How to define your life values?

Cognitive therapy focuses on helping individuals identify and change negative and unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior. In cognitive therapy, defining values is a crucial aspect that can help individuals discover what is most important to them in life and align their actions with their core values.

What are Values? 

Values are a set of principles or beliefs that individuals hold as essential or important. They guide our behavior and decision-making, shaping what we care most about in life. Values could be broad (e.g., kindness, honesty, compassion), or they could be more specific (e.g., family, career, spirituality). 

Life values are the fundamental core beliefs that guide your behaviors and goals and help you measure your overall success in your life. You might call it your moral code or your inner compass.

For most people the core values have been set from an early age by their parents and the environment where the live in. In some cases these core values might end up being harmful to an individual and that is when you need to take them into more critical assessment.

Why is Defining Values Important in Cognitive Therapy? 

Values are an essential part of cognitive therapy, as they provide individuals with a sense of direction and purpose. Defining values allows you to understand what truly matters to you, which, in turn, can influence on your behavior, thoughts, and attitudes positively. 

Identifying your values can help you to make choices that are aligning with your long-term goals and create a more meaningful life. 

In cognitive therapy, defining values is crucial because it provides an opportunity for you to discover the root of your negative thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. By studying your life choices through your core values, you can identify cognitive distortions and the parts of your life that may need adjusting. 

You might place high value on your free time and creativity but realize your calendar is filled with work obligations. This leads to stress and anxiety, you seem to be resenting the work you used to love. You don’t need to quit your job, more subtle changes can lead you to an equally happier lifestyle. 

This process helps you to lead a more purpose-driven and fulfilling life, reinforcing the positive behavior changes made in therapy. 

How Will a Therapist Help Me to Define My Values? 

Therapy can aid you in defining your values in various ways. Some techniques are: 

1. Guided Visualization

This technique begins with guiding the individual into a calm and relaxed state. The therapist then prompts the individual to imagine their best possible self, identifying the characteristics and values they would most like to embody. 

2. Value Cards

The therapist provides the individual with a set of value cards, and the individual identifies the values that resonate and rate them by their importance. 

3. Socratic Questioning

The therapist uses questioning techniques to encourage an individual to critically examine their beliefs and determine whether they align with their core values.

 4. Values Assessment 

The therapist may use specific values assessments to help the individual describe their value system and identify potential discrepancies between their actual vs. ideal lives. 

Defining values is an integral part of cognitive therapy that can provide individuals with clarity and direction. It helps to identify what is truly important to a person in life so that they can make decisions that align with their long-term goals. Above all, defining values can be significant in bringing positive changes to therapy sessions by discovering the root of negative thought patterns and behaviors.