If you prefer, you can listen to the module content by clicking on the audio file here.
Kia ora! Welcome to Module 2.
The first two days of this programme are aimed to help you take action in the areas of your life that you value.
In today’s module, we’ll focus on your personal values and what’s important to you.
Some people already know what they want and where they want to be in the future. Other people prefer to go with the flow and see how things turn out.
Identifying what your values and goals are can be helpful to ensure that your life is progressing in a way that is meaningful to you and to identify why you might not be feeling fulfilled in a certain area of your life.
You don't need to have a big life plan set out. You can take things slowly and just keep your values in mind as you go about your life and make decisions.
Identifying our values can help us to find more purpose, further develop our sense of self, and increase confidence.
When we consciously recognise our values, we are more likely to focus and put our energy into things that are important to us.
Focusing on our values can also help reduce our stress and increase our wellbeing by reducing the perceived control that our IBD has over us.
Have a think about what you want your life to be about, what you want to stand for, and what truly matters to you in this world?
For example, do you value compassion, honesty, and loyalty? You might feel passionate about honesty, or supporting friends, or standing up for yourself or those in need. You might value being patient or making sure things are fair.
Have a look at the list below and see which terms jump out at you.
Our values generally fall within four domains.
Which value or values do you associate with in each of these domains?
Relationships
This includes relationships with your whānau/family, friends, neighbours, partner, colleagues, or all other social contacts.
What sort of relationships do you want to build?
How do you want to behave in these relationships?
What personal qualities do you want to develop?
Work/education
This includes workplace, career, education, and skills development.
What personal qualities do you want to have at work?
How do you want to behave with those you work with?
What skills do you want to develop?
Health
This might include religion, spirituality, mental wellbeing, and physical wellbeing.
What activities do you want to start or try again?
What groups do you want to join?
What lifestyle changes do you want to make?
Leisure
This includes how you play, relax, rest, or enjoy yourself.
What activities do you want to participate in?
How do you want to relax?
Does your current situation match the values you’ve identified?
If not, that's ok. Tomorrow, we’re going to figure out ways to help you be more aligned with your values.
A values diagram can help you figure out the value domains that you’re feeling more aligned with.
The more you engage and fulfil those values, the more levels are filled in.
For example, the values diagram here shows that this person is feeling less aligned with their values in the health, work or education domains, but more engaged with their values in the relationships and leisure domains.
EXERCISE
Create your own values diagram and think about how you would fill it in.
Which domains are more fulfilled and which domains are less fulfilled?
For those less fulfilled areas, what can you do to engage in that values domain more?
Once you've filled in your diagram, keep it somewhere where you can find it again so you can compare the domains once some time has passed.
Spending time thinking about your values and how you can act in a way that aligns with your values can be really rewarding.
It can help get you back on track with any areas of your life that have been neglected due to the difficulties you might be experiencing with your health condition or other life events.
It can also feel a bit overwhelming if you find your life isn’t well matched to your values (yet). That’s ok.
We’ll look at how we can re-align these values in the next module and find ways to navigate through the complexities of IBD.
Handling setbacks
In today’s video below, we discuss how we might handle setbacks.
As we go through life with a chronic health condition, we’re going to experience setbacks and challenges that will make it seem like we’re not living our life according to our personal values. Watch the video to find out how you might be able to protect your wellbeing when aspects of your IBD presents difficult challenges.
Click this button once you’ve finished this module and let us know what you think.
Important reminder: Completing all 7 modules in this programme is the best way for you to learn all of the key skills that are integral to helping you improve your wellbeing whilst living with IBD.
Different things work for different people—so just aim to complete all of the modules so you can get a feel for all the 7 core skills. Then keep using the skills that you found worked the best!