Healthy Mind, Happy Agents

Being a real estate agent is not easy.

In fact, the National Association of Realtors has reported that an estimated 87 percent of all new agents are no longer in the industry after five years. And those who are often struggle with long work hours that leave little time for self-care, a feeling of failure if contracts fall through or if new business dries up, and notions of inadequacy in a competitive housing market that has more than 52,000 real estate agents, per tech company AgentStory. According to a study published by Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology in 2014, the real estate industry has the second-highest rate of clinically diagnosed depression.

And that was before the topsy-turvy market wrought by the pandemic.

Here at Johnson Development, we love our Realtors and are working to not only make their jobs easier but their lives better. One way we’re doing this is to host Mental Health Matters on May 12 at the Perry Homes model in Veranda, 22926 Henderson Row Lane, Richmond. Two sessions will be offered — Meditation/Mindset and Positive Thinking and Mindfulness for Grounding, Focus and Vision. While the free event will delve into more detail on each, here are some ideas to recharge your mindset, regardless of your industry.

Meditation

Meditation is the practice of clearing your mind. It can take a variety of forms, and it doesn’t need to take long — even a few minutes each day can be beneficial. Some types of meditation include:

Body scans — taking a head-to-toe trip through your body, focusing on its physical sensations.

Mindfulness — staying aware of the moment.

Meditation with movement — focusing on your breathing or specific body movements.

You can find a full list and more detail here.

Whichever form you choose, benefits of meditation include reduced stress, increased patience, fewer negative emotions, improved sleep quality and a decrease in your resting blood pressure.

Going Beyond Meditation

While meditation is a way to create mindfulness, you can practice mindfulness — being fully aware of where we are and what we are doing — at any time. Take a breath before answering the phone. Look up from the computer screen to take in your environment. Chew your food slowly. Practice listening fully. Just STOP — Stop, Take a breath, Observe and Proceed.

Key to being mindful is to be non-judgmental in what thoughts pop up. Notice the thought, let it pass and return to being in the moment. 

Mindfulness yields many of the same benefits as meditation. Regular practice can also improve self-control, affect tolerance and improve your emotional intelligence in how you treat yourself and others. Research has even shown that you actually remodel the physical structure of your brain through regular mindfulness training.

Scroll down in this article to see four mindfulness practices. A little further in the article will provide simple guided meditations.

See you May 12!

We hope this information has been helpful. If you want to learn more, join us for Mental Health Matters on May 12. RSVP here.