Even if you are very conservative there will be occasions when you need to take some element of risk. So you will need courage.

If we think about people being courageous, those in the armed services usually come into our minds. But we need courage in our everyday lives particularly to help our mental health.

This topic came into my mind as I was reading about Chris Hoy, the Olympic cyclist, who recently announced he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Like many other people I was overwhelmed by his courage in discussing his illness, treatment and how his life had changed. He spoke about managing his physical medical conditions but also how his mental health had been affected.

According to Dragana Djukic an experienced psychotherapist who works in London there are 6 recognised types of courage: 

- Physical  Courage - feeling fear yet choosing to act. Involves bravery at the risk of bodily harm or death.

- Emotional  Courage - following your heart. Feeling the full spectrum of emotions, pleasant and unpleasant, without attachment.

- Intellectual Courage - expanding our horizons, letting go of the familiar.

- Social Courage - to be yourself in the face of adversity. Involves the risk of embarrassment or exclusion.

- Moral Courage - standing up for what is right even when it is uncomfortable or unpopular.   

Personally I think it takes courage to:

1  Maintain personal values/principles.

2  Accept how physical and mental health symptoms affect your life and to manage them to enable an enjoyable life to be followed.

3  Share feelings and show vulnerability.

4  Seek support, for example, psychotherapy.

Specifically relating to MH Jeremy Godwin (counsellor and therapist) said:

“Courage is going within and shining a light on all the things you might not have been able to admit, even to yourself. It’s about finding the strength to talk about things if you’re struggling because the more you talk about it the easier it gets. Opening up to someone else might feel uncomfortable or even terrifying but it’s how we create a foundation of truth and it’s how we tackle the stuff that feels difficult. Holding it in does no good; you need to let it out to get it out.”

Courage is obviously an important personality trait so what can be done to nurture it? Here are some ideas:

- Acknowledge your fear. Courage is about overcoming fear not eliminating it. You can start by naming your fears and planning how to address the consequences of your actions. 

- Start small. You can practice being courageous in small ways to get used to it.

- Make it a habit. Doing something brave every day can help.

- Embrace failure. Failure is part of the process of becoming more courageous.

- Use positive self talk.

- Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. 

- Clarify your values.

I would love to hear about situations where you have shown courage.

So have you got the courage to manage the bad times (and enjoy the good times)?

Teg

A Moodscope member