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Excuse 5 – Mental Health Challenges Mean I’m Weak: Marvin the "Mental Health Warrior" Cat Says Nope! 🐾

  • Writer: Bruce Schutter
    Bruce Schutter
  • 22 hours ago
  • 4 min read

Excuse 5 – Mental Health Makes Me Weak: Marvin the "Mental Health Warrior" Cat Says Nope!

There I was, standing in front of my fridge, eating cold leftovers and staring blankly into the abyss, when I heard a judgmental purr behind me.


Marvin the “Mental Health Warrior” Cat!


“You know, for someone who wrote a book called Stop the Excuses, you’re doing a fantastic job embodying Excuse 5: Mental Health Challenges Mean I’m Weak.


I turned slowly. There he was—tail twitching, eyebrows (yes, he somehow has them) arched—holding my book like it was Exhibit A in a courtroom drama.


“Remind me,” he said, flipping dramatically through the pages, “who wrote this part right here?”


“Ah yes—the ancient excuse. The myth. The baloney sandwich of belief systems.”


Yep. Busted. By Marvin. Again!

 


Let’s Recap Your Own Story, Genius

"Bruce," Marvin said, pulling out a tiny laser pointer as if giving a TED Talk, "you battled Bipolar, Alcoholism, Anxiety Disorders and PTSD for two decades. You hit rock bottom, tried to end your life as you felt powerless—and then you came back.

 

You created the Mental Health Warrior Program—a new SELF-HELP approach, designed to help everyone take charge of their emotions, overcome challenges and build the life you really want.

 

"You literally wrote the blueprint. And now you're letting an old excuse sneak back in? Just because you had a rough week and felt like a mess for a few days?"

 

I scratched my head. "It was more than a few days."

 

"Cool story," he said. "Still not a reason to forget what you taught the rest of us. So sit. Warrior class is in session."



Three Lies This Excuse Tells You

Lie 1:  "If I struggle, I must be weak."

False. Marvin pointed to the book: "Struggling means you're still in the fight. You know what’s weak? Pretending everything’s fine while you're drowning in silence."

 

Warrior Truth:

Strength is facing the hard stuff—struggling is strength in motion!

 

 

Lie 2: "Strong people don’t feel emotions."

Marvin rolled his eyes so hard they nearly left orbit. "So firefighters, medics, soldiers—they don’t feel fear or grief? Please. Real strength includes emotions."

 

Warrior Truth:

Emotional awareness = elite level toughness!

 

 

Lie 3: "Tough means silent."

"Right," Marvin scoffed. "Because bottling up everything always works so well. Remember Cereal Aisle Meltdown 2013?"

 

Warrior Truth:

Silence makes you suffer—speaking up is Warrior strength!

 


Marvin's "Laughter Tools" to Smash Excuse 5


Tool 1: The Catnip Confessional

"Picture yourself trying to look tough in front of your friends—Meanwhile, your emotions are having a rave in your gut.


Now zoom out. Imagine that moment with a dramatic soundtrack… and me narrating like David Attenborough."


“Here we observe the emotionally constipated human, attempting to suppress his feelings using stale pizza and passive-aggressive dishwashing.”


Then? Laugh! Admit what’s really going on. And talk to someone.


Preferably one who doesn’t shed on your couch.

 

 

Tool 2: Emotional Hairball Lifting

“Every time you face a tough emotion,” Marvin said, flexing his tiny imaginary biceps, “it’s like lifting a 10-lb emotional kettlebell. It builds strength.”


So next time anxiety creeps in or sadness hits hard, don’t dodge it—lift it. Sit with it. Work through it. Then walk away stronger!


Bonus points if you hiss dramatically afterward.

 


Why It’s Ok to struggle but Then Right Yourself

"Look," Marvin said, his tone softening just a whisker, "we all fall into old traps. Even the Warrior who wrote the book Stop the Excuses. But the power is in recognizing it—and choosing differently."

 

This book wasn’t written to be a trophy. It was written as a tool. To help us all:

  • Recognize the lies that hold us back

  • Laugh at the ridiculousness of them

  • And rise anyway

 

"Excuse 5," Marvin continued, "is one of the worst because it’s sneaky. It shows up when you're tired, overwhelmed, or vulnerable. It whispers, 'You should be over this by now.'


But that's not warrior talk. That's sabotage and we can smash through that!"



Your Turn to Take Action

If you've ever caught yourself thinking, "This struggle means I'm weak,"—it's time to call in your inner Marvin.


✅ Challenge that thought.

✅ Name the lie.

✅ Grab your copy of Stop the Excuses and turn to the page that proves it wrong.

 

And then? Use the tools. Laugh at the voice in your head that tells you to bottle things up. Flex your emotional muscles. And show up again.

 

Because mental health isn’t about perfection. It’s about choosing the warrior patheven when you're face-first in a struggle, forgetting your own advice!



Wrap up

Thanks to Marvin the “Mental Health Warrior” cat (the sassiest accountability coach I never asked for), I’m back on track—and reminded that even the author needs the reminder sometimes.

 

Now it’s your turn.

✅ Read the book.

✅ Stop the excuses.

✅ Take the leap forward.

 

Because Mental Health challenges don’t make you weak. Believing that lie does.

Mental Health Warriors don’t just survive—we RISE!

 



Bruce Schutter



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