Lesson 28: Values-Based Action
Module 9, Acceptance-based approaches: moving toward what matters to you, even when anxiety is present.
So far, this curriculum has focused largely on reducing anxiety: challenging thoughts, facing fears, calming the body. This lesson introduces a different question: What are you moving toward? When anxiety has been the organizing principle of your life for a long time, it’s possible to lose sight of the answer.
Module: 9, Acceptance-based approaches
Learning objective
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to distinguish values from goals, identify your own values in key life domains, and take a small values-consistent step, even with anxiety present.
The concept: direction, not destination
Values-based action comes from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), developed by Steven Hayes [1]. The central idea: instead of organizing your life around avoiding anxiety, organize it around what matters to you.
Values vs goals
| Values | Goals |
|---|---|
| Directions (like “north”) | Destinations (like “Edinburgh”) |
| Ongoing; never completed | Can be achieved and ticked off |
| Guide choices over a lifetime | Are specific and time-bound |
| Example: “Being a supportive partner” | Example: “Plan a date night this Saturday” |
Goals serve values. The date night is a goal that serves the value of being a supportive partner. But if the goal fails (the restaurant is full), the value remains. You can always find another way to act on it.
Why values matter for anxiety
Anxiety narrows life. Avoidance removes activities, relationships and opportunities from your repertoire (Lesson 10). Over time, the safe zone shrinks until the person’s daily life is organized around what they’re avoiding rather than what they want.
Values reverse this. They provide a reason to move toward difficult situations that isn’t just “face your fear.” Research on values-consistent behavior in generalized anxiety disorder found that living in line with values was associated with lower experiential avoidance and lower GAD severity [5].
Identifying your values
Consider these life domains and for each, ask: “What kind of person do I want to be here?”
- Relationships (partner, family, friends)
- Work or education
- Health and wellbeing
- Leisure and creativity
- Community and contribution
The answers are qualities, not achievements: caring, present, curious, honest, courageous.
A worked example
The following is a fictional example used for teaching.
Ben has social anxiety. He has gradually withdrawn from friendships, declining invitations until they stopped coming. His avoidance has been effective at reducing anxiety but has left him isolated.
His values exercise reveals: he values being a loyal friend, being part of a community, and being someone people can rely on.
His values-based action: text one friend this week and suggest meeting for coffee.
His anxiety predicts it will be awkward and they’ll realize he’s been absent. He notices the anxiety and asks the ACT question: “Am I willing to have this discomfort in the service of being the kind of friend I want to be?”
He sends the text. The friend replies enthusiastically. The coffee is slightly awkward for the first five minutes and then fine. Ben didn’t eliminate his anxiety before acting. He acted with it.
A common misunderstanding
“I need to feel motivated before I act.” ACT flips this: action often comes before motivation. Waiting until you feel ready, until the anxiety subsides, or until you’re “in the right headspace” can mean waiting indefinitely. Values-based action is doing the thing because it matters, not because you feel like it. The feeling often follows the action.
Optional reflection
Choose one life domain. Write down the value that matters most to you in that area. Then identify one small action you could take this week that moves in that direction. It doesn’t have to be large. The question is not “Will the anxiety go away?” but “Is this worth moving toward despite the anxiety?”
When to get support. If you have difficulty identifying any values, or if the gap between how you’re living and how you want to live feels overwhelming, a therapist trained in ACT can guide you through the process. ACT has a growing evidence base for anxiety disorders [3] [4]. If you are in crisis, contact emergency services or a crisis line: in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123; in the US, call or text 988.
Recap
- Values are directions, not destinations: they guide ongoing action rather than being completed.
- Anxiety narrows life around avoidance; values expand it around what matters.
- Values-based action means moving toward what you care about, even with anxiety present.
- You don’t need to wait for anxiety to subside before acting.
- Research links values-consistent living with lower anxiety severity.
Previous lesson: Lesson 27: Mindfulness Basics for Anxious Beginners | Next lesson: Lesson 29: Acceptance vs Control
Frequently asked questions
What are values in ACT?
In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, values are freely chosen directions that describe how you want to live: being a caring friend, contributing at work, being honest, learning new things. They are not goals. A goal can be completed; a value is a direction you keep moving in.
How is values-based action different from exposure?
Exposure targets a specific fear by approaching it to violate a prediction. Values-based action targets the broader question of what kind of life you want to live. The two overlap: facing a feared social situation because you value connection is both exposure and values-based action. But the motivation is different. Exposure asks 'what am I avoiding?' Values ask 'what am I moving toward?'
What if anxiety stops me from acting on my values?
The ACT approach is that you don't wait for anxiety to go away before acting. You learn to have anxiety and act anyway. This is called willingness. The question shifts from 'how do I get rid of anxiety?' to 'am I willing to have this anxiety in the service of something I care about?'
How do I identify my values?
A simple exercise is to consider different life domains, such as relationships, work, health, learning and community, and ask: 'What kind of person do I want to be in this area?' The answer is usually a quality or a direction, not a specific achievement.
Sources and further reading
- Hayes, Strosahl and Wilson — Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The Process and Practice of Mindful Change
Guilford Press, 2nd edition, 2012. Foundational text on ACT, including values and committed action.
- Lundgren, Luoma, Dahl, Strosahl and Melin — The Bull's-Eye Values Survey
Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 2012;19(4):518–526. Values assessment tool and its psychometric properties. DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpra.2012.01.004.
- Arch et al. — Randomized clinical trial of cognitive behavioral therapy versus acceptance and commitment therapy for mixed anxiety disorders
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2012;80(5):750–765. DOI: 10.1037/a0028310.
- Twohig and Levin — Acceptance and commitment therapy as a treatment for anxiety and depression: a review
Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 2017;40(4):751–770. DOI: 10.1016/j.psc.2017.08.009.
- Michelson, Lee, Orsillo and Roemer — The role of values-consistent behavior in generalized anxiety disorder
Depression and Anxiety, 2011;28(5):358–366. DOI: 10.1002/da.20793.
Sources checked October 16, 2026. This is an editorial summary, not a systematic review or individual advice.