Michael Mantell

Dr. Michael Mantell

Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. is a retired psychologist, best-selling author, international speaker, and a highly sought after cognitive behavioral coach whose actionable, valuable and practical work has been featured on Fox News, ABC-TV, NBC-TV, CBS-TV, The New York Times, and The Huffington Post. He has been teaching how Torah’s wisdom can lead to optimal living for many decades. You can follow him on Facebook and in other social media, where he has posted the #MantellDaily5 everyday for years.

His books, available on Amazon, include:

Doing mitzvot with joy or with oy?

Couldn’t we all use some genuine happiness about now? This week’s parasha may be just the thing that can bring it. Do you encounter your Judaism as a “get to” or a “have to” experience? This week’s Torah reading, Ki Tavo, asks us to consider how we serve Hashem, with joy…or with oy,“…because you did not serve the Lord, your God, with happiness and with gladness of heart, when [you had an] abundance of everything…you will serve your enemies.” [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Schluff Gezunt, Sleep Well

“Schluff Gezunt” a Yiddish expression, means “sleep well.” What a lovely way to put yourself in the best position to sleep well each and every night with a wish from a loved one to sleep well. While that sounds sweet, innocent, and childlike, for millions of people suffering with insomnia disorder and circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders (delayed type), about a third or more of the population, a simple wish before bedtime unfortunately isn’t enough to promote a restorative night’s sleep, essential for health and wellbeing. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Lifestyles, Michael Mantell

The Mantell CHAIR method

Henry David Thoreau once shared that he had three chairs in his home, “…one for solitude, two for friendship, and three for society.” Doesn’t that provide you with remarkable insight about the value of a chair? Chairs provide comfort, stability, relaxation, style and for Thoreau, “…solitude, friendship and society.” [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Lifestyles, Michael Mantell

Torah, environmentalism, and political leadership

Shoftim tells us, “When you besiege a city for an extended period, to make war against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them; for you may eat from them, and you shall not cut them down; for is the tree of the field a man that you should besiege it?” The Ibn Ezra sees this as a statement, not a question, “Ki Haadam eitz hasadeh, the human being is a tree of the field.” He, like so many contemporary environmentalists, believes that we are intertwined with our environment. Destroy a tree, and we destroy ourselves. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Seeing and choosing the righteous path

Is your glass half empty, half filled, or as mine is, filled with 6 ounces of water? Yes, “the link is what you think,” and this week’s Torah reading underscores this idea with its words, “See, this day I set before you a blessing and a curse…” Couldn’t this pasuk have begun, “This day I set before you blessing and curse…”? Why begin with “See”?[Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

You won’t exercise without this

Whether you want to electrify your peak performance under pressure at work, at home, or in your local park, boost your confidence and mental toughness in your gym, amplify your leadership or ignite team cohesion in your company it takes motivation, goal setting, relaxation, concentration, imagery, and self-talk. It takes an exceptional mental workout to arouse a healthy, wellbeing promoting physical workout, wherever that may take place. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D}

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Lifestyles, Michael Mantell, Sports & Competitions

Gratitude to the One Who makes it all possible

After eating a fine meal at a friend’s home, we go out of our way to thank the host, send a thank you note, sometimes even send a gift after the meal, if we haven’t brought one in advance. But how much time do we spend thanking the true Host? In Birkat HaMazon, we have an opportunity to bring this week’s teaching alive, “And you will eat and be sated, and you shall bless the Lord, your God, for the good land He has given you” (Deuteronomy 8:10). If you believe Hashem plays a personal role in your life and you genuinely recognize that whatever you have comes through His hand, you’re likely to be filled with Hakarat Hatov, recognizing the good, gratitude. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Michael Mantell, Middle East

Exercise is health!

Exercise is health. It’s that simple. In today’s COVID19 focused world, health and wellbeing are on the top of our minds more than ever. Perhaps that’s the silver lining of this pandemic, the renewed focus on health and wellbeing. We want to feel good and live a long, happy, strong and healthy life. And exercise, that no-cost, do anywhere at any time, side-effect free activity, has become established by medical science as an essential step on the clear pathway to get us there. (Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D)

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Lifestyles, Michael Mantell

Teach these stories to your children

“Do not fear them, for it is the Eternal your God who is fighting for you” (Deuteronomy 3:22). What a buoyant, assuring, and optimistic message of hope. That’s what this week’s parasha offers to us. The surety that, after we’ve done all we can, we can confidently let go and move forward with faith and trust in Hashem. As Rabbi Tarfon taught in Pirke Avot (2:16), “It is not your responsibility to finish the work of perfecting the world, but you are not free to desist from it either.” [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Compassion is health

Can you think of anything more valued in our daily lives than health promoting and stress reducing compassion? Not long ago I, along with my trusted colleague Lance Breger, MS, led a three-day intensive program on “Physician Wellness” for the members of the American Society of Hematology. One of our central topics was “compassion in healthcare.” Compassion is an essential, powerful element in our lives, in healthcare, in society. It elevates all of us and is without limit. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Lifestyles, Michael Mantell