Triumph Over Anger: How Winnie the Pooh Uses the Mental Health Warrior Creed
- Bruce Schutter
- Jul 31
- 6 min read
It was a typical afternoon in downtown Pennsylvania. The birds were chirping, the breeze was mild, and I was on a very specific mission: locate a cold diet soda before the 3 p.m. energy crash hit like a freight train. You know the moment — when your brain goes offline and even the couch starts whispering, “Surrender…”
That’s when I heard a familiar voice. “Bruce! Yoo-hoo!”
I looked up to see Winnie the Pooh, waving with one paw and balancing a small honey jar in the other. Yes — that Winnie the Pooh.
Now if you’re new here, let me back up.
From Rock Bottom to Warrior
After 20 years battling Bipolar, Alcoholism, Anxiety Disorders and PTSD — I felt so powerless that I tried to end my life. But in those dark times, I discovered something life-changing: Mental health is the key to overcoming any challenge.
Armed with that knowledge, I created the Mental Health Warrior Program — a bold new SELF-HELP approach that puts You in charge! So you can take control of your emotions, triumph over challenges and build the life you really want!
Pooh and his Hundred Acre crew became some of the first honorary Mental Health Warriors. They’ve been using the tools ever since.
The Warrior Creed and Anger
Today, Pooh had a mission.
The hundred acre woods crew has been reading my book, I Triumphed Over Bipolar, Alcoholism, and Anxiety Disorder by Becoming a Mental Health Warrior.
“We’ve been talking about anger,” he said, handing me a napkin smudged with honey and deep thoughts. “Tigger had a moment. It wasn’t a bounce—it was more of a rage-pounce.”
“Bipolar anger?” I asked.
Pooh nodded solemnly. “Yes. But really, we all get pushed to the edge sometimes. And when that happens, we turn to the Warrior Creed: Bend NOT Break.”
He paused dramatically. “So… we’ve created three steps using the Warrior Creed to help all of us triumph over anger — even Tigger.”
Step 1: Freeze the Fire
Pooh stood tall (well, tall for Pooh), honey jar frozen mid-air like a statue. “First tool,” he said with gentle intensity, “Freeze the Fire.”
I chuckled at the pose, but nodded in approval. “That’s a powerful one.”
Pooh explained, “Tigger was yelling about Roo spilling his tea. And I could feel it bubbling in me too — my ears got hot, my chest felt tight, like I might yell back. But then I remembered the Warrior Creed: Bend Not Break. So I paused. I took a breath. I said, ‘Excuse me, I need a moment.’”
He lowered his honey jar and looked at me earnestly. “That moment helped me bend instead of snap.”
I smiled. “Exactly. That’s the move. When anger hits hard, our instinct is to react — to explode, defend, yell, retreat. But freezing the fire interrupts that cycle. It gives us space to breathe, space to think. Even one small pause gives us back control.”
Pooh nodded. “It’s not easy. But it works. Because when I freeze instead of fight, I can feel the pressure ease. And then… I don’t break.”
Our Turn:
I’ve had those moments too — jaw tight, fists clenched, thoughts racing like a runaway train. The pressure builds so fast it feels like there's no time to think… only react.
But that’s exactly when I use Freeze the Fire.
It’s not about pretending I’m not angry. It’s about interrupting the blast before it goes off. That Warrior pause — even just five seconds of silence, one deep breath, or saying “I need a moment” — has saved relationships, spared me regret, and kept me grounded.
Sometimes that pause gives me time to walk away. Other times it gives me time to choose better words, or to realize the problem isn’t what I thought it was. Either way, it puts me back in the driver’s seat.
Step 2: Find the Real Fire
“Second step,” he said, “is to Find the Real Fire.”
He glanced up at me. “Once we’re calm, we ask: What’s really going on? Tigger thought he was mad because Roo spilled his tea… but when we talked about it, he admitted he felt left out of the honey-tasting committee. He wasn’t angry — he was hurt.”
He paused. “And when I looked closer at my own anger, I realized a lot of it comes from sadness. Or from feeling invisible. If I’d stayed angry, I would’ve missed that completely.”
I nodded. “That’s a hard truth most people never stop to see. But it’s the Warrior move — Bend Not Break means we look deeper instead of lashing out. We don’t just react to the flames on the surface — we figure out what’s really fueling the fire.”
Pooh tapped the napkin with one sticky paw. “Sometimes the real problem is hiding under the obvious one — and if we don’t pause to look for it, we stay stuck in the wrong story.”
Our Turn:
I remember snapping once over a broken soda maker— furious, pacing, convinced the day was ruined. But when I finally used this tool, I realized it wasn’t about diet soda at all.
I was running on empty. Burned out. Overwhelmed by responsibilities I hadn’t said no to — and too proud to ask for help. That moment helped me see the truth: I didn’t need a new machine. I needed boundaries, rest, and permission to not do it all.
This Warrior tool helped me stop reacting to the surface stuff and start addressing what was really going on underneath.
Step 3: Share & Shift
“This one,” he said, “we made as a crew: Share and Shift.”
He glanced around, as if making sure no one would interrupt the sacredness of what he was about to share. “Sometimes,” he said, “emotions get really heavy. Big and loud. Too much for one little bear to hold alone. So we share how we feel — and then shift our focus to something we can control.”
He leaned in slightly, voice softer now. “Piglet and I have something we call ‘Vent and Tea.’ We sip honey-ginger tea, talk about what’s bothering us, and then write down one good thing we can do that day. Even something small. It helps us bend, not break.”
I smiled. “That’s beautiful, Pooh. Sharing lets out the pressure — and shifting turns that emotion into movement. That’s how Warriors stay grounded, even when everything around them feels like chaos.”
He nodded. “Sometimes, just knowing someone hears you makes you strong again. And doing one thing — even just cleaning a drawer or helping a friend — reminds you: You’re still in charge.”
Our Turn:
There was a week when the news cycle had me spiraling — stress, fear, helplessness all stacked up like a pile of bricks on my chest. I felt like I was drowning in everything I couldn’t control.
So I reached out. I texted a few friends and said, “Hey, I just need to talk this out.” We vented, validated each other’s worries, — and then we shifted into action. One of us made a meal. Another donated to a cause. I went for a long walk. We picked something doable and we did it.
That act of shifting from emotion into action gave us power. We weren’t just overwhelmed reactors anymore — we were Warriors in motion.
Warriors in Charge
As we wrapped up, Pooh sat a little straighter. “The Warrior Creed… it really helps. When anger rises, we don’t let it break us — we bend and we turn it into positive action.”
Just then, Piglet came running, followed by a still-bouncing (but far less explosive) Tigger.
“We’re ready to share this with Rabbit!” Piglet panted. “He alphabetized his garden again after reading the headlines.”
Tigger bounced once. “I told him: Freeze the Fire!”
I grinned. “Go, Warriors, Go!”
Wrap up
As we stood up from the bench, I reached into my bag and pulled out a copy of my book, I Triumphed Over Bipolar, Alcoholism, and Anxiety Disorder by Becoming a Mental Health Warrior. I handed it to Pooh.
“This is for you,” I said. “You already live the creed — but now you’ve got the full Warrior story, and the tools to back it up. Share it with Piglet, Tigger, Rabbit, and anyone else who needs help managing their emotions.”
He smiled. “Even when the honey spills and anger surfaces.” I laughed. “Especially then.”
Anger happens. So does sadness, stress, and that heavy feeling like you're just one bad moment away from snapping. But here’s the truth: you don’t have to break. With the Mental Health Warrior Creed — Bend Not Break — you can rise strong, centered and in control.
Because Warriors don’t break. They bend, they grow, and they TRIUMPH!
Bruce Schutter
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