In a world where anxiety and depression rates continue to climb, and workplace mental health has become a critical concern, Dr. Michael R. Mantell offers a refreshingly direct approach: our thoughts, not our circumstances, are the primary architects of our emotional experiences.

With over 45 years of clinical experience and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Mantell has dedicated his career to helping people "disturb themselves less" through the principles of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). As the former Chief Psychologist for the San Diego Police Department and Children's Hospital of San Diego, and former Chief Behavior Science Consultant for the American Council on Exercise, he has witnessed firsthand how irrational beliefs can fuel everything from everyday stress to workplace violence.

Dr. Mantell's philosophy is deceptively simple yet profoundly transformative: "The link is what you think." This core principle, which forms the foundation of his recent book of the same name, suggests that by identifying and challenging the rigid, unrealistic beliefs we hold about ourselves and the world, we can fundamentally change our emotional responses to life's inevitable challenges.

In this candid Q&A, Dr. Mantell shares practical strategies for recognizing and reframing the thoughts that fuel our distress, explores how the pandemic has reshaped workplace mental health, and reveals what distinguishes those who achieve lasting emotional transformation from those who slip back into old patterns. His message is both compassionate and empowering: while we cannot control what happens to us, we can learn to control how we interpret and respond to our experiences—and that makes all the difference.

1. Dr. Mantell, your philosophy centers on the idea that "the link is what you think," suggesting our thoughts directly create our emotional experiences. For someone struggling with anxiety or depression who feels completely overwhelmed by their emotions, how can they begin to recognize and challenge the irrational beliefs that may be fueling their distress? What are some practical first steps you recommend for people to start taking control of their emotional responses?

For anyone feeling completely overwhelmed by anxiety or depression, the first thing I’d say is this: what you’re feeling is valid but it’s also shaped more by what you’re telling yourself than by what’s actually happening. Most of us don’t realize that we’re not just reacting to life, we’re reacting to our interpretation of it. And that interpretation is often distorted, harsh, or just flat-out untrue.

So where do you start? Slow things down. Grab a notebook, your phone or anything, and jot down the exact thought that’s hitting you in that moment of distress. Maybe it’s ‘I can’t handle this’ or ‘This always happens to me.’ Then ask yourself: Is this 100% true? Is it helpful? Is it kind? Chances are, it’s not. It’s just a belief you’ve repeated so often, it feels like fact.

Now comes the powerful part…challenge it. Don’t just sit with it. Talk back. If your mind says, ‘I can’t stand this,’ remind yourself: ‘I may not like it, but I am standing it, I’m still here.’ If you’re telling yourself life must be different, try shifting to: ‘I’d prefer it to be different, but I can handle it as it is.’ That shift, from demand to preference, can be life-changing.

This isn’t about pretending things are fine. It’s about learning to separate what’s happening from the story you’re adding to it. Once you start questioning your thoughts instead of automatically believing them, you begin to take back your power, thought by thought, belief by belief.

2. Given your extensive background as Chief Psychologist for organizations like the San Diego Police Department and your expertise in workplace violence prevention, how do you see the landscape of workplace mental health evolving, especially post-pandemic? What are the most critical mental health challenges facing professionals today, and how can both individuals and organizations implement your Rational Emotive Behavior approaches to create psychologically healthier work environments?

Workplace mental health has shifted dramatically especially in the wake of the pandemic. What used to be whispered in private is now being spoken aloud in team meetings, Slack channels, and leadership retreats. That’s progress. But here’s the catch: awareness alone doesn’t equal emotional wellness.

Professionals today are grappling with chronic uncertainty, blurred boundaries between work and life, and the pressure to ‘perform’ not just at work, but in every area of their lives. The most critical challenge? Many are “shoulding” all over themselves, ‘I should be more productive, I shouldn’t feel this way, I must have it together.’ These irrational demands fuel burnout, anxiety, and self-doubt.

This is exactly where Rational Emotive Behavior thinking can be a game-changer. For individuals, it starts with recognizing the beliefs driving their stress. If you think, ‘If I don’t succeed, I’m a failure,’ that belief, not the workload, is what’s crushing you. REBT teaches us to dispute those rigid thoughts and replace them with something more rational and compassionate: ‘I want to do well, but my worth isn’t tied to my performance.’

Organizations, on the other hand, need to go beyond surface-level perks. Real psychological health comes from cultures where people are encouraged to challenge perfectionism, express emotions without shame, and where feedback isn’t feared. Leaders set the tone by modeling emotional honesty, tolerating discomfort, and refusing to glorify burnout.

Bottom line? Whether you’re leading a company or just trying to get through your inbox without collapsing, the REBT mindset can help create a workplace that’s not just productive, but truly humane.

3. With over 45 years of experience helping people overcome anxiety, stress, depression, and burnout, you've undoubtedly seen many people struggle to maintain positive changes long-term. What distinguishes those who achieve lasting transformation from those who slip back into old patterns? In your rational-emotive behavioral approach, what are the key mindset shifts that enable people to "disturb themselves less" and build genuine emotional resilience that endures through life's inevitable challenges?

The people who create real, lasting transformation, the ones I help disturb themselves less, the ones who don’t just change for a week, but change how they live, tend to have one crucial difference: they take full ownership of their inner dialogue. They realize it’s not the situation, the past, or even other people that upset them, rather it’s how they interpret those things. That shift alone is powerful.

In the rational-emotive behavioral approach, we help people recognize that it’s not events that disturb them, it’s their beliefs about those events. And most of the time, those beliefs are rigid, unrealistic, or just plain unkind. When someone thinks, ‘I must not fail,’ or ‘I can’t stand rejection,’ they’ve already boxed themselves in emotionally.

What makes change stick is the willingness to challenge those beliefs consistently, not once, not when it’s convenient, but daily. The key mindset shift? Moving from demands to preferences. From ‘I must succeed’ to ‘I want to succeed, but I can accept myself either way.’ That’s not soft thinking, it’s strong, stable, and self-respecting.

People who build lasting resilience are also more tolerant of discomfort. They know life will throw curveballs—rejection, failure, uncertainty—and they stop insisting that it shouldn’t. Instead, they say, ‘This is hard, but I can handle it. I may not like it, but I’ll get through it without making myself miserable.’

That’s what emotional resilience looks like. Not being unshakable, but refusing to add unnecessary suffering to what’s already hard. When people embrace that, they don’t just cope better, they grow stronger.