Get Out of Your Own Way: Winnie the Pooh and the Mental Health Warrior’s First Step
- Bruce Schutter
- Mar 18
- 7 min read
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 own reflection at 7:30 a.m. that you’re strong enough to win the battle for your mental health.
For over 20 years, I battled Bipolar, Alcoholism, Anxiety Disorders, and PTSD. That relentless inner voice wasn’t just planting doubt—it was building entire roadblocks. “You can’t do this,” it sneered. “You’re a mess—better to let someone else deal with it!” I started believing it. Instead of taking charge, I stood on the sidelines, watching as my struggles ran the show.
Then 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 the realization that changed everything: 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 groundbreaking SELF-HELP approach designed to help people take control of their emotions and triumph over life’s challenges.
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. I had to trust myself again—not blindly, but by proving, little by little, that I was capable of being in control.
This journey wasn’t about waiting for the perfect moment or for someone else to fix things. It started with a single, powerful step: trusting myself again—one small victory at a time.
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!’”
I smiled. “It’s easier than it sounds, Pooh. Let me show you—three simple steps to help you take action!”
Step 1: Shut Down the Mind Games
Imagine you’re a new driver in a city you’ve never been to before. You’re gripping the steering wheel, and every road sign is screaming, “Wrong way!” “Turn back!” and “Do you even know what you’re doing?!”
That was my mental landscape. Anytime I dared to think confidently, my mind’s security system went into overdrive—throwing up 10-foot walls, installing floodlights, and topping everything off with barbed wire for good measure.
The first step in the Mental Health Warrior Program—Get Out of Your Own Way—meant challenging that security system. But honestly, it felt like I’d just handed myself a legal summons to appear in court. I was Bruce Schutter, not 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 wasn’t about bulldozing the wall overnight. It was about showing up for myself every day, even if all I did was move one single brick. And as I chipped away, I realized something: that massive, intimidating wall? It wasn’t made of steel. It was just fear—flimsy, unfounded fear.
Pooh’s Takeaway:
“Well,” Pooh began thoughtfully, “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. Best not to risk it.’
“But what if that sign isn’t a stop, but a start? If I take just one step beyond it, I might find a lovely patch of clover leading to the sweetest honeycomb I’ve ever tasted—what a delightful surprise that would be!”
Pooh tapped his head, his eyes brightening. “It’s not about avoiding what’s ahead but about trusting myself to take that first step. Every time I do, I open the door to something new and wonderful. And if I don’t find honey right away? That’s alright too—because each step forward makes me braver!
And the more I believe in myself, the more I know… there’s something good waiting for me, just beyond where I used to stop.”
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 20 years’ worth of “what-was-I-thinking” moments? My mind was like a courtroom where every thought was on trial, cross-examined by an overzealous prosecutor. I could barely decide between 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—it meant allowing myself to make choices, period. Whether those choices were “right” or “wrong” was beside the point. The act of choosing was the victory, because each choice was a step toward reclaiming my mental autonomy.
So, I decided to put this newfound trust to the ultimate test: picking a sandwich at lunch. Turkey or ham? My inner critic panicked. “Ham is a disaster! Turkey’s the obvious choice!” But then I paused and asked myself, “Is there really a bad choice here?”
With shaky confidence, I bit into 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,” said Pooh, scratching his chin thoughtfully, “trusting myself has always been a bit tricky. Take honey, for example. When I have two jars in front of me, I’ll sit there 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 just right. But sometimes, I think so much that I forget to simply enjoy the honey I already have.
“But now, I see that trusting myself doesn’t mean I have to pick the perfect honey. It just means I let myself choose. And even if it’s not the sweetest jar in the Wood, I’ll still be okay. In fact, making a choice is much better than sitting there worrying and missing out on all the honey!
“So, from now on, I’ll tell myself, ‘Pooh, you’ve got this. Pick a jar, enjoy the honey, and if it’s not perfect—well, there’s always another jar to try tomorrow!’”
Step 3: Don’t Let Roadblocks Stop You
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. Some sentences looked like they’d been chewed up by a blender—but I kept going. Because the program’s approach wasn’t about being flawless; it was about moving forward—imperfectly but purposefully, free from the roadblocks that once held me back."
Pooh’s Takeaway:
“Well,” said Pooh, tilting his head thoughtfully, “roadblocks are something I know a bit about. Like 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 step on a carrot?’ And then, instead of helping, I just stand there, holding a spade, worrying about every little thing. By the time I finally start digging, Rabbit’s already finished half the work himself!
“But now, I see it’s not about getting everything just right—it’s about simply starting. Next time, I’ll remind myself, ‘Pooh, you’re here to help, not to overthink.’ Because even if I dig up a potato instead of a carrot, at least I’ll have tried.
“And that’s what being a Mental Health Warrior is about, isn’t it? Not waiting for the perfect moment, not building roadblocks where they don’t need to be—but taking a step forward, no matter how tricky it seems!”
The Wrap Up
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 yet 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 Your Own Way.
Pooh had captured the heart of my journey in the way only Pooh could: no one else can move us forward; we have to do it ourselves. It all starts with trusting that we can navigate life’s challenges, even when things feel uncertain or wobbly.
So, whether it’s choosing a turkey sandwich or making a life-altering decision, remember this: You’re the one holding the reins, so get out of your own way. Trust yourself. Take action. Keep moving forward each day! You Got This!
Bruce Schutter
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