I’ve mentioned values in several posts to date, and I feel it’s time to take a closer at them and why they are so important in OCD recovery.
What’s a value anyway?
Lets start at the beginning, a value is: ‘a principle or standard of behaviour; one’s judgement of what is important in life’.
They are the standards we set for ourselves to live by, they outline the things that are most important to us and help guide us with our daily choices.
If you’ve done any ACT (acceptance commitment thearpy), then you will know that values work is one of the 6 core principles
They describe values as something you, ‘do’ rather than ‘have’. They are verbs not nouns, general directions and guiders for life, a place you can never arrive at but are always striving towards.
From this description they can feel quite nebulous, but they are the invisible building blocks of our lives.
How do you work out your values?
There are lots of great exercises online that you can work through. Here are a couple of links to try but a quick google will find you lots of information on the topic.
If you’ve never done this work before then I advise spending a bit of time working through one of the above activities.
So why are values so important in OCD recovery?
They become especially useful when you are struggling because you can align to your values and know that that’s the person you want to be.
You can then take actions towards your values, regardless of the thoughts and how you feel, which is exactly what we need to do when OCD gets loud.
OCD has a nasty habit of making you think you’re the worst person in the world, capable of distressing and horrible things and when you’re spiralling it can be incredibly hard to pull yourself out.
Your values then become a superpower, acting as your anchor during these difficult times. They remind you of who you truly want to be and allow you to proactively take action to align with them.
Say for example that your values are to be an honest, trustworthy, reliable, kind and loving person, then when OCD is telling you otherwise you have the opportunity to say;
‘No OCD, I’m not who you’re telling me I am, I know my values and I’m going to carry on with my day aligning to them’.
The brain believes what it sees, so if you live your life aligning to your values then you will be banking undisputable evidence of who you are. The OCD thoughts then become much easier to dismiss and don’t take hold as easily.
In addition to this it’s worth remembering here that OCD thoughts are ego-dystonic, which refers to the fact that the obsessions and compulsions are inconsistent with a person’s values, beliefs, and self-image, understandably causing a lot of distress.
When going through OCD therapy and recovery it can feel so tough at times and your values can act as your guiding light through the darkness.
Every time it feels overwhelming and tough, you need to remind yourself of your values and ask yourself;
‘If I’m aligning with my values and the person I want to be then what would I do in this situation?’
- Would I drive back and check if that bump in the road was a person or would I carry on with my day?
- Would I wash my hands again because they still feel dirty or would I just carry on with my day?
- Would I spend hours ruminating over the nightmare I had last night and not make it into work, or would I just carry on with my day?
There are endless scenarios you could use here but ultimately you have to ask yourself, is your OCD holding you back from the values-based life you want to live?
I’m guessing the answer is yes.
The amazing thing about doing values work, is that once they’re in place they allow your life to become more focused and meaningful in all ways. You become empowered to let anything that doesn’t align with them go, which quite often results in a lot less drama, mental health struggles and a lot more peace.
I’d love to know if you have also found ACT therapy and Values work helpful in your OCD recovery, please share your insights below.
As always,
Stay Strong xxx
Conquering OCD 