Areas › Low mood and hard feelings › Act on your values
Ask what kind of person you want to be here, then take one small step that way, even while afraid.
Feelings are loud; values are quieter and truer. Let the step you take answer to the values, not the fear.
Qur’an and Sunnah
The one who purifies his soul succeeds (Quran 91:9). Success is tied to tending the soul, which is values chosen over impulse.
قَدۡ أَفۡلَحَ مَن زَكَّىٰهَا
The one who purifies his soul succeeds
Qur’an 91:9read it in the library
Translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, The Qur'an, Oxford University Press, 2004.
What the research says
Acting from your values instead of your momentary mood, moving toward what matters even while anxious, is a core mark of psychological flexibility and long-term wellbeing.
Kashdan, T. B. and Rottenberg, J. (2010). Psychological flexibility as a fundamental aspect of health. Clinical Psychology Review doi
Psychological flexibility, adapting responses to context, predicts wellbeing, while rigidity predicts distress.
Strength of evidence: one line of research. A single study, or a theoretical account.
Why it works
Choosing action by your values, rather than by the passing feeling, builds a steadier, more flexible life.
Where this sits: DBT and ACT, opposite action and values-based action.
This one is still a draft. It is waiting on a scholar and a clinician to read it before it is published.
Near this one
When a feeling pushes you to hide or lash out and it does not fit the facts, gently do the opposite.
When you feel low and stuck, do the next small worthy thing anyway. Action moves mood, not the reverse.
Discontinuation gets mistaken for relapse constantly, by clients and by clinicians. The mistake runs in both directions and both directions cost something.