Sometimes it is easy to get stuck in a rut. You may not feel like your best self. You may feel discontentment in your life or feel as if you went astray. During times like these, it may be beneficial to reflect on what may be impacting your mood. One way of doing this is by looking at your values.
Your values should be a metric for how you live your life. They can be used to set boundaries for yourself and can be used to determine what is acceptable to you and what is not. Whereas your boundaries are more flexible, values are something that are more rigid and in place. With that being said, your values may change over time. Your values may need to be revisited during certain milestones that you reach in your lives. Your values have probably changed from being an adolescent to a young adult, to someone who has started their own family.
If you are unhappy or feeling lost, it may be a good idea to see if your life reflects your current values. If not, ask yourself what changes in your behaviors and actions you need to make to live a life that is in alignment with your values. Ask if it is time to redefine your values. For example, if you value spending some alone time or “me time” but are unable to do so during the month due to you working longer shifts, spending time with friends, and attending PTA meetings the actions that you are taking are not reflecting your value. Question, Do I need to work shorter shifts, skip out on events, or do I value socialization more than that alone time? Both can be important, but which is the top priority? What do you value? What changes in your life can reflect this? Start to make those changes and see whether or not your mood changes.