Lifestyles

COVID-19 has tossed into the deep blue sea many of the concerns and values, not that long ago that we once held dear. For example, remember that catchy “work-life balance” concept that management consultants made small fortunes from rushing on to stages to teach everyone how to attain? Then remember when that wasn’t selling so much, so they changed it to “work-life integration”? Be careful what you teach…we are now way past “integration” and many are inundated with “work-life intermingling.” [Michael R. Mantell, PhD]

Whether you call it “mysophobia,” “germophobia,” “bacillophobia,” or “bacteriophobia,” pandemic fever has got lots of people just plain scared of contact with dirt, germs, other people, and even their own hands. These particular pathological fears are commonly associated with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, today in 2020 or at any time, including 2009 when I first began writing about pandemics. It seems if anxiety or depression run in families, people are more likely to experience these unhealthy fears. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

Debilitating fatigue, jackhammer headaches, hypertension, weight gain, a weakened immune system, gastrointestinal symptoms, vice-like muscle tension, boiling anger, frozen anxiety, “I give up” depression and yes, even impaired sex drive—these are some of the stress-related costs to your wellbeing. Why manage what you can prevent during this time, or any time? [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]

Just when the stress level of sheltering-at-home is nearing its breaking point, with a 34.1% increase in prescriptions for anxiety medications, now comes even more worry about protecting our health from COVID-19 upon the reopening of public places. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]

Don’t you just love the current pandemic gobbledygook? Reading too much of it can be harmful to you. Phrases like “social distancing,” “flattening the curve,” “frontline warriors,” and “quarantine,” just spin up frightful emotions. One that’s caught my attention is “essential business.” Today, it’s all about opening these “essential businesses” as quickly as possible. In this, my 31st daily emotional education piece, I will focus on an unusual essential business, yet one that’s always been quintessential and indispensable for living well. I believe our lives hang on this essential business. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

Abert Ellis, Ph.D. believed that when we cultivate our ability to live by “rational principles,” we will likely experience positive emotions and satisfaction of our life’s goals.
We have a choice. If we choose to live with irrational thinking governing our lives, with high negative emotionality, dogmatic, rigid beliefs, we are in a very real sense, electing to suffer. We irrationally think about adversities by expressing our preferences and desires, our hopes and wishes, as demands, shoulds, commands, and musts. “Because I want to be able to socialize freely and get back to work and return to my gym, I MUST be able to!” [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

Perhaps you’re exasperated with many of the behavior and habit change schemes aimed at helping you overcome these types of demoralizing thoughts. Diets, exercise programs, meditation practices, gratitude journals, medication, the latest “therapy” procedures, vacations and even drugs and/or alcohol. Nothing helps, right? Perhaps you’ve got a bit too much “nah” going on. “Never accepting hope.” OK, OK, had to get at least one acronym in this article. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

Can you think of anything that you disturb and harm yourself with more than your persistent negativity? Negativity eradicates whatever energy you’ve got left while sheltering-at-home. It diverts indispensable attention that you need to even hope to achieve goals that you have (you DO have goals, right?). And, of course, it weakens your overall morale.  Oh, and your gray sky, cloudy outlook that kills any rainbow? Well, that similarly pollutes those close to you as well. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]