Excuse 5: “Mental Health Challenges Mean I’m Weak” — Marvin the "Mental Health Warrior" Cat Crushes That Myth!
- Bruce Schutter
- Oct 21
- 5 min read
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 Excuse 5: Mental Health Challenges Mean I’m Weak.”
Yep. Busted. By Marvin. Again.
Let’s Recap Your Own Story, Genius
“Bruce,” Marvin said, pulling out a tiny laser pointer like he was about to give a TED Talk, “you battled Bipolar, Alcoholism, Anxiety Disorders and PTSD for two decades. You hit rock bottom, tried to end your life because you felt powerless. But that dark time you realized something life-changing: mental health is the key to overcoming any challenge.”
He began pacing dramatically. “Armed with that knowledge, you created the Mental Health Warrior Program — a new bold SELF-HELP approach that puts YOU in charge! So you can take charge of your emotions, triumph over challenges and build the life you really want.”
He stopped, flicked his tail, and pointed the laser pointer straight at me. “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 sighed. “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.”
Struggle doesn’t mean failure — it means growth in progress. Every Warrior hits walls; the difference is we keep moving, even when it’s slow, messy, or painful. Struggling is proof that you care enough to keep showing up.
Warrior Truth: Struggling isn’t weakness — it’s 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.”
Suppressing emotions doesn’t make you strong; it makes you stuck. True Warriors feel deeply — and then use those emotions as fuel to make better choices, connect with others, and heal faster. Emotional awareness is how you stay human and powerful.
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?”
Silence isn’t stoicism — it’s self-sabotage. Holding everything in doesn’t protect you; it isolates you. Real Warriors know when to speak, share, and ask for help — because strength isn’t about hiding pain, it’s about facing it out loud.
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 all tough in front of your friends — meanwhile your emotions are throwing a full-blown disco in your gut.”
Marvin smirked. “Now zoom out. Add slow-motion. Cue dramatic movie music. And imagine me narrating like David Attenborough.”
‘Here we see the emotionally constipated human, attempting to suppress feelings with leftover pizza and passive-aggressive dishwashing.’
That’s your cue to stop pretending and start laughing. Humor breaks the tension — it’s your emotional pressure-release valve.
Then, once you’ve laughed at the absurdity of bottling it all up, do the Warrior thing: admit what’s really going on and talk to someone. Preferably someone who listens … and doesn’t shed on your couch.
Tool 2: Emotional Hairball Lifting
“Every time you face a tough emotion,” Marvin said, flexing imaginary biceps, “you’re basically bench-pressing your feelings. That’s emotional strength training, Warrior-style.”
Think of anxiety, sadness, or frustration as emotional dumbbells — annoying to pick up, but every rep builds resilience.
So when that next emotional hairball starts forming, don’t swallow it — lift it. Sit with the feeling. Acknowledge it. Work through it. Then drop it like a mic and walk away stronger!
Bonus points if you hiss dramatically afterward.
It’s Ok to Struggle
“Look,” Marvin said, his tone softening just a whisker, “we all fall into old traps. Even the Warrior who wrote Stop the Excuses. But the power isn’t in never slipping up — it’s in recognizing it, laughing about it and choosing differently.”
He flicked his tail for emphasis. “That book wasn’t written to sit on a shelf like a trophy. It was written as a tool — a reminder that progress is messy, funny and entirely human.”
Marvin paced, eyes narrowed. “Excuse 5 is one of the worst because it’s sneaky. It doesn’t shout — it whispers. It creeps in when you’re tired, overwhelmed, or doubting yourself. It says, ‘You should be over this by now.’”
He paused, whiskers twitching. “But that’s not Warrior talk — that’s sabotage. And we’re not falling for it. Not today.”
Wrap Up
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 flip to the page that proves it wrong.
Then? Use the tools. Laugh at the voice in your head that tells you to bottle things up. Flex your emotional muscles. Show up again — wobbly, real and ready.
Because mental health isn’t about perfection. It’s about choosing the Warrior path — even when you’re face-first in the struggle, forgetting your own advice.
Marvin padded over, tail high. “See?” he said, smirking. “Even the author needs a reminder sometimes. Good thing you wrote the book that reminds everyone — including you.”
He’s right (don’t tell him that). Thanks to Marvin — the sassiest accountability coach I never asked for — I’m back on track, reminded that Warriors stumble, but we never stop.
So next time you’re struggling, don’t hide behind excuses — break through them. Pick up your tools, reach out and take one Warrior step forward!
Bruce Schutter
Every day is a chance to choose strength — because YOU'RE IN CHARGE!
Comments