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Using Core Values To Bring Meaning to Life Again
Use this one gentle trick while resolving crises and life decisions.
I’m a Registered Psychotherapist who has helped thousands of people across many circumstances— and I’ve been spending more time on the front lines lately as the demand for mental health services increases.
This may include individuals who present with depression, grief, trauma, anxiety, burnout, relationship issues, and many more.
As a lifelong learner, I am always itching to find the latest information that helps my clients.
In recent years, I’ve found The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris to be helpful, but not in a direct sense. It helps inform the pathway I pursue with clients, but it’s one of many that represent the rich tapestry that is my clinical skills.
I bring this book up because there is a lot of discussion on core values, and in this piece, I will bring up my interpretation of core values — and how they can fit you and your routine.
Factoring in Perfectionism Paralysis
I find more often than not, we are caught in a perfectionism paralysis of sorts. We are so consumed by the big picture, that we get stuck in a tunnel vision, cease all other operations, and are too stubborn to seek other pathways to our end goals.
Sometimes we are so determined, that we are inches away from throwing our lives away, and we are none the wiser.
For some, as that tunnel vision gets narrower, you get stuck and you recognize the need for a third party to help pull you out — but you also don't want to let go of the tunnel vision.
Hence, perfectionism paralysis.
This can greatly frustrate family or friends who see that you are inches away from doing something life-altering but are powerless to stop you. It’s hard to help someone who screams at you and pushes you away. Some sulk away, more confused than ever before.
More often than not, I need to de-escalate someone into leaving the cave, without telling them that they are leaving the cave. I have to remind the person of the seed they had planted months prior to this crisis. I have to use a very…
