It was a perfectly ordinary Tuesday morning when I had a revelation: I, Bruce Schutter, needed to get out of my own way if I was ever going to become a true Mental Health Warrior. Sounds straightforward, right? But trust me, there’s nothing simple about arguing with yourself in the mirror at 7:30 a.m., trying to convince your reflection that yes, you can win the battle for your mental health.
For over 20 years, I struggled with Bipolar, Alcoholism, Anxiety Disorders, and PTSD. When you’re living with those challenges, there’s this relentless little voice in your head that loves to stir up trouble. “You can’t do this,” it sneers. “You’re a mess—better to let someone else deal with it!” That voice didn’t just plant seeds of doubt; it built entire mental roadblocks, one after another. I found myself doubting my ability to handle my own mental health, make decisions, or even trust myself to find the right path. Instead of taking charge, I watched from the sidelines as my challenges ran the show.
Eventually, things got so dark that I hit rock bottom—I felt completely powerless and tried to end my life. But with a second chance, I had a life-changing realization: Mental health is the key to triumphing over any challenge in life.
The very struggles that had controlled me for so long became the fuel for something new. That’s when I created the Mental Health Warrior Program, a SELF-HELP approach designed to help people take control of their mental health and triumph over life’s challenges.
And do you know what step one was? The simplest yet most empowering step: Get Out of Your Own Way!
I had to stop letting that inner voice dictate my actions. I had to tear down the mental roadblocks I’d been building for years. I had to trust myself again—not blindly, but by proving to myself, little by little, that I was capable of being in control. That’s when I realized this journey wasn’t about waiting for the perfect moment or someone else to fix things for me. It was about taking that first empowering step: letting myself be in charge.
Running into Winnie the Pooh
With this newfound determination, I decided to get out of the house and clear my mind. As I strolled through the park, who should I see but Winnie the Pooh himself, sitting on a bench and looking more glum than I’d ever seen him. His honey jar sat untouched beside him—a rare sight indeed.
“Pooh, you okay?” I asked gently. He looked up, managing a weak smile. “Oh, Bruce, it’s just everything. The news, all the uncertainty, and sometimes… well, I’m stuck struggling with my mental health and I can’t seem to move forward.”
I sat down beside him. “Pooh, I know exactly how that feels. I used to feel stuck too—like no matter what I did, I couldn’t move forward. That’s why I created the Mental Health Warrior Program. And a powerful first step on your warrior journey is to get out of your own way.”
“Get out of my own way?” Pooh asked, scratching his head. “How do I do that?”
I smiled. “Let me explain. It starts with three simple steps.”
Step 1: The Mind Games I Played with Myself
Imagine you’re a novice driver in a city you’ve never been to before. You’re gripping the steering wheel, and every single road sign is screaming, “Don’t go here!” “Turn back!” and “Do you even know what you’re doing?!” That was my mental landscape. If a thought looked remotely like confidence, my mind’s defense team quickly built a 10-foot wall around it, installed floodlights, and topped it off with barbed wire for good measure.
The Mental Health Warrior Program’s first Step—Get Out of Your Own Way—demanded that I actually challenge that inner security system. But honestly, it felt like I’d issued myself a legal summons. I was Bruce Schutter, not exactly Iron Man, and now I was supposed to take down the Iron Curtain of self-doubt? Yeah, right.
But here’s the twist: it worked, bit by bit. The self-help approach meant I had to show up for myself every day, even if it was just to move one brick from that wall. And as I chipped away, I realized that my fear was just that—a wall made of flimsy, unfounded fear.
Pooh’s Takeaway:
“Well,” Pooh began thoughtfully, “sometimes I stand at the edge of the Hundred Acre Wood, looking at a sign that says something like, ‘No Honey Beyond This Point.’ And, truth be told, I usually think, ‘Oh bother, better not risk it.’ But if I were to get out of my own way, I’d take just one step beyond that sign. Perhaps I’d discover a lovely patch of clover that leads to a fresh honeycomb—oh, what a reward that would be!
Pooh continued, tapping his head, “it’s not so much about the sign or what’s beyond it; it’s about not letting my own doubts stop me. If I take just one small step forward, I might find something wonderful. And if I don’t, well, at least I’d know I tried. Bit by bit, with each step, I’d realize those big, scary signs in my head aren’t always telling the truth. And the more I do it, the more I’d believe I can handle whatever lies ahead.”
Step 2: Trusting Myself – A Comedy of Errors
The next step? Trust myself. Ah, yes, trusting myself—that sounded about as realistic as me auditioning for Cirque du Soleil. Why trust my decisions when I had 20 years of “what-was-I-thinking” moments? My mind was a curious place where every thought was under suspicion. I could barely decide if I wanted coffee or tea without wondering if I was making a grave life error.
But the Mental Health Warrior Program’s self-help approach taught me something radical: trusting myself didn’t mean making perfect choices every time. It meant giving myself permission to make choices, period. Whether those choices were “right” or “wrong” was beside the point. The act of choosing was the point because each choice was a step toward building my own mental autonomy.
So, I decided to practice this newfound trust with the most critical of choices: picking a sandwich at lunch. Turkey or ham? My inner critic yelled, “Ham is a disaster! Turkey’s way better!” But then I thought, “Is there really a bad choice here?” I bit into the ham with shaky confidence, and guess what? My sandwich choice didn’t trigger an existential crisis, after all. Turns out, the world didn’t end because I made a decision. Score one for Bruce.
Pooh’s Takeaway:
“Well,” said Pooh, scratching his chin thoughtfully, “trusting myself has always been a bit tricky. For instance, when it’s time to choose between two jars of honey, I’ll often sit there for ages, thinking, ‘What if this one isn’t as sweet? What if that one is too runny?’ It feels terribly important, you know, to get it just right. But then, I end up so stuck in my thinking that I miss out on simply enjoying the honey I already have.
“But now, I’m starting to see that trusting myself doesn’t mean I’ll always pick the perfect honey. It means I can make a choice, and even if it’s not the sweetest jar in the Wood, I’ll be okay. In fact, I’ve realized that making the choice is better than sitting there worrying about it forever. From now on, I’ll tell myself, ‘Pooh, you’ve got this. Choose a jar, enjoy the honey, and if it’s not perfect, there’s always another jar to try tomorrow!’”
Step 3: Battling the Roadblocks
Now that I had cracked the code on getting out of my own way and trusting myself, the real fun began: dealing with the pesky roadblocks my mind would throw up whenever things got tricky.
For example, I’d sit down to start a new project or do something important, and without fail, that familiar whisper would begin, “What if this doesn’t work? Maybe you should wait for a better time.”
Ah, the old “wait until later” tactic—a classic in the handbook of procrastination.
One day, as I sat with a pen in my hand, poised to write something for the program, that voice popped up again, warning me to double-check everything for the 10th time. But instead of following it, I looked it square in the metaphorical eye and said, “Not today.” I wrote, I stumbled over words, and some sentences looked like they’d been thrown into a blender—but I kept going. Because the program’s approach wasn’t about being flawless; it was about moving forward.
It was incredibly freeing to know I had the power to simply move forward, imperfectly but purposefully, no longer bound by those mental roadblocks!
Pooh’s Takeaway:
“Well,” said Pooh, tilting his head thoughtfully, “roadblocks are something I know a bit about. For instance, when I go to help Rabbit in the garden, I sometimes stand there thinking, ‘What if I dig in the wrong spot? What if I accidentally step on a carrot?’ And then, instead of helping, I just stand there, holding a spade and worrying about every little thing. By the time I start digging, Rabbit’s already finished half the work himself.
“But now I see it’s not about doing things perfectly—it’s about doing something. Next time, I’ll remind myself, ‘Pooh, you’re here to help, not to overthink.’ Even if I dig up a potato instead of a carrot, at least I’ll have moved forward and been useful to a friend. And that’s what being a Mental Health Warrior is about, isn’t it? Avoiding or not creating roadblocks and just keeping on moving forward, no matter how tricky it seems.”
Conclusion: Embracing the First Step as a Mental Health Warrior
As I left the park that day, Pooh waved me off with his usual cheer, “You’re a Mental Health Warrior, Bruce!” His words lingered, a simple but powerful reminder of the journey we’re all on. Becoming a Mental Health Warrior isn’t about waiting for someone else to solve our problems—it’s about taking that first, empowering step: Getting Out of Our Own Way!
Pooh’s ability to simplify my warrior journey captured the essence of what I’ve learned: no one else can move us forward; we have to do it ourselves. It starts with trusting our ability to navigate life’s challenges, even when things feel uncertain or wobbly.
The Mental Health Warrior Program isn’t a quick fix; it’s a lifelong commitment to embracing the warrior path of self-help and living a life where YOU are in charge—not your challenges!
So, whether it’s choosing a turkey sandwich or making a life-altering decision, remember this: you’re the one holding the reins. Trust yourself, take action, and keep moving forward. And as you do, always carry this warrior wisdom into each day: “Get Out of Your Own Way!”
Bruce Schutter
Creator of Mental Health Warrior Program and Challenge Coin
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