Get Out of Your Own Way: Winnie the Pooh Learns the First Step of a Mental Health Warrior

One perfectly ordinary Tuesday morning, I had a revelation: if I wanted to unlock the full power of being a Mental Health Warrior — I had to stop getting in my own way!

Sounds simple, right? But try convincing your reflection at 7:30 a.m. that you’re strong enough to win the battle for your mental health. Not so easy.

To clear my head, I took a stroll through the park and who should I see but Winnie the Pooh himself — sitting on a bench, looking more glum than I’d ever seen him. His honey jar sat untouched beside him, which is practically a crisis in the Hundred Acre Wood.

“Pooh, you okay?” I asked gently.

He looked up, managing a small, sad smile. “Oh, Bruce… it’s just everything. The news, all the uncertainty, and sometimes… well… I’m struggling with my mental health and I can’t seem to move forward.”

I sat beside him. “Pooh, I know exactly how that feels. I used to be stuck too — like no matter what I did, I couldn’t get myself moving. That’s why I created the Mental Health Warrior Program.”

I leaned in. “And the first powerful step on your Warrior journey is this: Get out of your own way.”

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My Warrior Backstory

I know this struggle all too well. For over 20 years, I battled Bipolar, Alcoholism, Anxiety Disorders and PTSD. That relentless inner voice wasn’t just planting doubts — it was building full roadblocks. “You can’t do this,” it sneered. “You’re a mess — let someone else handle life!”

And I believed it. Instead of taking charge, I stood on the sidelines while my struggles ran the show.

Eventually, things got so dark I hit rock bottom. I felt completely powerless and even tried to end my life. But in that darkest moment, I discovered something life-changing: mental health is the key to triumphing over any challenge.

The very struggles that controlled me for years became the fuel for something new. That’s when I created the Mental Health Warrior Program — a bold new SELF-HELP approach that puts YOU in charge. With it, you can take control of your emotions, rise above challenges and build the life you really want!

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The Warrior's First Step

And do you know what the first step was? The simplest yet most empowering one: 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. And I had to learn to trust myself again — not blindly, but by proving, little by little, that I was capable of being in control.

That’s why I wrote I Triumphed over Bipolar, Alcoholism, and Anxiety Disorder by Becoming a Mental Health Warrior. It’s the blueprint for getting started — a step-by-step guide to help you take action, break down your own roadblocks and begin trusting yourself again.

Because the first step isn’t just about knowing what to do. It’s about having the courage — and the tools — to actually do it.

I smiled. “It’s easier than it sounds, Pooh. Let me show you three simple steps to help you take action.”

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Step 1: Shut Down the Mind Games

Imagine you’re a new driver in a city you’ve never been to. You’re gripping the wheel, and every sign is shouting: “Wrong way!” “Turn back!” “Do you even know what you’re doing?!”

That was my mind. Anytime I started to think confidently, my brain’s security system went berserk — throwing up 10-foot walls, floodlights, sirens and barbed wire like it was building Fort Knox around my insecurities.

The first step in the Mental Health Warrior Program — Get Out of Your Own Way — meant challenging that system. But honestly? It felt like someone handed me a legal summons to take on my own thoughts. I was Bruce Schutter, not Iron Man — and I was supposed to take down the Iron Curtain of self-doubt? Yeah, okay.

But here’s the twist: it worked. Bit by bit.

The Warrior approach wasn’t about bulldozing the wall in a day. It was about showing up for myself daily — even if all I did was move one brick. And as I chipped away, I realized that giant, intimidating wall wasn’t steel at all. It was fear. Just flimsy, unfounded fear.

Pooh’s Takeaway:

“Well,” Pooh began, “sometimes I stand at the edge of the Hundred Acre Wood and see a sign that says, ‘No Honey Beyond This Point.’ And, truth be told, I used to think, ‘Oh, bother… better not risk it.’”

Pooh tapped his head thoughtfully. “But it’s not about avoiding what’s ahead. It’s about stopping the mind games and taking the first step anyway. Every time I do, something new and wonderful shows up. And each step makes me braver.”

He smiled softly. “And the more I believe in myself, the more I know there’s always something good waiting just beyond where I used to stop.”

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Step 2: Learn to Trust Yourself

The next step? Trust myself. Ah yes — trusting myself. That sounded about as realistic as me auditioning for Cirque du Soleil. Why should I trust my decisions when I had twenty years’ worth of “What was I thinking?” moments?

But the Mental Health Warrior Program’s SELF-HELP approach taught me something radical: trusting myself didn’t mean making perfect choices. It meant allowing myself to make choices — period.

Whether those choices were “right” or “wrong” didn’t matter. The act of choosing was the victory, because every choice was a step toward reclaiming my mental autonomy.

So I decided to test this new trust in the most heroic way possible: picking a sandwich at lunch. Turkey or ham?

My inner critic panicked. “Ham is a disaster! Turkey is the only sane option!” But then I paused and asked myself, “Is there really a bad choice here?”

With shaky confidence, I took a bite of the ham — and guess what? No existential crisis .No catastrophic fallout. Just a sandwich.

Turns out the world didn’t end because I made a decision. Score one for Bruce!

Pooh’s Takeaway:

“Well,” Pooh said, scratching his chin, “trusting myself has always been tricky. Take honey, for example. When I have two jars in front of me, I’ll sit for ages thinking, ‘What if this one isn’t sweet enough? What if that one is too runny?’ It feels terribly important to get it exactly right.”

He brightened. “But now I see trusting myself doesn’t mean picking the perfect honey. It just means letting myself choose. And choosing is much better than sitting there worrying and missing out on all the honey.”

Pooh nodded proudly. “So from now on, I’ll say, ‘Pooh, you’ve got this. Pick a jar, enjoy your honey, and if it’s not perfect — there’s always another jar tomorrow.’”

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Step 3: Don't Overthink. Just Begin.

Once I learned how to get out of my own way and trust myself, the real fun began: dealing with the pesky mental roadblocks my mind loved to throw up whenever something felt even slightly difficult.

I’d sit down to start a new project, and like clockwork, that familiar whisper would begin: “What if this doesn’t work?” “Maybe you should wait for a better time.”

Ah yes — the classic “wait until later” tactic from the official Procrastination Handbook.

One day, I sat at my desk with a pen in my hand, ready to write something for the Warrior Program. And right on cue, the voice chimed in again, urging me to double-check everything for the tenth time.

But instead of obeying, I looked it square in its metaphorical eye and said, “Not today.”

So I wrote. I stumbled. Some sentences looked like they’d been run through a blender — but I kept going.

Because the Mental Health Warrior approach isn’t about being flawless. It's about moving forward. Not overthinking. Just beginning.

Pooh’s Takeaway:

“Well,” Pooh said, tilting his head, “roadblocks are something I know quite a bit about. Like when I help Rabbit in the garden… I’ll stand there thinking, ‘What if I dig in the wrong spot? What if I step on a carrot?’”

He sighed. “And then I just stand there holding a spade, worrying about every little thing. By the time I finally begin, Rabbit’s already finished half the work!”

Pooh straightened up proudly.“Next time, I’ll remind myself, ‘Pooh, you’re here to help — not to overthink.’”

He smiled softly. “And that’s what being a Mental Health Warrior is, isn’t it? Not waiting for the perfect moment or planting roadblocks where they don’t belong… but taking a step forward, even if it feels a little tricky.”

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Wrap Up

As I stood to leave the park, I reached into my bag and handed Pooh a copy of my book, I Triumphed over Bipolar, Alcoholism, and Anxiety Disorder by Becoming a Mental Health Warrior.

“This is the blueprint, Pooh,” I said. “It’s what helped me take my first steps — and it can help you too.”

Because becoming a Mental Health Warrior isn’t about waiting for someone else to fix things. It starts with one bold step: Get out of your own way.

Pooh summed it up in the gentle, honest way only Pooh can: no one else can move us forward. We have to do that ourselves. And it begins with trusting that we can — even when life feels uncertain or wobbly.

So whether you’re choosing a turkey sandwich or making a life-changing decision, remember this:

You’re the one holding the reins. Get out of your own way. Trust yourself. And keep moving forward — one step at a time!

Bruce Schutter

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