Compassionate Love Blog: Displaying compassion for those who struggle with mental illness   (c)2017  Nancy Virden, Always the Fight Ministries

What does honor look like?  

Most of us know it when we see it. Honor is courageous in harm’s way. It practices priorities despite temptations to settle for instant gratification.  Honor is honest when it is painful, and hesitates to make a promise because it will be, you know, honored.  The basic truism about honor is it values other people. 

Does that mean it is dishonorable to consider one’s own value?

We have all met braggarts who bellow and try to commandeer respect. Gossipers often want to make themselves look good by putting others down. Those behaviors are not honorable, but self-centered. Generally, people who engage in them are perceived as jerks.

What does it mean to honor yourself? 

• Honor your boundaries. You cannot control what other people choose to do. However, refusing maltreatment is one way to honor yourself.
• Get your basic needs met.  Developing a safe support system and using it will satisfy many emotional needs. Physical self-care too honors your body. 
• Choose kind self-talk. Defending your value and speaking with respect are ways to be courteous to yourself. 
• Treat yourself.  What nice, healthy gift can you offer to you? 
• Praise yourself for a job well done. Admit when you make progress, but most of this is to be kept to yourself. Develop the character trait of humility.
• Honoring ourselves includes honoring our values, because no one likes a phony, especially if that phony is in the mirror. 

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NOTE: I am not a doctor or mental health professional. I speak only from personal experiences with and observations of mental illness. In no way is this website intended to substitute for professional mental health care.