Our Community Values – 4 Important Guiding Principles

At the I-Engage Community, we use four main community values to guide what we do and how we communicate. They are: Kindness, Empowerment, Well-Being, and Perseverance.

Embodying our guiding values allows us to interact with each other in a helpful, productive way. In this article, you can learn more about what each value means.

Before reading on, consider visiting our Community Guidelines. They briefly mention the I-Engage Community values, but also go into depth about how members should act in the community to ensure this is a safe space for everyone.

1. Kindness – Be nice

Firstly, treating each other with kindness is a must in this community. You each have enough stress to deal with in your personal lives; fighting on the internet is not something you need.

We are not saying that you always have to agree with each other. There are kind ways to disagree, give criticism, or provide feedback to someone. Always think to yourself: how will my comment make the other person feel; is there a nicer way to say this?

This also includes being kind to yourself!

2. Empowerment – Motivate each other

Empowering each other is one of the main functions of this community. Sometimes you need a gentle push to do the things you want to do. So, supporting one another and pushing each other to do your best is something we want to see here.

However, don’t get this mixed up with unsolicited advice. Empowerment is letting each other know that you can do whatever you set your mind to – even something as complex as managing pain. With support from others, you can hopefully believe in yourself more, too.

3. Well-Being – Help each other thrive

Support each other’s well-being, however that looks like. You’re each on your own health journey, with your own challenges and strengths. Help each other continue towards your health goals.

Well-being includes more than just physical health – it’s mental and social health, too. So, let’s foster a space where we can welcome each other without judgement.

4. Perseverance – Build resilience

Finally, this value is about inspiring each other to persevere through the challenges you face. When you live with chronic pain, it’s no question that you’ll experience difficulties. Chronic pain is one of the most difficult challenges in the human experience. Sometimes, practicing this value is just reminding someone that they will get through it.

We can help each other gain the strength and resilience to acknowledge our challenges, but still move forward. However, this is not to be confused with toxic positivity.

Conclusion

The I-Engage Community values help us work toward our community purpose together: to help make pain management easier. Creating a supportive community, where people feel welcome and safe to navigate pain their way, is important to us. The community values are a way for us to communicate how we should all behave here. Overall, let’s treat each other with respect and make this a haven for folks with chronic pain.