Do you sometimes feel that everyday life is meaningless? Do you feel low and listless? Here are some tips on how you can create meaning and value in your life.
Formulate life values. Write down what is important to you in the following areas: Work / education, leisure, relationships and health. What gives you meaning and what feels rewarding for you in each of these areas?
Create an overview. Next, consider whether you’re currently living according to your life values. Do you devote your time and energy to the things that really matter to you, or is there room for change and improvement in this area?
Make a plan. Choose an area where you want to create a change and think about how you can move closer to your life values. Start with behaviours — things you can DO — and plan at least one such action next week.
Perform regardless of feeling. Implement your planned change regardless of how you think and feel in the moment. Pay attention to any thoughts or feelings of discomfort but do not let them stop you from doing what you have decided.
Evaluate and plan further. Reflect on how it feels to have carried out your value-aligned behaviour and make a continued plan to bring more rewarding actions into your everyday life. Follow up continuously on how you are doing with your life values - do you engage in things that matter to you, or do you need to put more effort into such behaviours?
