Set the Stage for Long-Term Success and Well-being: Decide to be a Mental Health Warrior Today

When you decide to be a Mental Health Warrior, this a turning point for unlocking the power to triumph over your life's challenges! In this powerful episode of the Mental Health Warrior Program podcast, "No Surrender," I, Bruce Schutter, share the pivotal moment that transformed my life after 20 years of battling bipolar disorder, anxiety, alcoholism, and PTSD. Discover how a simple yet profound decision to face my emotions head-on set the stage for long-term success and well-being. We explore the importance of taking that crucial first step, much like preparing for a demanding 100-mile bike ride, and how it can propel you towards reclaiming control over your life.

As we journey further, we dive into the unexpected challenges that come at the halfway mark of a 100-mile ride, drawing insightful parallels to life's unpredictable obstacles. Learn how to respond with calmness and strength, celebrating small victories along the way. We'll also introduce the "Warrior Wisdom Coin," a daily reminder of your commitment to overcoming mental health challenges. Carrying this coin symbolizes your dedication and empowers you to face each day with resilience and courage. Tune in for an inspiring discussion that motivates you to commit to your mental health journey and embrace the warrior within you!

Chapters

• 0:00 Mental Health Warrior Power
• 8:43 Embracing Challenges as a Warrior
• 15:49 Warrior Wisdom Coin

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hi everybody, bruce Shooter here with the Mental Health Warrior Program podcast, no Surrender. Now, today, what I want to talk to you about is that first step, and that first step is becoming and saying I'm going to become a mental health warrior Now. I want to talk about the importance of it Because a lot of times we take that first step, we begin our journey and we kind of forget about the power of that first step or, if we haven't taken the step, we also don't realize the power that lies in just that commitment to becoming a mental health warrior. So today we're going to talk about and we're going to circle back, if you will, on the power of making that decision I am going to become a mental health warrior Now.

Speaker 1: 0:53

I did this and this happened at this point 17 years ago, but it was after a 20-year struggle where my challenges of bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, alcoholism, ptsd and a host of life challenges well, they controlled the direction of my life. So after 20 years they took me to a really dark place where I didn't even want to live anymore. Why? Because I had no power and I felt there was no way forward. But then I took that all-important first step. I decided to find a solution, and that solution was in becoming a mental health warrior, where I decided I would no longer hide from my emotions and I would ally with them. I would work with them because they contain the power as I reasoned and joined me in this. They contain the power where they could take me down to where I no longer wanted to live. Now, that is some powerful force when it can put you in that place, but that also means that they have the power to lift us to the heights. They can make life so amazing and so enjoyable, because anything that has that much power, we can choose which direction to use it in. Well, this is exactly what that first step is about. Are we going to let our emotions, are we going to hide from them, let them control us, let our mental health challenges control us, or are we going to take it in a new direction? Yes, you got it with that first step of becoming a mental health warrior, and it is so important and so powerful that I wanted to just dedicate today's episode to that first step.

Speaker 1: 2:41

Now let's just step back real quick, because if you've already taken that step and started your journey, that's fantastic, and I know you're well on the way, much like I am. I've been doing this for quite a while and I keep learning and growing as a warrior. But it's important to circle back. It's also important if you feel like things are powerless and you feel like I am overwhelmed by my challenges. Maybe you got a new diagnosis, a mental health disorder diagnosis like I did multiple times, obviously, from all the ones I named or just a new mental health challenge, all of a sudden thrown into days of depression. What do we do? And that's how I felt and that's where I got stuck, because I didn't know there was any path forward and I certainly didn't think there was any answers and, most importantly, I felt powerless. So that brings us back to that first step.

Speaker 1: 3:37

So, no matter where you're at in your journey, it's important, like we're going to do today, to revisit that first step where we decide I'm going to be a mental health warrior Now. It is just that step. You may say, but, bruce, there's a whole bunch of things I have to decide now. How am I going to take care of these challenges? How am I going to move forward in life? What do I do? What should I do for the next month, year, weeks. Well, slow down, because I know that. I know we're rushing and we want solutions, but it's going to take some time. But we need to remember and remember how important that first step is. With that commitment behind it.

Speaker 1: 4:18

I want to give you a quick example of how this works Off, not even an example with mental health. So I used to do a lot of bike rides back doing triathlons, biathlons, and then we got into these rides where you do a century. It is called a 100-mile bike ride. That's a century. So you're going to ride 100 miles in one day. You're going to go out in the morning and you're going to have a ride with a whole group of people and go on this grand adventure. Because, let me tell you, when you ride for 100 miles, you will see a lot of the towns around you. Matter of fact, I saw so much of where I lived it was almost more than how much we drove, because most of the times we take little short trips. We drive back and forth, you go run some errands, but when you're on the bike, it's a slower pace and you're going quite a distance. It is an amazing experience.

Speaker 1: 5:10

Now, what the heck does that have to do with that first step. Well, we're about to embark on a 100-mile bike ride in a day, and you know what the most important thing was the first step when do we meet and at what time? The first step where do we meet and at what time? Because, again, we've got this great journey, but if we all don't know when to show up and we all don't know what day and time, well guess what? We can never undertake that huge journey.

Speaker 1: 5:38

Now, that is just like what we're talking about here. We are going to become mental health warriors for life. We're going to ally with emotions, learn to work with things, but this is a lifelong commitment which brings lifelong results. So that's fantastic. Much like the long bike ride is going to bring a day filled with adventure, a day filled with going new places and lots of challenges. Lots of challenges will come up when you're on the bike for 100 miles. Now, it's that first step that sets the tone and it's important on the bike ride to make sure we know where to show up and when. It's important for our mental health that we pick a path. Now remember, mental Health Warrior Path is a self-help approach, so it's important we have that commitment up front. We're going to commit to doing this. We're going to commit to being a warrior because that will give us a little less pressure and give us the acknowledgement, if you will, that it's going to take time and it's a lifelong learning lesson Does not mean we won't triumph over our challenges, doesn't mean we'll not continue to triumph, but we just want to set the tone that this is not something we're going to do in one hour and then move on to the next thing.

Speaker 1: 6:55

Now back to this analogy. So the important thing was we set up the time and place, because once you get there and you start the ride, then there'll be lots of changes and adjustments, much like the mental health warrior journey. On that ride it's a beautiful day. All of a sudden the weather turns, you might want to adjust the route. All of a sudden the roads, there might be some construction. We might have to adjust the route Now all of a sudden. Well, who knows, there can be lots of things when you're outside riding that distance and traffic could play another factor in it.

Speaker 1: 7:36

This is the same approach as a mental health warrior we're going to be facing challenges as we move through our journey, but again, we have committed. Much like the ride. We're committing here to being a mental health warrior, and that is powerful. And I can't emphasize that enough, because you can't have this grand experience of a 100-mile bike ride without that first important step. That sets the tone and places your commitment. But we're talking about mental health and it's equally as important to follow the same process. So I want to circle back, because if you've already started your journey, you can circle back and remind yourself look at what I'm doing. I am committing to being a mental health warrior. I'm committing to keep working through any missteps I make. I'm committed to working through new challenges, because once we triumph over something as we move forward each day, well, life will throw us some more challenges. And again, that's just part of life. Much like my analogy here.

Speaker 1: 8:43

At this point we are on that bike ride, we're 50 miles into it and all of a sudden, life throws us a challenge. Somebody in the group gets a flat tire, maybe there's two flat tires, because the road is filled with all sorts of debris. So now we've got to stop, we've got to figure out how to change the tires. Plus, you even have to find a spot to pull over so you can calmly do this Because, let me tell you, you do not want to be changing the tire in the middle of the traffic street, in the middle of the street filled with traffic or in the middle of traffic. You want that calming place. Funny enough, that's exactly as a mental health warrior.

Speaker 1: 9:21

One of the big tools and approaches is we are going to learn to respond, not react, to life's challenges. And that is something we can each do because remember, self-help approach. So we are building our own empowerment, self-empowerment and we learn some simple tools to get us started. Based on that initial commitment, we've committed to being a mental health warrior. You've committed to being a warrior. You're starting to see results, and then you run into some challenges in today. You triumph over them. You go to tomorrow. Oh my God, new challenges, didn't expect them. We respond, not react. So we apply that simple principle, which I've mentioned is one of the mindset rules that we've created as a warrior tool to keep us moving forward. But I want to use also that one of the things you can do is to remind yourself of the commitment that you have made and the progress you are making by saying I am a mental health warrior, much like the story with the bike ride because you might get into it.

Speaker 1: 10:27

Now we're at 75 miles and we're all getting pretty tired and we're saying, oh, this has been a long day, maybe we should just give up, maybe we should just go home, maybe we should just. Well, most of the time I I will tell you the truth is at this point you're pretty far from the starting place, so you kind of have no choice. Now, that's with a bike ride and, of course, today with cell phones, and that you could probably say, well, I always have a choice. I can call somebody and get picked up, you can. But the point is we've made that commitment and we want the full experience which, again, the analogy works perfect, because the analogy for a mental health warrior is we are going after the full life experience and that means we are signing up for whatever challenges life throws our way, much like a 100-mile bike ride. We're filling a day of challenges as a mental health warrior Because we're going after certain pursuits in life. You're trying to do certain things like your job, your career interests, meeting people, family, friends, building those connections, all the things to make a full life experience so amazing and all things you can have when you can manage your emotions Because, again, as I started out this talk, look what happens when we don't manage them.

Speaker 1: 11:44

Personally, I'm saying what happened to me was it took me to a place where I no longer wanted to live. That is how dark it can become when your emotions run rampant and you have no control over your life. But the ray of sunshine and the light the light, even if there's that storm on the bike ride or your mental health warrior path is that we can gain back that control at any time. We can get through missteps, we can triumph and again, it's all about the full journey. So it isn't about the fact that we got a flat at mile marker 78 or 75, as I mentioned. It isn't about the fact that we got through the whole day until nine o'clock and then, oh, we got upset by something. Oh means we failed? No, we didn't, because we need to remember what was our commitment being a mental health warrior or being on that bike ride. So either one, we're committed to the long game and we're committed to doing something that we chose Again, that's the power of a self-help approach as a warrior, kind of.

Speaker 1: 12:54

In the same analogy, a self-help approach or a self-approach to undertaking a big task like a 100-mile bike ride. Nobody forces you to do it. Nobody forced me to take on that ride, but you will get the amazing experience if you make the commitment. And I can guarantee you too, you will get an amazing experience as you start to become a mental health warrior and you start to realize that emotions are not things to hide from. They are the things that make everything so exciting.

Speaker 1: 13:24

And I'll tell you one of the interesting things is we think we are happy with some of the successes we have, but a lot of times, when we're struggling with our mental health, we don't fully embrace them. Now I can just tell you a quick story in my own head my anxiety disorders. A lot of times they're like the little critic in the back saying, well, you did a good job, but the next time you might fail on that project. Or you did a pretty good job so far on that bike ride, but I'm not sure you can make it through the end. Well, let me tell you there are tools as a warrior today that will help you get through those and keep yourself in control, because those challenges, they are lying to you. They are trying to get back control of your life and we are saying, yes, as we started, no surrender, we are not going to give back control. We're going to learn to work with our emotions. And guess what? Those successes, the triumph you feel, whether it is triumph over completing that hundred mile bike ride, or the triumph you feel over just getting through the day where you were in charge and you did some amazing things not over-the-top things, just exciting things Hanging out with friends, went to a barbecue, completed that work project, completed that personal project, worked on that garage, worked on something in the yard, and you felt good about it. Well, you're going to embrace the emotions of those positive ones of success, even greater because of your commitment to becoming a mental health warrior. So I hope you're excited at this point.

Speaker 1: 15:03

Now, if you haven't started the journey or you're looking for more information, remember you can always go to BruceShootercom to learn how to make that first commitment and become a mental health warrior, because on the site we have all the tools. We've got nine books in order to lay out the blueprint for this, plus other books that show you how you can build strong mental health and triumph over challenges each and every day, because I want you to be fully prepared, just like I needed to be prepared, because I have multiple challenges and therefore I build us a lot of warrior tools. There is also this podcast. There are also articles, if you like to read and want to have some little small bits of motivation and insight, and there are things also like the Mental Health Warrior Challenge Coin.

Speaker 1: 15:49

Now, the coin is a tangible reminder, a tangible symbol that you can carry with you each and every day.

Speaker 1: 15:56

That says and I have one right here, if you're not watching the video, but I'm holding it up in my hand it's a nice solid coin about the size of a silver dollar that says I am a mental health warrior with warrior wisdom on the back to guide you through each day.

Speaker 1: 16:10

This item is another reason that you can say I will get through the day in triumph, because I'm holding it in my hand as a reminder I guess you got it of that commitment to I am a mental health warrior. So I think we've covered this quite a bit, but I think it was exciting. Hope you enjoyed me and again, maybe we'll go on a 100-mile bike ride. Haven't done one in a while, but much like the mental health warrior journey, you never know where your life's going to go when you're back in control, and it's exciting. So keep those possibilities in mind and get excited to make the commitment today, though, to become a mental health warrior and start your new life right now. Listening to me, but I'm going to sign out and we're going to talk more on the next episode. Have a great day, bruce, signing out.