Michael Mantell

Okay, before you go all holier than thou, critical, or laugh so hard you can’t pay attention to the content of this article, here’s what being “All FFF’d Up” means when it comes to preventing emotional turmoil during this COVID19 unbalanced time. It means you need to have Fun, include Friends and be Focused. C’mon, what’d you think I meant? Besides, I like it better than Conviction, Commitment and Consistency. Three C’s or three F’s? See what I mean? [Michael R. Mantell, PhD]

Sure, you may be thinking that word might be “hate,” “poverty,” “illness,” or “death.” No, these words are mild compared to the self-disturbing, life-sucking, contentment-robbing, depression-boosting, anxiety-inducing, and anger-building word I’m thinking of. That word is “should.” In the wonderful words of my mentor and teacher, Albert Ellis, Ph.D., “Should-hood leads to sh#&-hood.” He also observed, “It’s far better to masturbate than MUSTurbate.” Yes, he was a straight talking guy. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D.]

People who are self-compassionate tend to be more unconditionally self-accepting regardless of their circumstances, while those who feed largely on self-esteem crumble when they face circumstances that are challenging. Self-compassion is not a matter of being selfish. It’s a matter of thriving through any situation, particularly the existential threat many feel from COVID19.
While frequent messaging includes “be compassionate and helpful to others,” people who include themselves in their compassion feel more in control, are filled with more self-love and self-worth and brim with self-confidence. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]

I recall hearing that a well-adjusted person is one who makes the same mistake twice without getting nervous. What’s the secret? The link is what you think, of course. And the right mindset brings the secret out into the public: it’s resilience. And if you are fortunate enough to live in San Diego, with it’s glorious weather, beaches, parks, hiking paths and beautiful vistas, you have the most marvelous place on earth to develop that resilience. Personal elasticity if you will. It’s flexibility of the psyche, a springy attitude, a pliable outlook. Whatever you call it, it comes down to a bouncy, supple mindset. This ability to recover quickly is certainly not easy to attain, yet many successful people do. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]

Mental mastery, whether it’s for the current coronapocalypse, a business meeting, a physical workout, academic success or mindful meditation, requires that you fully engage your mind.  We’ve learned through years of research that our brains are capable of continued growth throughout life, especially when we are engaged in frequent intellectual stimulation. With the right nourishment, engagement, social connections and physical activity, the right dietary nourishment, we do quite well in maintaining brain health. These are anchored in lifestyle choices we make daily. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]

It’s well known that what you feed, you grow. When it comes to health, longevity, successful social connections and long-term loving relationships, personal and communal wellbeing, even physical fitness and finances, leading-edge transformational coaches know that optimistic, positive seeds are the no-longer-secret predictive ingredients to living life optimally. As I’ve taught in my helping people for years, “the link is what you think.” [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]

What’s Covid-19 Got to Do With Feeling Anxious? Nothing. What? Nothing? Are you serious? “Ever since this COVID19 earthquake hit, I’ve been a nervous wreck,” said a client in a first session, by phone of course. So, I’ll ask again, as I asked this new client, riddled with anxiety, “What’s the COVID19 got to do with what you’re feeling?” And, so began his transformative journey to calm, peace and tranquility in the face of a coronacopia of life upending matters related to COVID19. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]