Recognizing the Cycle of Control
For years, I allowed my mental health challenges—bipolar disorder, alcoholism, anxiety disorders, and PTSD—to dictate my life. Each day felt like a battle for control, with my decisions often driven by the need to avoid or numb overwhelming emotions. Whether through alcohol, impulsive behaviors, or distractions like retail therapy, I sought temporary relief from the relentless cycle of emotional turmoil.
The Turning Point: Reclaiming Power
The turning point came when I realized that by surrendering my choices to my challenges, I was perpetuating a destructive cycle. I made a conscious decision to reclaim my power. It wasn't an instant overhaul but a commitment to face each day with intention and resilience. This marked the beginning of my journey as a Mental Health Warrior—a path focused on embracing emotions rather than avoiding them.
Embracing Emotions: A New Path Forward
Embracing my emotions was pivotal. Instead of fearing or suppressing them, I began to understand and work with them. Here are some practical steps I took—and you can take today—to start embracing your emotions as a Mental Health Warrior:
Emotional Awareness: Begin by simply noticing your emotions without judgment. This practice helps in understanding what triggers certain feelings and how they impact your thoughts and behaviors.
Scrap Paper Journaling: When struggling with emotions, take a moment and write down what you feel, why you think you feel that way, and how you want to respond to those feelings. This process provides you with a brief pause, giving a calm place to process your emotions and be prepared to take action. Now, stand up, throw out the paper and go take action!
Breathing Exercises: When faced with intense emotions, take a deep breath, where you focus on that breath going in and then being exhaled. This simple pause gives your brain time to calmly think through what you are facing and recentered, you can now jump back into being in charge of the day, rather than react impulsively.
The Impact of Mindset: Immediate Results
Choosing to confront my challenges head-on yielded immediate benefits. Shifting from a victim mindset to that of a warrior empowered me to navigate daily challenges with resilience. Here are examples of mindset shifts and practices that brought clarity and stability to my life:
Setting Intentions: Start each day with a clear intention, you are in charge and will work through whatever emotions life brings. This simple morning affirmation will help carry you through the challenges of the day, reminding you that you are in charge of your decisions.
Gratitude of Three: When challenges occur, before responding, build in your head a quick list of three things you are grateful for. This practice shifts focus from challenges to blessings, and you will find you are in a much better state of mind to choose a good response to the challenge.
Gentle Boundaries: We must Learn to say no to activities or relationships that drain your energy or trigger negative emotions. But we do not have to avoid everything in life, instead set up some gentle guidelines to help you make choices that protect your emotional well-being and reinforce self-respect. Think of these boundaries as keeping us on the road each day, where yes, we will hit the occasional pothole, but overall, we move forward each day.
Building Resilience: A Lifelong Journey
While reclaiming my power was transformative, building our Mental Health Warrior resilience remains an ongoing process. It involves consistent effort and practicing self-compassion, if missteps occur. For learning only occurs when we take action each day, but we must also always remember that we are seeking long term change.
The best advice is to remember Mindset Rule#8 – “Judge your Success by Your Plan Not others.” It is always important to remember that as we become a Mental Health Warrior that we are also building our plan. One that is uniquely built to triumph over our life’s challenges. Therefore, we must remember to define success each day against our plan. Do not fall into the trap of measuring your day against what you see in the media or on tv… instead be true to yourself and celebrate making progress toward your goals each day building that long term success.
Sharing the Journey: The Mental Health Warrior Program
Inspired by my transformation, I created the Mental Health Warrior Program—a self-help approach to building strong mental health and triumphing over our life’s challenges. This program offers real-life tools, guidance, and support so you can break free from the grip of mental health challenges and embrace the journey of growth and self-empowerment. For as Mental Health Warrior, you have the power to ally with your emotions, learn from their lessons and triumph over any challenges that life throws your way.
Take the First Step Today
So, If you're struggling with mental health challenges, know that reclaiming your power starts with a simple decision—to acknowledge and embrace your emotions! By taking intentional steps today, you can break free from the cycle of control and begin shaping a future aligned with your true desires. Join me in embracing your inner Mental Health Warrior—today is your opportunity to take control and begin creating the life you really want! One where you, not your life’s challenges, are in control!
Bruce Schutter
(Creator of the Mental Health Warrior Program and Challenge Coin)
Comments