Michael Mantell

There is no escaping the wild, chaotic terrain of the wilderness of life. Resisting the notion that life is fickle, fighting the uncertainty of the wilds of natural life, demanding predictability and expectedness in an otherwise disordered and often confused civilization, are futile. Many seem to believe that we live in an empty, befuddling and often frightening wasteland, one made even more worrisome by COVID-19. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

The question for you is, do YOU know your whole person, your personality traits, that you can draw on to help you live healthier, better? After all, if you are seeking the best in contemporary health care, you’d be wise to seek integrated medical health providers that treat all of you, that understand how your personality traits impact your attitudes and drive you toward a healthy lifestyle – or toward an unhealthy lifestyle. Let’s define “personality” as found in David C. Funder’s The Personality Puzzle “as an individual’s characteristic patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior, together with the psychological mechanisms—hidden or not—behind those patterns” [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

From a seemingly far separate world, business leadership, that isn’t at all detached from this topic, comes the concept of “conscious leadership.” This concept, with its key leadership group founded by Jim Dethmer and Diana Chapman, helps leaders bring their whole authentic selves, with total awareness, to their positions as partners, transformers and visionaries. But why only to corporate leadership? Isn’t this notion valuable for all, particularly during this time of forced separateness, when we are lacking “we” time? With the coronavirus pandemic that’s triggered so many reacting, not consciously responding, to daily confused medical advice, politically driven shutdowns and restrictions of life, uncertainty and lack of trust in our leaders, perhaps “conscious leadership” needs to apply to daily life by us all as we lead our own lives with authenticity, integrity, curiosity, mindfulness, and responsible openness. I call this “conscious loveship.” [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

Orison Swett Marden wrote in 1910, “Optimism is a builder. It is to the individual what the sun is to vegetation. It is the sunshine of the mind, which constructs life, beauty, and growth in everything within its reach. Our mental faculties grow and thrive in it just as the plants and trees grow and thrive in the physical sunshine. Pessimism is negative, it is the darkened dungeon which destroys vitality and strangles growth.” [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

If you believe Abraham Maslow, and I have no idea why you wouldn’t, then Robert Emmon’s quote of the well regarded humanistic psychologist may well resonate with you, “the most important learning lessons… were tragedies, deaths, and trauma… which forced change in the life-outlook of the person and consequently in everything that he did.” [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

While coronavirus has killed, toppled, and impaired so many, there’s a far more mammoth plague that has disturbed our planet. The lack of self-love, self-care, and self-acceptance is linked to many physical and emotional conditions and infirmities, far too many to catalogue here. Self-acceptance could well be, heck it is, the starting place for all healing, particularly during the emotional trauma and anxiety triggered by COVID19. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.]

Okay, relax. I’m not suggesting burying your head in the sand or going into denial. I’ve spent much of my career working in TV news broadcasting, have hosted two podcasts, written blogs extensively, so I’m not indicting the media. I’m focusing on how to use news to improve your mood. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

How can we feel a part of something larger than ourselves and have a positive, beneficial impact on the well-being of others? How can we express our strengths and fervently pursue our emotional appetites? How can we create a sense of belonging and avoid stagnating, to move forward toward consequential purposes? [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

“Change your story, change your power,” according to positive psychology author Michelle Gielan who wrote Broadcasting Happiness. Sort of reminds me of my most recent book, The Link is What You Think. We change our lives, for the good or not, in the direction of our self-talk, our story. Our families, our companies, our neighbors, all benefit, or are harmed, by the stories we tell ourselves about the circumstances of our lives. We are all story tellers, to ourselves and to each other, and with that comes a great deal of accountability and answerability. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

Do you know anyone who is naturally immune to the unrest that uncertainty often brings? I don’t. I’d suggest there is far more emotional turmoil about the ravages of our lives torn asunder by COVID-19, than there are actual victims suffering with the disease. Uncertainty and its wake of confusion and disorder is by far the leading emotional challenge we face during this pandemic. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]