From Trauma to Triumph: How Percy the “PTSD” Platypus Uses Mindset Rule 18 to Stay Grounded

It started like any other downtown afternoon. I was walking back with a diet soda — book in one hand, Mental Health Warrior Challenge Coins jingling in my pocket — when I heard someone mutter behind me:

“Handle the Whole day? I barely made it across the street without flinching at a squirrel.”

I turned and saw Percy the “PTSD” Platypus.

He nodded, his eyes carrying the kind of weight that says he had seen some things. “Marvin sent me. He said you deal with PTSD too… thought you might understand.”

“I do,” I said. “Mine came from years as an EMT in high school and college. I saw people die too young. I wasn’t ready.”

Percy’s expression shifted. “Mine started in a desert halfway across the world. And now? I hear it again as an EMT. You don’t forget certain sounds. Smells. The way adrenaline rewires your brain.”

Different wars. Same battlefield upstairs.

He gave a faint smirk. “Marvin says I should talk to someone who knows what it’s like to flinch at sirens and still want to find joy.”

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The Warrior Solution

I told Percy my story — how for 20 years I battled Bipolar, Alcoholism, Anxiety Disorders and PTSD. How that struggle left me feeling so powerless that I tried to end my life.

“But in that darkness,” I said, “I realized something I hadn’t understood before — mental health is the key to overcoming any challenge.”

With that knowledge, I created the Mental Health Warrior Program — a bold SELF-HELP approach that puts YOU in charge.

“And a big part of taking charge,” I told Percy, “is building a stronger mindset. That’s why I wrote 53 Mindset Rules of a Mental Health Warrior.”

“They’re not rules in the traditional sense. They’re tools. Daily reminders that steady your emotions and help you stay in control of your day.”

Then I opened the book to one rule that has helped me more than almost anything:

Mindset Rule 18 — Focus three feet in front of you, with occasional glances up to ensure you’re on track to your destination.

“It sounds simple,” I said. “But it cuts through the noise PTSD throws into your brain. It keeps you grounded and focused on what’s right in front of you — not trapped in yesterday or spiraling about tomorrow.”

Percy read it again and nodded. “I like that. Three feet is manageable. The past… not so much.”

“Exactly,” I said. “Three feet is today. It’s the next breath. The next step. You don’t ignore the past. You don’t obsess over the future. You move forward — deliberately.”

I paused. “Here are three ways I use it every day.”

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Example 1: Start the Day Three Feet at a Time

“When I wake up and feel the fog starting to roll in,” I said, “I ground myself — feet on the floor, slow breathing and one small action.

Sometimes I clean the kitchen. Sometimes I journal. I don’t try to conquer the whole day. I focus on what’s three feet ahead. That’s enough to shift the momentum.”

Because when you live with PTSD, mornings can arrive loud. Your nervous system wakes up already scanning for danger. A simple reset routine tells your brain something different:

You’re safe. You’re here. You’re in control.

By narrowing your focus to one small, doable task, you interrupt the spiral before it builds.

You anchor yourself in the present before the past barges in.

Percy’s Takeaway:

Percy scratched his bill thoughtfully. “So… focus on the first action. I can do that. Every morning I feed my fish.

Maybe I start naming the emotion while I do it. ‘Hello, dread. Here’s your breakfast.’”

“Exactly,” I laughed. “Make it a positive ritual. Something steady. Something yours.”

Percy nodded. “Then instead of waking up and fighting the whole day at once, I just feed the fish, name what I’m feeling and take the next three-foot step.”

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Example 2: One Step Up the Mountain

“I used to overwhelm myself,” I said. “Trying to fix everything at once. Solve the whole day before it even started. Now I plan three feet at a time — maybe 90 minutes ahead.”

With PTSD, even ordinary tasks can feel enormous. Your brain scans for threats while you’re just trying to answer emails. Big-picture thinking turns into big-pressure thinking.

So I shrink the frame.

Ninety minutes. One task. One clear focus.

That shift quiets the internal alarm and builds momentum — one steady step at a time.

Percy’s Takeaway:

Percy nodded. “I started a woodworking project last week. Got mad halfway through and nearly smashed it.

Maybe I focus on sanding one side at a time. ‘Operation: Smooth Left Panel.’”

He smirked. “Small missions. Achievable objectives.”

“Now you’re speaking my language,” I grinned. “That’s Warrior strategy.”

Percy glanced down at his paws and nodded. “So instead of fighting the whole mountain, I just climb the next three feet.”

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Example 3: Three Feet Through the Flashback

“When a flashback hits,” I said, “it feels like I’m right back in the worst moment — heart racing, senses hijacked. That’s when I lean on Mindset Rule 18.”

I slow it down and focus three feet ahead.

Not the past. Not the whole day. Just right here. Right now.

“I touch something near me — a table, my Mental Health Warrior Challenge Coin.

Something solid. Then I breathe and say, ‘I’m safe. I’m here.’”

It’s like grabbing a mental rope and pulling myself back from the edge.

Percy’s Takeaway:

Percy nodded slowly. “There’s a sound that used to trigger me. I’d freeze — body tense, mind gone.”

He reached into his pocket. “Marvin gave me one of your Warrior coins. Never thought to use it like that… but I can hold it. Focus three feet ahead. Remind myself I’m not back there. I’m here.”

“That’s exactly it,” I said. “We use the present as our anchor — and the rule as our compass.”

Three feet of clarity at a time. That’s how we take our power back.

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Wrap up

Before we parted ways, I handed Percy a copy of 53 Mindset Rules of a Mental Health Warrior.

He held it carefully — like it was a field manual for the next chapter of his life.

“You know,” he said, flipping back to Mindset Rule 18, “for a book without camouflage, this might be the most useful gear I’ve carried.”

I smiled. “It’s helped me learn to respect each day — especially for those who didn’t get another one.”

He nodded slowly. “I lost a few brothers overseas. I get it.”

We bumped fists — or, technically, bill and fist.

Because whether PTSD came from a battlefield, a backroad ambulance run or any trauma life throws our way, one thing remains true: Trauma doesn’t get the final word. We do.

So if your struggles threaten to overwhelm you, do not try to fight the whole battle at once.

Use Mindset Rule 18 to take one steady action forward. That is how Mental Health Warriors turn trauma into triumph — three feet at a time.

Bruce Schutter ⚔️

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