This is the final part of my series about managing our mental health. The first two parts covered three personality traits: Resilience, Empathy and Appreciation. This final part is about Loyalty.

When we think about loyalty it is usually towards other individuals such as a partner/family or with organisations involving groups of people. But we also need self loyalty. 

Self loyalty is important. If you can’t be loyal to yourself how can you be loyal to others? There are plenty of ideas about how to be loyal to yourself and I have selected a few:

1. Know your core beliefs. What are the values by which you want to live your life?

2. Learn about yourself. Are you living your life true to your values?

3. Choose yourself. Practice putting your needs first. Realise this not selfish behaviour; it’s self preservation.

4. Set Boundaries. Explain these to others and gain their respect.

5. Practice Personal Integrity. Don’t compromise on your self beliefs and values. 

6. Make yourself a priority and going back to your roots is not something you should be ashamed of doing.

Practising self loyalty helps improve your self esteem and self respect which have beneficial effects on your mental health.                                           

(Thanks to Trust2Change)

Of course you also need to be loyal to other people or things in your life. Others will respect your loyalty. Being with others who have similar loyalties is good for your mental health. It breeds a sense of belonging. However we must be wary of ‘blind loyalty’. It can put you in situations where you find yourself compromising your values or losing your identity. 

Conclusions 

Fragile mental health is something we must learn to live with. So I am repeating what I said at the beginning of Part One. We need to have acceptance and then we need to manage our lives through the bad times. 

In this long three part Post I have chosen four personality traits that I think help in managing your mental health. You can almost certainly think of others. 

You may consider all this is not for you but I feel sure there is an element of real support in this method based on:

                    Resilience

                    Empathy

                    Appreciation

                    Loyalty

Now you have a real opportunity to voice your opinion.

Teg

A Moodscope member