If We Can Do It, You Can Too: How Bruce & Lee Schutter Took Back Control as Mental Health Warriors
- Bruce Schutter
- 2 minutes ago
- 4 min read
There was a time when our mental health challenges ran our lives. They made the decisions for us.
Not occasionally. Not just on “bad days.” All the Time!
I battled Bipolar, Alcoholism and Anxiety Disorder for 20 years. There were highs that made me feel unstoppable and lows that made getting out of bed feel like a negotiation. Alcohol became a shortcut to quiet everything. PTSD from my time as an EMT in high school and college added another layer. The sirens stopped years ago. The memories didn’t. Eventually, I felt so powerless that I tried to end my life.
Lee fought her own silent war. Depression that didn’t always look dramatic — just heavy. Anxiety that hummed constantly in the background. Burnout that built slowly from pouring herself into work and leaving nothing for herself.
We powered through.
We told ourselves we were strong enough.
We told ourselves tomorrow would be better.
We told ourselves we just needed to try harder.
But our challenges were in charge.
Building the Blueprint — Then Living It
The Mental Health Warrior Program didn’t start as a brand. It started as survival.
After my suicide attempt, I realized something that changed everything: mental health is the key to overcoming any challenge.
So I began building tools. Mindset shifts. Response strategies. Ways to regain control in the middle of chaos. Those tools became a system. That system became a blueprint.
And that blueprint became my book, I Triumphed Over Bipolar, Alcoholism and Anxiety Disorder by Becoming a Mental Health Warrior.
Here’s the part that makes people smile when we say it out loud: Yes, I wrote the blueprint. And then we did the equally important thing — we followed it.
Because thinking doesn’t change anything by itself. It requires action.
Lee and I committed to using the tools — not when it felt convenient, but when it felt necessary. We stopped waiting to feel better and started acting better.
One tool at a time. One day at a time. One decision at a time.
That’s when things began to shift. Not magically. But measurably. Over time, strength expanded.
Today we want to share three Mindset Rules from my triumph book that you can use to build your Warrior future.
Mindset Rule 1: Acknowledge the importance of your Mental Health
For years, we treated mental health like background noise. Something to address after the to-do list was finished.
It never was. But everything changed when we stopped minimizing it's importance.
When I acknowledged that Bipolar and PTSD required daily management — not occasional reaction — I stopped pretending I could simply outwork them.
When Lee admitted that burnout and depression weren’t “just stress,” she stopped dismissing her exhaustion as weakness.
We began checking in with ourselves the way you check your phone battery. Not once it dies. Before.
That shift alone changed the trajectory of our days.
Instead of asking, “What needs to get done?
”We started asking, “How am I doing?”
That question built awareness. Awareness built stability. Stability built strength.
Your Turn:
What would change if you treated your mental health as essential maintenance instead of emergency repair?
Start with one daily check-in. One honest moment. One intentional pause.
Acknowledgment is not weakness — It’s leadership of your life.
Mindset Rule 3: Talk about it
Silence is loud.
Before, I hid behind humor and productivity. Lee hid behind competence and caretaking. We both carried the weight quietly.
Talking about it didn’t mean dramatic speeches. It meant honesty.
“I’m struggling today.”
“My anxiety is louder than usual.”
“I don’t feel steady.”
The first time we said it, it felt exposed.
The second time, it felt like relief.
The third time, it felt empowering
Connection replaced isolation. Shared understanding replaced shame. And slowly, the struggle lost its power.
Your Turn:
Choose one safe person. Family. Friends. Even an online connection.
Say one honest sentence. Then listen as the other person speaks.
That’s where strength multiplies.
Honest communication builds strength — And strength fuels motivation.
Mindset Rule 5: Do Not Seek or Demand Perfection
Perfectionism kept us stuck longer than we realized.
If I had a rough mood swing, I judged myself. If Lee felt drained after setting boundaries, she questioned whether she was “doing it right.”
The Warrior shift was simple: Progress beats perfection.
Some days we execute the plan perfectly. Some days we miss. Some days we adjust.
But we do not quit.
PTSD still flares occasionally.
Depression still whispers.
Anxiety still knocks.
But we respond.
We don’t demand flawless recovery — we demand forward movement.
And that changes everything.
Your Turn:
Instead of asking, “Did I do this perfectly?”
Ask, “Did I move forward?”
Momentum builds resilience — Not perfection.
And resilience is what carries you on the hard days.
Power of a Tribe
We didn’t do this alone. We partnered.
Our family became part of the circle. Honest conversations. Shared accountability. Grace on the hard days.
Our pets — loyal, intuitive, always-present emotional support buddies — grounded us when words didn’t help. (They may not be Marvin and the crew, but they absolutely earned honorary Warrior badges.)
Then the circle expanded outward. Friends. Community. Warriors choosing the mindset.
Because strength grows in connection — Not isolation.
And when one of us wobbled, the other steadied.
That’s how resilience compounds!
If We Can Do It, You Can Too
We did not begin this journey feeling strong. We began exhausted. Reactive. Tired of negotiating with our own emotions.
There was no dramatic overnight transformation. There was a decision. A quiet one. A steady one. We were done letting our challenges dictate the direction of our lives.
The blueprint didn’t fall from the sky. It was built through hard lessons, painful setbacks and daily experimentation. Those lessons became tools. Those tools became structure. And that structure became my book, I Triumphed Over Bipolar, Alcoholism and Anxiety Disorder by Becoming a Mental Health Warrior.
But the real turning point wasn’t writing it — It was living it!
And one day YOU will look back and say: Before, my challenges were in charge.
But today, I am a Mental Health Warrior. And I am in charge!
Bruce & Lee Schutter
Every day is a chance to choose strength — because YOU'RE IN CHARGE!