Cognitive restructuring
'Cognition' is a word used to denote a thought or belief, and 'restructuring' involves challenging a cognition by looking at the evidence for or against it. The basic idea behind cognitive restructuring is that thoughts themselves are not facts; you need to consider whether the thoughts you are having are true and to consider whether there are any other ways to thinking about a particular situation. At first this can be a real challenge: we often believe what we think and don't question our own thoughts. However, often our thinking is biased, and with perfectionism it can be biased towards thinking too negatively and harshly about yourself.
What are your values?
When reflecting on your personal value it is to useful to know what your values are.
Values serve as motivators to perform certain behaviours and guide decisions. Upholding your values is personally important and you respect these values in other people. Values give meaning to actions, and living in a way that is congruent with your values helps give meaning to life.
This list provides a starting point when thinking about which values are relevant to you. Use this as a reference when completing the next activity.
Values are not goals, and so cannot be achieved. For example, kindness may be a value you aspire to, but performing a single kind act (e.g. helping the little old lady cross the street) does not mean you have fulfilled the goal of 'kindness' and can stop acting in a way that is kind. The process is ongoing and cultivates a mentality which is motivating without being goal-oriented.
Acceptance
Achievement
Advancement
Adventure
Affection
Altruism
Artistry
Awareness
Beauty
Caring
Challenge
Change
Community
Compassion
Competence
Completion
Connectedness
Consciousness
Cooperation
Collaboration
Country
Creativity
Decisiveness
Democracy
Design
Discovery
Diversity
Environmental Awareness
Economic Security
Education
Effectiveness
Efficiency
Elegance
Entertainment
Enlightenment
Entrepreneurship
Equality
Ethics
Excellence
Excitement
Experiment
Expertise
Exhilaration
Fairness
Fame
Family
Forgiveness
Freedom
Friendship
Fun
Grace
Growth
Generosity
Happiness
Harmony
Health
Helpfulness
Honesty
Humour
Imagination
Improvement
Independence
Influencing Others
Inner Harmony
Inspiration
Integrity
Intellect
Involvement
Knowledge
Leadership
Learning
Loyalty
Magnificence
Making a Difference
Mastery
Meaningful Work
Ministering
Morality
Mystery
Nature
Openness
Originality
Order
Passion
Peace
Personal Development
Personal Expression
Planning
Play
Pleasure
Power
Privacy
Purity
The next activity will help you identify values that are meaningful to you and can be added to your self-worth pie chart.
Quality
Radiance
Recognition
Relationships
Religion
Reputation
Responsibility
Risk Safety & Security
Self-Respect
Sensibility
Sensuality
Serenity
Service
Sexuality
Sophistication
Spark
Speculation
Spirituality
Stability
Status
Success
Teaching
Tenderness
Thrill
Unity
Variety
Wealth
Wisdom