Courage, Calm and Diet Soda: Andy the "Anxious" Aardvark’s Mental Health Warrior Poem

It all started with an email that had more typos than confidence:

“Dear Bruce, You’re cordially (and nervously) invited to attend my first ever poetry reading at Shippensburg University. I promise not to faint. Probably.

— Andy the Anxious Aardvark.”

Naturally, I cleared my schedule. When one of my Mental Health Warriors says they’re ready to share their story — and potentially hyperventilate into a microphone — you show up.

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How We Met

Andy and I met two years ago at a coffee shop near campus. He was the only aardvark I’d ever seen trying to meditate over a triple-shot espresso while Googling “Can anxiety cause anxiety?”

“Too much caffeine?” I asked.

“Too much everything,” he sighed. “Emails, expectations, existential dread… also, the barista spelled my name Andie again. I’m unraveling.”

He explained how his Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) made every day feel like a fire drill — only the alarms were invisible and never stopped. He worried about everything: deadlines, weather patterns, whether other aardvarks liked him and if the coffee beans were ethically sourced.

He’d reached a breaking point. His friends were exhausted, his sleep was wrecked and his life was one long panic playlist.

That’s when I told him my story — my twenty-year fight with Bipolar, Alcoholism, Anxiety Disorders and PTSD — which left me feeling so powerless that I tried to end my life. But in that dark time, I discovered something life-changing: mental health is the key to overcoming any challenge.

Armed with that knowledge, I created the Mental Health Warrior Program — a bold new SELF-HELP approach that puts YOU in charge!

“I stopped trying to avoid emotions,” I said. “Instead, I learned how to lead them. That’s what being a Warrior is about — courage in chaos.”

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Becoming a Warrior

A few weeks later, Andy read my book I Triumphed Over Bipolar, Alcoholism, and Anxiety Disorder by Becoming a Mental Health Warrior.

He called me the next day, his voice trembling with excitement. “Bruce, I think I get it now. My emotions aren’t enemies — they’re messengers. I’ve been trying to silence them instead of listening.”

He traded panic for purpose!

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The Poetry Reading

When I arrived at the Shippensburg student union, the place was packed. Students filled every seat, some holding notebooks, others clutching emotional-support lattes.

Andy stood at the podium, tail trembling but head held high. His bowtie was crooked, his notecards slightly bent — but the Warrior glint in his eyes was unmistakable.

He cleared his throat, took a long sip of Diet Soda (his “confidence elixir”), and began.

Andy’s Poem — “Emotions: The Key to Life”

I used to fear my feelings,

Like strangers in the dark —

Heart racing, thoughts pacing,

My calm reduced to spark.

Each worry was a wildfire,

Each doubt a tidal wave,

I built walls to keep them out,

But those walls became my grave.

Then I met a Warrior

Who said, “Feelings aren’t the foe.

They’re guides, not guards —

They teach you where to go.”

So I stopped running from sadness,

And let courage walk beside.

I made peace with my panic,

Invited calm to ride.

Now I breathe through the chaos,

Sip Diet Soda with grace —

Anxiety still visits,

But it no longer runs the place.

Emotions are the colors

That paint the world I see —

To avoid them is to vanish,

To feel them is to be free!

When he finished, the room was silent — the good kind of silence, the “something just hit me” kind. Then came the applause.

It started softly, then grew into a standing ovation that shook the student union. Even the vending machines seemed to cheer.

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Three Lessons Andy Shared

When the crowd finally quieted, Andy smiled and said, “Before I go — three lessons from an anxious aardvark turned Mental Health Warrior.”

Emotions are information, not threats.

• “They’re the world’s oldest communication system. Listen before responding.”

  
  

Avoiding emotions doesn’t protect you — it imprisons you.

• “When I tried to avoid anxiety, I avoided living. Facing my feelings gave me freedom.”

Courage isn’t calm — it’s movement in spite of chaos.

• “Every time I pick up my Warrior Coin and take one deep breath, I prove I’m stronger than my fear.”

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Wrap Up

As the applause thundered again, Andy reached into his messenger bag and began handing out copies of I Triumphed Over Bipolar, Alcoholism, and Anxiety Disorder by Becoming a Mental Health Warrior.

“This is the book that changed my life,” he said. “It helped me understand that emotions aren’t proof of weakness — they’re proof that I’m alive.”

Students lined up to thank him. One whispered, “I thought I was the only one who felt this way.” Another asked if he could start a Warrior Writing Circle on campus. Andy beamed, tail flicking with pride.

If you’re like Andy — overwhelmed by emotions, ruled by anxiety and tired of feeling at war with your own mind — this is your sign to take back your power.

Pick up the book.

Grab your Mental Health Warrior Coin.

Start your journey — TODAY.

Because courage, calm and maybe a little Diet Soda are all you really need to rise! 

Bruce Schutter

Every day is a chance to choose strength — because YOU'RE IN CHARGE!