mental wellbeing
Connection: family, friendships, and community
Learning: new experiences, education, work, and career
Kindness: giving back, showing compassion
Environment: natural environment, society, and politics
Think about these categories and what is important to you in each one. For example, if you currently have young children, under Connection, you might decide that you value spending time with family. Or you might realise that you place importance on strong friendships and need to make time to prioritise this value.
2. How do you live your values?
Now that you’ve thought about what you value, you can think about how you embody those values through your actions.
What habits or roles do you take on that feel really good? If you value physical health, you might find you prioritise going to bed early each night, and that the habit is easy to keep.
What behaviours don’t feel so good to you? Can you identify where they might go against your values?
3. Move towards your values
The next step is to identify what changes you can make to live truer to your values.
Pick a value area that is important to you but that you might have put on the backburner for a while. Then think of an activity you could do to bring that value to life.
Start small. Think about something you could do regularly, once or twice a week, over the next fortnight or month. Remember, small actions done consistently add up over time.
Mindfulness in a Value-Driven Life
Mindfulness is a helpful tool to use when observing how your values and actions align. Practising being present and observing without judgement are skills you will use when identifying if your behaviour is moving you towards or away from your values.
You can also use mindfulness to check in with how your body feels and notice signs of discomfort that indicate you’re acting in a way that isn’t aligned with the values that are important to you.
Strengthening your mindfulness muscle doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Pick one of these simple mindfulness-building activities to try this month:
- Go for a barefoot walk.
- Listen to a guided meditation.
- Take a different route on your commute, paying attention to your surroundings.
- Put on a favourite song and listen to the layers that make up the music.
- Try a hands-on craft activity, like knitting, colouring in, or woodwork.
- Start a nature journal, observing what you see as the seasons change.
Looking for more tips?
Visit the Your Mental Wellbeing website to find out more about how mindfulness and knowing your values can support your mental health and create a healthier relationship with your mind.
Source:
This article is adapted from resources developed by Queensland Health to support mental wellbeing and mindfulness.
