Mentally Strong Person of the Week: Maffio

Maffio, whose real name is Carlos Mendoza, is a Latin GRAMMY Award winning music producer, composer, and artist. He’s collaborated with top Latin musicians such as Akon, Nicky Jam, Ozuna, and Anuel. In the fall of 2020, he released his debut albumTumbaGobierno.

Maffio’s path to success wasn’t an easy one. He grew up in extreme poverty in the Dominican Republic. He endured several losses in his life as well, including the loss of his sister when he was just a teenager.

He didn’t have the chance to earn a high school diploma either. But he dreamed about making it big in the music industry and he committed to working hard to make it happen.

While he’s seen many other people in the music industry get sidelined by mental health issues and addiction, he’s choosing to make mental health a priority. He works hard to manage his anxiety and he decided to stop drinking before it became a problem in his life.

During our conversation on the精神壮大的人podcast, Maffio shared many strategies that help him think, feel, and do his best. Here are three of those strategies and my take on how you can apply them to your own life.

Take care of plants as a form of therapy.

Maffio喜欢生长植物。他说浇水植物给了他一种内心的和平感。他鼓励其他人找到简单的方式来放松和在生活中找到快乐。

我的手

Maffio发现照顾他的植物是治疗性的，并不奇怪。园艺治疗是一件真实的。在植物周围和本质上有益于您的心理健康。万博手机客户端

Whether you want to grow vegetables or flowers, taking care of plants is a great way to build mental strength. If you don’t have outdoor space to grow a garden, start a patio garden or an indoor herb garden.

Know your values.

Maffio说他没有看到他的饮酒是一个问题。但是，他的妻子对它不舒服。所以他问自己，“我是我想要的那种丈夫和父亲吗？”答案是“不”。所以他改变了他的行为，符合他的价值观。他谈到了如何根据他的价值观和精神上的强烈掌握。

我的手

作为治疗师，我看到很多人正在挣扎，因为他们的行为并不符合他们的价值观。因此，他们对自己的生活感到焦虑，沮丧或不安。那些觉得用毒品或酒精自我治疗的人来说，这并不罕见。

It’s important to know what your values are and to periodically check-in with yourself. Consider whether your habits are helping you feel like you are living an authentic life. Changing the behaviors that aren’t in line with your values can help you feel free.

Hold tough conversations.

Maffio与母亲们诚实地与他的母亲谈论他不赞成她如何为孩子训练他。他和她建立了一个明确的边界，让她知道她不会对他的孩子做同样的事情。他说，虽然谈话让人感到不舒服，但对于与母亲保持良好的关系是必不可少的。

我的手

Addressing the “elephant in the room” is important. If you want a healthier, closer relationship with someone, hold tough conversations. Ignoring problems or pretending your feelings weren’t hurt won’t do you any good.

It takes strength and courage to speak up but doing so gives you a chance to make deeper connections with people around you. And forming better relationships can help you grow even stronger.

To hear more of Maffio’s mental strength suggestions, listen to the full episode on my精神壮大的人podcast. Each week, I’ll share another Mentally Strong Person and explain how their strategies can help you think, feel, and do your best in life.