Living by your values

Living by your values means making choices and taking actions that align with your core beliefs and principles. It can help you feel more confident, grounded, and authentic in your daily life. It can also give you a sense of direction and meaning, making it easier to navigate difficult decisions and challenges.
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At the same time, living by your values is not always easy or straightforward. All of my clients have values, but relatively few of them actually live by them. Values themselves can come from individuals, families, religion, or society. When people are engaged in behavior that goes against their values, shame is created. In my experience, this shame does not only harm the individual and lead toward depression, it also prevents people from engaging in their social support systems out of fear of judgment. The best thing to do is to consciously decide what values are right for you, and then commit to living by those values.